Trivium singer and guitarist Matthew Kiichi Heafy has released Rashomon, the long-awaited and much-anticipated album from his IBARAKI project today, May 6, via Nuclear Blast. 

Get Rashomon, selected by Revolver as one the most anticipated releases of 2022, on CD, vinyl, cassette, and T-Shirt + CD bundle here: https://www.ibarakiband.com/rashomon

Listen to the album on all streaming platforms here: https://ibaraki.bfan.link/rashomon

Ibaraki have also shared the “Kagutsuchi” video. Watch it here:

The song is a very important one in the project’s history.

“‘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 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.”

Kiichi finishes, “The very recorded 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.”

“Kagutsuchi” features a guest bass solo by Trivium’s Paolo Gregoletto.

Trivium singer and guitarist Matthew Kiichi Heafy has shared another song from Rashomon, the long-awaited and much-anticipated album from his IBARAKI project.

Watch the video for the song “Rōnin,” which features My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way and Ihsahn, here. 

“‘A rōnin is a masterless warrior,” shares Kiichi. “The final two full compositions on Rashōmon see a significant shift musically. The album as a whole — with the exception of the intro and outro — is actually presented in chronological order of earliest written to latter-most. The actual guitar and bass tracks are a time-capsule of sorts in that their parts — on the final album — is actually from the year they were tracked.”

He continues, “One can begin to see the shifts as the years went on for the writing of the album. ‘Kagutsuchi’/’Ibaraki-doji’ being written and tracked in 2010/2011, all the way up to ‘Rōnin’/’Susanoo No Mikoto’ being written and tracked in 2016/2017.”

As for his collaboration with Way, Kiichi shares, “Gerard Way has been a long-time inspiration for me — like Ihsahn and Nergal — I have looked to Gerard as a constant source of motivation to be creative. While Gerard and I may be from different genres than where Ibaraki and black metal stem from — outsiders of sorts — the spirit and intent of our performances is what unites our passion for pushing boundaries.”

Rashomon will be released May 6 via Nuclear Blast. Pre-order Rashomon on CD, vinyl, cassette, and T-Shirt + CD bundle here. Fans can get all the released songs by pre-saving here.

Trivium singer and guitarist Matthew Kiichi Heafy is delighting fans today by releasing the first single from his long-awaited and much-anticipated IBARAKI project.

Today, Ibaraki have shared the video for “Tamashii No Houkai”,” featuring special guest Ihsahn of Emperor fame.

Stream the single here: https://ibaraki.bfan.link/tamashii-no-houkai

“‘Tamashii No Houkai’ means ‘the breaking of the soul’ or ‘soul collapse,” explains Kiichi. “It’s a Japanese term that didn’t exist before, but one we forged to reflect the song’s meaning.”

Kiichi, who is of Japanese heritage, continues, “‘Tamashii No Houkai’ 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.”

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

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

IBARAKI — the name for a terrifying Japanese demon taken from feudal legend — is the end-result of Kiichi’s continued journey to find his voice. It’s personal, it’s deep, and its inspirations include everything from an adoration for the extremes of black metal and beyond.

It was Kiichi’s 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 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.

And “Tamashii No Houkai” is just the beginning.