Trivium frontman Matt Kiichi Heafy has shared another song/video from his black metal project Ibaraki, with the release of Kagutsuchi.
The track is the third offering to tease the release of Rashomon, Ibaraki’s debut album, following on from Tamashii No Houkai, released in January, and Akumu, released in February. It features a guest bass solo by Trivium’s Paolo Gregoletto. The album is out now.
“Kagutsuchi is the turning point in my relationship to black metal,” says Kiichi. “Before crafting this piece, I believed I needed to stick to all the tropes of tradition — I didn’t believe that I was able to attach my name to keep something legitimately black metal.”
He continues, “Befriending [Emperor frontman] Ihsahn and having him as a mentor showed me that being true to oneself is far more important than being true to a genre. Ihsahn freed my mind and encouraged the sharpening of the tools needed to begin Ibaraki properly.”
“The guitar tracks in this final album are actually from 2010/2011. This album is an auditory time-capsule of my journey in creating Ibaraki. Kagutsuchi was the first song I wrote after I had begun my tutelage under Ihsahn.”
Heafy and Ihsahn talk about Ibaraki and their friendship in the new issue of Metal Hammer magazine, which is on sale now.