{"id":60146,"date":"2018-09-20T21:09:07","date_gmt":"2018-09-20T21:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/09\/20\/metal-the-military-food-and-nerd-dom-a-one-on-one-chat-with-triviums-matt-heafy\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:01:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:01:39","slug":"metal-the-military-food-and-nerd-dom-a-one-on-one-chat-with-triviums-matt-heafy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2018\/09\/20\/metal-the-military-food-and-nerd-dom-a-one-on-one-chat-with-triviums-matt-heafy\/","title":{"rendered":"Metal, the military, food and nerddom: A one-on-one chat with Trivium\u2019s Matt Heafy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trivium front man Matt Heafy is familiar with the Marine Corps lifestyle. His father, Brian, a sergeant who served from 1982 to 1989, was stationed with Marine Aircraft Group 15 in Iwakuni, Japan, when he met Matt\u2019s mother, a native of Hiroshima.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born in Iwakuni, a young Matt relocated often with his family amid a revolving door lifestyle familiar to any who have worn a uniform in the armed forces. After wrapping up his enlistment at Camp Pendleton Brian settled his family in Orlando, Florida, where Matt\u2019s budding love of music began to flourish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military Times had a chance to chat with Heafy about his upbringing with a Marine father, the impact it had on his musical career, aggressive music\u2019s place in the military and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trivium kicks off a new North America tour<\/a> Oct. 3 in Tampa, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First off \u2014 just to get this out of the way \u2014 your <\/b>Twitter<\/b><\/a> location is set to Middle Earth. Is that a \u201cLord of the Rings\u201d plug?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is. I am a mega dork, huge Lord of the Rings, huge Harry Potter fan. I can\u2019t wait for the \u201cLord of the Rings\u201d Amazon series. I think they\u2019re sinking like a billion dollars into it. Every year my wife and I watch all the Harry Potter movies. Loads of nerddom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK, back on track. You grew up in a Marine Corps household. How did that impact who you are today? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Massively. When people ask, \u201cWhat\u2019s your background? What\u2019s your ethnic heritage?\u201d I always say I\u2019m half Marine, half Japanese. My dad raised me with that military discipline and my mom raised me with Japanese discipline. I\u2019m one of the first non-military or non-first responder males from my dad\u2019s side, but no one was ever upset that I didn\u2019t do it. When I fell in love with music, my dad encouraged me to go for it. Looking back, he had such an impact on me with a regimentation of practicing guitar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In high school I took a job training class, and my dad agreed that I should play the guitar as the assignment, but he would make sure I did the work. I\u2019d have to go home and log my hours of guitar and make my own exercises. And he\u2019d even tell me, \u201cMake sure you stand, too. Don\u2019t just sit. You have to stand and play because it\u2019s a different animal. That way you\u2019re ready to perform live.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I\u2019m sure the instructional stuff he gave me was what he learned from the Marines. And nowadays, I keep a set schedule to my day, which I really like. I love waking up at the same time every day, doing the same things every day. And that absolutely has to be a military thing ingrained from him into my DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You joined Trivium when you were just in eighth grade. What was your life like as a military brat before the band? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was born in Iwakuni, Japan, lived there for a year, then moved to San Diego for a few years, then Coral Springs, Florida, Arlington Heights, Illinois, and to Orlando, Florida, when I was about 10 or 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marine Brian Heafy, standing with his wife, holds a young Matt for a picture. (Photo courtesy of Matt Heafy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before Trivium, I didn\u2019t really know what I was doing, and with moving around a lot, I don\u2019t remember having super close friends. I mean, you would expect me to be a loner because I became one of the only metal kids. I had super long hair, I\u2019d wear Pantera T-shirts and cut-off camo shorts with boots, but no one bullied me or looked at me weird. Thankfully, maybe people gave me a pass once I was in a band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I picked up guitar around 11 or 12 just because I thought it was the cool thing to do. I tried out for a pop punk band and didn\u2019t make it, because I wasn\u2019t good. I didn\u2019t practice. I didn\u2019t even know what it meant to practice. It was really when I got into Metallica through the \u201cBlack Album\u201d that I realized I wanted to play metal. Once my dad saw that I was taking an interest, he started coaching me. He actually managed the band when I joined, and he continued to manage until I was about 25, when he decided to just step back and enjoy it, versus having to be so invested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you think moving around a lot helped prepare you for a life of touring? