Matt Heafy Debuts Highly Anticipated Project Ibaraki with ‘Tamashii No Houkai’

Trivium’s Matthew Kiichi Heafy has wowed fans upon the release of his brand new project, Ibaraki, which pays homage to his Japanese heritage. The track, titled ‘Tamashii No Houkai’ is the first deeply personal musical piece for the vocal/guitarist as he puts his inspirations into Ibaraki to finally uncover his own voice and identity separate to Trivium:

“‘Tamashii No Houkai’ means ‘the breaking of the soul’ or ‘soul collapse. It’s a Japanese term that didn’t exist before, but one we forged to reflect the song’s meaning. The song is co-written by Ihsahn — the legend behind Emperor and a musician who has been a longtime influence and mentor to so much that I do in music. The writing of this song was the turning point for Ibaraki — it summarized everything from the past, present, and future of what I thought black metal was, is, and could be.

‘Tamashii No Houkai’ is the perfect summary and representation of everything that Ibaraki is… and will be.”

It’s heavy, fast and Matt Heafy on a whole new level compared to his world renowned heavy-hitting act. If you like what you’re hearing below, expect to hear more from the legend soon. As Heafy states, “…this is only the beginning.”

Stream ‘Tamashii No Houkai’ here