THE BEAST

Trivium singer and guitarist  Matthew Kiichi Heafy  has shared more details about his long-awaited and much-anticipated  Ibaraki   project.

The project's debut album  Rashomon  will be released on 6th May via  Nuclear Blast. 

Today, the band has shared new single " Akumu " (Feat.   Nergal   of   Behemoth ).

"'Akumu' translates to 'nightmare' — and with this piece, I encourage the listener to work to find their interpretations of what they feel from the lyrics, music, and the haunting visuals of the music video," says Kiichi. "I have always been fascinated by Sagazan's 'Transfiguration,' and for years, I have wanted to pay homage to his works with a performance art piece; to finally be able to immerse myself in his style was an intense experience."

He finishes, "Having Nergal guest in this Ihsahn co-written piece allowed me to combine many of my long-time influences; and when I presented with Nergal of the challenge of translating my lyrics into Polish, it brought the song to another level."

Watch the new music video for 'Akumu' below:

Last month,  Ibaraki  offered fans a taste and a tease of the music by sharing first single " Tamashii No Houkai ," featuring special guest  Ihsahn  of  Emperor  fame, who is a core contributor and partner in this project.

Ibaraki  were recently selected as one of  the most anticipated releases of 2022  by  Revolver .

RASHOMON  TRACK LISTING:
"Hakanaki Hitsuzen"
"Kagutsuchi"
"Ibaraki-Dōji"
"Jigoku Dayū"
" Tamashii No Houkai "
"Akumu" (Feat. Nergal)
"Komorebi"
"Rōnin" (Feat. Gerard Way)
"Susanoo No Mikoto" (Feat. Ihsahn)
"Kaizoku"

ABOUT IBARAKI:
IBARAKI  — the name for a terrifying Japanese demon taken from feudal legend and the new project of  Trivium's Matthew Kiichi Heafy  — is more than a solo record. It's the end-result of a journey of an artist finding his voice. Its inspirations include everything from an adoration for the extremes of black metal to the exuberant storytelling of  Gerard Way  to the adventuresome worldliness of tragic bon viveur  Anthony Bourdain . It's a reflection of Kiichi's multifaceted interests as well as a profound affirmation of his Japanese-American identity, and one that led him to confront one of his family’s most tragic moments. Like the artist behind it, there is much to the story of Ibaraki and it began with a timid email to one of black metal's most revered and influential figures.

Kiichi,  a fan of black metal before he even started  Trivium , reached out to label reps for  Ihsahn  of  Emperor,  and the artist personally responded. He recalls,  "It was so cool to get that nod and it inspired me to start checking some of his solo stuff. He’d just released his own solo record and I'd never heard anything like it — saxophones, clean singing, jazz chords. It was incredible to me. He's this non-stop inventor. So I started writing in a totally different way."

The exposure to  Ihsahn 's solo work that would inspire the gradual craftsmanship that would eventually become Ibaraki. It was also the beginning of a friendship and creative collaboration that would eventually compel  Ihsahn  to take a leap of his own into a newfound role as producer on the project. While much of the material for  Ibaraki  was assembled over those months and years — as much a songwriting process as an exchange of ideas between friends — it wasn't until the pandemic that the space was created and the idea could really flourish. 

"It was very loose,"  says  Ihsahn .  "We just had rough demos for a very long time because we're arguably pretty busy people, but suddenly, everything was cancelled and we had time on our hands for the first time, so it was like, 'OK, let's do this.' We never got to work in the same room; he'd track guitars and send them to me, I'd run them through my studio and send them back. It was a new way of working, but it was like he was there on the other side of the glass. Matt is a very, very positive energetic and passionate music fan — we have similar attitudes to music and open mindedness. We hit it off, and it's been really rewarding to me."
    
The creative interactions between the pair are the result of a deep trust borne of a commonality of their experience.  "We both started our respective bands when we were 13,"  Ihsahn  says.  "We got signed when we were 16. That's young, and in essence we both found our path in life at an early age. We've talked a lot about that and our different experiences with that, because it's like we know nothing else."

While material was primarily written by  Kiichi, Ihsahn  engineered and produced and contributed some song structures, plus  Trivium  drummer  Alex Bent  and bassist  Paolo Gregoletto  and guitarist  Corey Beaulieu  contributed to various tracks.  Ihsahn' s wife Heidi even sampled some natural sounds from the forest near their home and his entire family. Additional guests include the aforementioned Way and  Behemoth's Nergal.

Ihsahn  also encouraged  Kiichi  to seek out new avenues for lyrical inspiration, namely his Japanese heritage. While an array of stories have been told via the tattoos on his body, such as the specific ancient Japanese story of gods, goddesses, and monsters from the Shinto religion taught to him by his mother, he began pouring the stories into lyrics. 

While the rich mythology and folklore of Japan that would give  IBARAKI  its unique aesthetics and influences, it also provides the artist with the catalyst to contemplate his own identity and to consider how recent tragedies stateside have highlighted the need for better representation in metal.  

IBARAKI online:
facebook.com/ibarakiband
twitter.com/ibarakiband
instagram.com/ibarakiband
ibarakiband.com