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely. Even after the Marine Corps, my dad still had to move us around. He was traveling a lot when I was younger, but I just remember him being around and being supportive. His traveling and our moving, in a way, got me ready for that type of life. My wife and I are actually expecting twins, and you know, I have to get used to that lifestyle on the road, also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military obviously has a much more intensive away schedule than I do, but I think ours is sort of second-in-line to that lifestyle, in terms of professions. Having to be away a lot, having to travel. Musicians have it way easier than dudes in the military, but I wish more band guys had the military\u2019s discipline. I\u2019ll meet so many guys from younger bands who just don\u2019t have the focus, who don\u2019t want to practice or try as hard. Fifty percent of bands are wanting to work hard to be the best and the other half are sort of there to party and in the mindset of, \u201cWe already made it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we had to go through some kind of boot camp or something (laughs) before we start touring \u2014 instilling that discipline would be great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military seems to have a strong connection to metal and aggressive music. What is it that makes metal so appealing to that culture? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always felt like metal is the right fit for service members. It\u2019s similar to when I go to martial arts gyms \u2014 or really anyone who goes to a gym experiences this \u2014 and there\u2019s almost always really bad pop music playing. It should <\/i>be metal or hardcore or punk or something aggressive that pumps you up and gets you going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily, the military seems to get it. I always meet service members who say, \u201cWe listened to you guys in Iraq” or “we listened to you guys in Afghanistan.\u201d Maybe the average person who doesn\u2019t understand metal would think, \u201cWhy are they listening to aggressive music while they\u2019re doing aggressive things?\u201d But it\u2019s to connect with it. When people can hear something aggressive, that has anger, they can recognize that they\u2019re not the only ones feeling that, and they can find comfort in it. It\u2019s almost like a therapy, like a punching bag. And that\u2019s what our music is for \u2014 to make people feel right, whatever they may be going through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I may be speaking incorrectly, but I think in both the metal community and in the military, when we first set foot into it, maybe we have our guard up, maybe we\u2019re a little afraid, thinking, \u201cIs anybody else of the same mindset?\u201d And then you start to find people, link together and find your friends and your band of brothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Trivium’s lead man, Matt Heafy, front, chatted with Military Times about growing up with a Marine father and the perfect fit of metal with the military community. (Photo courtesy of Trivium)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Is there a band or record that amps you up right now? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The record that does it for me the most right now is \u201cThe Great Collapse\u201d by Fit for an Autopsy. I put that record on every day before I go to Brazilian jiu-jitsu because it makes me so pumped up, like I can take on the world. And what better time and place to do that when you\u2019re going to go grapple and try to choke each other out or break each other\u2019s arms and legs? I\u2019m obviously not going in there and going crazy (laughs). I keep it respectful. But that record gives me chills when I listen to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music can definitely be therapeutic, and it\u2019s hard to find a better example of a song discussing coping with trauma, yet developing the closest bonds you\u2019ll ever form through those meaningful events, than \u201cEndless Night.\u201d <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s exactly what the song was about and I\u2019m so happy you felt that, because when we were coming up with the song \u2014 I actually wrote the music for that song and Paolo [Gregoletto] wrote the lyrics \u2014 I was really connected to it and I felt that same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s exactly what that\u2019s there for. It\u2019s experiencing something bad or difficult with family, friends, troops, whatever it may be, and going on with trying to live a normal life while looking back and missing that sense of brotherhood, that tribal connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m so happy that you saw that because we were definitely hoping that servicemen and women could connect to that song in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there any bands that have that therapeutic effect on you? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a kid, hearing Metallica for the first time, getting into Queen, Depeche Mode, Roy Orbison, the Beatles. Those are bands that I just feel <\/i>it. I love when I can feel the music, that sort of inexplicable thing in your bones and your mind and your skin, when your hairs raise and you get chills. That kind of emotion is so important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I get that with classical music. We were talking about Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies, and with Harry Potter, when the music pairs just right with what\u2019s happening on screen, that symphonic music gives me that feeling like, \u201cI can\u2019t breathe.