Trivium's Matt Heafy has announced that he will be releasing a children's book titled Ibaraki and Friends.
The book is scheduled to arrive in June, and explores the Japanese folktales and mythologies that inspired the frontman during his youth. Heafy was born in Iwakuni, Japan, to a Japanese mother and an American father.
Within the project, which displays multiple spreads of graphic illustrations by Half Sumo, readers can enjoy each picture detailed with mystical rhymes about the legendary tricksters, heroes and otherworldly creatures that featured in the Japanese stories that Heafy’s mother read to him as a boy. Design was orchestrated by the frontman's wife, Ashley Heafy.
The picture book is also accompanied by a lullaby CD containing sleepy acoustic sounds, which are encouraged to be played while reading.
Ibaraki And Friends shares the name of the Trivium leader's latest musical venture, Ibaraki, with the Ihsahn-featuring collab's Rashomon album set to arrive on May 6 via Nuclear Blast.
Deluxe editions of the project feature a temporary tattoo set, a Bento Box set...and the Ibaraki And Friends lullaby CD!
Of his new cuddly newest venture, Heafy explains: "Ibaraki And Friends is a book full of the stories that I grew up with. That Japanese folklore lies at the very root of so many of the amazing stories we have today, whether they’re in video games, anime, movies, or songs.
“For years, I’ve researched as many Japanese stories as possible - gotten several of them tattooed on my body - and explored their themes in the songs of Trivium, Ibaraki, and now in Ibaraki And Friends.
"It’s our hope that in exploring these wonderful stories, that the readers will want to learn more about Japanese culture - then more cultures of the surrounding Asian countries, then spread that willingness to learn about stories from all over the world, inspiring curiosity in the many cultures we share around the planet.”
Pre-order Ibaraki And Friends now and check out a preview of the book below:
