For those of you who aren't sure what the hell Trivium frontman Matt Heafy is talking about in the band's new single "Throes of Perdition," "hell" is the operative word. Throes of perdition literally means "struggle of eternal damnation," which is something of which Trivium seem to have been spared. Read more...

"Touring the world sucks... the food outside of the USA sucks... people overseas suck..."

That's all I ever used to hear from bands before I had the opportunity to tour outside of the United States. When I started touring outside of North America I thought I would really miss the comforts of our home culture. Couple that with the fact that the touring life sometimes sucks you down into the deep, dark vortex of sitting in the bus all afternoon, lounging in the dressing room all day, playing on the Internet, doing the show, drinking yourself to sleep and repeat.

Now, this works well for some people and I have experienced it myself on many tours, but found it ultimately unfulfilling. To each his own, I guess. However, lately I have made a conscious effort to tour in a new way and embrace the opportunity to explore the open road and see as many new things in as many of the cities we are fortunate enough to visit. Read more...

"Kirisute Gomen," the first single from Trivium's upcoming fourth album, Shogun, is titled after a Japanese samurai expression that's the equivalent of "I'm gonna kick your f---ing ass" and translates to "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to take your head." It's an accurate description of the impact of the album, but Trivium offer no apologies for their brand of brutality.

Unlike 2006's The Crusade, which contained an abundance of melodic vocals and even an '80s-style metal anthem, Shogun is direct and uncompromising, blending the guitar hooks of The Crusade with the metalcore savagery of 2005's Ascendancy. And while Trivium still draw from the lessons of Metallica, Megadeth and Pantera, songs like "Torn Between Scylla and Charybdis" and "Down From the Sky" suggest they've finally discovered their own voice -- one which will likely have its own impact on the next generation of thrash-inspired metal warriors.

In our exclusive podcast interview with Trivium frontman Matt Heafy, we discussed his Japanese ancestry, the growth the band have undergone since The Crusade, the creation of the new songs, recording in Nashville with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Death Angel, Shadows Fall) and the politics of metal. Click "more" to stream or download the podcast. Read more...