\u201d That\u2019s what I love. Even some of my favorite video games have done that. Like in Final Fantasy VII, those dramatic scenes when you\u2019re invested or attached to a character and there\u2019s the perfect score to go along with it. It just makes everything right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what lets me know that music is for me. I know that our music does that for some people too, and that\u2019s ultimately what we want. At our shows, we have people of all religions, political views, professions and walks of life, but for that entire set, we\u2019re all one. It doesn\u2019t matter what kind of day we had, what we believe in. At that moment, we\u2019re all together. We\u2019re all different, we all love and think different things, but deep down, we all want <\/i>to be loved and to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My grandfather, who was also a veteran, always said, \u201cA third of the world is going to love you, a third of the world is going to hate you, and a third of the world\u2019s not gonna give a shit\u201d (laughs). So you just have to find your third. My stance has always been about finding that third that unites us. So, even though we all come from different backgrounds or have different beliefs, let\u2019s enjoy the thing we have together in that moment. Let\u2019s enjoy metal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To a non-metal fan, hard music can carry a negative stigma. How do you best break through that to make it more appealing to the masses?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It comes down to showing people what it is first. If they\u2019re not a metal or rock fan, show them something that makes sense first. You can\u2019t show them a Cannibal Corpse song first. That\u2019s too much (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to show them something like Metallica or Iron Maiden. If I were to show someone who\u2019s not a metal fan our music, I would show them a song like \u201cEndless Night,\u201d something they can find commonalities with things they enjoy, like melody, beat, lyrics, then <\/i>give them a little bit more. To use a derogatory term, you sort of have to approach it like finding a gateway drug (laughs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being massively into food, I can compare it to that. You have to bring others in with dishes that make sense to them first. If someone has never had Mexican food before, I can\u2019t be like, \u201cHere, try this cow head taco.\u201d You have to take baby steps, like, \u201cHere\u2019s al pastor. Here\u2019s a cut of the shoulder or butt.\u201d And if they like that, you start progressing into something more extreme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also comes down to who the person in the band was before the band. There are people in all genres \u2014 doesn\u2019t matter if they\u2019re metal, rock, hip hop, pop, punk \u2014 who are just bad people. And then there are genuinely good people, and that perception of them can be magnified because of being a musician. So, hopefully, I can always be a good example and be more about what unites us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You play a ton of covers \u2014 songs by Sia, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, etc. Did you grow up listening to that wide of a variety of music? And how did metal eventually take hold?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think my dad wanted me to discover music on my own. He didn\u2019t really ever push anything on me. As I was getting into metal, he would play me Zeppelin, Boston, Sabbath, Van Halen, the Beatles. Then he took me to my first ever metal show to see Machine Head. He got the VIP loge boxes so I could watch and that really changed my life. It\u2019s the first time you get to feel that dread, like, \u201cOh man, what\u2019s happening? What\u2019s going on?\u201d And you almost feel scared. To see a band and feel all these different emotions just leaves you feeling awesome afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I got into Metallica, I thought that was the heaviest thing in the world. And I eventually kept hearing heavier and heavier things, and what I loved was how metal was looked at as extreme by the general population, so I wanted to find out how extreme it could go, so I kept digging. I remember when Napster was around and someone sent me Cannibal Corpse and Cradle of Filth for the first time. That\u2019s when I started understanding classifications and genres \u2014 \u201cHere\u2019s black metal, here\u2019s death metal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone eventually sent me \u201cJotun\u201d by In Flames, and when I heard that, I thought, \u201cAlright this is melodic and catchy and reminds me of video games but it\u2019s also super heavy and screamy and dark. This is the stuff that I really love.” So I started falling in love with melodic death metal, which is a huge component of Trivium. We\u2019re made out of the old metal and old thrash but it\u2019s the Swedish metal scene \u2014 bands like In Flames, At the Gates, Dark Tranquility \u2014 that really crafted what we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would Trivium ever want to perform on a military installation in the future? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would love to. I\u2019ve always wanted to be able to play some bases. We\u2019ve always said we want to. We\u2019ve done meet and greets or put people on the guest list anytime we know people who are stationed nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my really good friends who just retired from the service would always come out with his buddies to shows in Germany and places like that. We would love to play shows on base, though. We\u2019re 100% in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alright, have to let you run so the regimented schedule doesn\u2019t get too disrupted, but thanks so much for taking time to chat (and nerd out).<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alright dude. Semper fi. Thank you very much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n