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Matt Heafy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused withMatty Healy.
Matt Heafy
Heafy at Hellfest 2019 playing his Les Paul “Snøfall” Custom guitar
Heafy atHellfest2019 playing his Les Paul “Snøfall” Custom guitar
Background information
Born(1986-01-26)January 26, 1986(age 38)
Iwakuni,Japan
OriginOrlando, Florida,U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1998–present
Member of
Websitetrivium.org
twitch.tv/matthewkheafy

Matthew Kiichi Heafy(/ˈheɪfi/HAY-fee;born January 26, 1986)[1]is a Japanese-American musician, best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist forheavy metalbandTrivium.[2]He was also the lead vocalist for the bandCapharnaum,along with Trivium's former producerJason Suecof.In 2017, Heafy was voted sixth on theUltimate Guitarlist "Top 25 Greatest Modern Frontmen".[3]

Early life

[edit]

Heafy was born inIwakuni,Japan, to a Japanese mother and an American father. His father, formerly a member of theUnited States Marine Corps,is half-Irish and half-German.[4]Heafy has a younger sister, Michelle, who is now aYouTuber.[5]Although Heafy was born in Japan, he only lived there for one year and does not speak Japanese fluently; however, he uses some basic phrases when he performs in Japan.[6]His family then moved toOrlando, Florida,where he currently resides. Heafy attendedLake Brantley High School.He completed his senior year while also touring in Europe and graduated in 2004.[7][8]During those years, Heafy used to live astraight edgelifestyle.[9]

Heafy learned to play thetenor saxophonein years leading up to becoming more serious on guitar at the age of eleven. At that period he was mostly listening to pop punk bands and even auditioned for a local one called "Freshly Squeezed" by playing theBlink-182song "Dammit."However, following his audition, he never got a follow-up call back. He also cites being introduced toheavy metalby his classmate, David, who gave him a copy of Metallica'sself-titled album.[10][11]

Heafy does not know formal music theory and is almost completely self-taught. He does know how to read sheet music, but can only apply it on thesaxophone.However, in 2015, he started taking formal training for the guitar.[12]

"Self-taught for quite a bit of it, did lessons on and off for maybe two or three years, but I do not know anything formal music on guitar. I do on saxophone though…but that doesn't help me on guitar."[11]

Heafy still often uses the same firstGibson Les Paulhe got from his father, but only in studio settings. For live performances he uses his signatureEpiphone Les Paulthat is modeled off of his Gibson.[13]

Career

[edit]
Main article:Trivium (band)
Heafy performing atMayhem Festival 2009

Following his guitar performance at the school's talent show, Heafy was asked to try out for Trivium by the band's original singer Brad Lewter. Originally, he was accepted as lead guitarist, despite being only 12 years old (other members were 15-16 at that time). Lewter, however, quit the band in less than a month due to creative differences over the band's future musical direction. The drummerTravis Smithpersuaded Heafy to do vocals, even though Heafy himself was unsure of his singing voice at that time. The band started looking for an external singer to fill in the position but had trouble finding a suitable candidate. Eventually, Heafy agreed to become a full-time lead singer for Trivium also keeping the position of lead guitarist for the band. He taught himselfgrowlingandscreaming,especially doing so during the band's early years. However, he admitted using the techniques incorrectly most of his career, which ultimately caused severe damage to his vocal chords in the years leading up to the band's performance atRock on the Rangein 2014, where he blew his voice on stage. That same year, he started taking vocal lessons from coachRon Anderson,following advice fromM. ShadowsofAvenged Sevenfold.In 2016, Heafy returned to performing unclean vocals live with the same frequency as he did before his injury, citing Anderson's lessons as a source of help and improvement.[14]He claims that the new technique is actually easier than normal talking.

With the release of Trivium's fourth album,Shogun,Heafy greatly expanded his vocal range; from very melodic singing to hardcore screams. In 2011, Trivium's fifth studio album,In Waves,was released with a 'greater emphasis on songs rather than skill,' with the album featuring the full range of Heafy's vocal talents with some songs being entirely composed of screaming, others with no screaming at all, and many songs that fused the two as with previous records.

In Trivium, Heafy sometimes shares lead guitar duties withCorey Beaulieu,although he is responsible for recording the rhythm tracks on the albums.

AfterEmber to Inferno,Heafy jokingly played in thepost-hardcoregenre, releasing one song titled "Head on Collision with a Rosebush Catching Fire" under the name Tomorrow Is Monday.[citation needed]

On December 4, 2020, Heafy released a collaborative 5-track EP with AmericanYouTuberand musicianJared Dines.[15]

Ibaraki

[edit]
Ibaraki
Also known asMrityu (formerly)[16]
OriginUnited States
Genres
Years active2012–2020 (as Mrityu), 2022–present
LabelsNuclear Blast

On January 21, 2022, Heafy unveiled the first single, "Tamashii no Houkai", from his black metal influenced project Ibaraki. The song featuresIhsahnof black metal bandEmperor.[17]

Ibaraki's debut album,Rashomon,was released on May 6, 2022, which featuresNergalofBehemothandGerard WayofMy Chemical Romance,in addition to Ihsahn.[18]The album's lyrics were inspired by Heafy's Japanese heritage, drawing from Japanese mythology and folklore.[19]

Roadrunner United

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Heafy in 2012

In 2005,Roadrunner RecordsreleasedRoadrunner United: The All-Star Sessionsto celebrate the label's 25th anniversary. Four "team captains" were chosen:Joey Jordison(Slipknot,Murderdolls,Scar the Martyr),Robb Flynn(Machine Head), andDino Cazares(Fear Factory), as well as Heafy.[20]Heafy also wrote the lyrics and sang the lead vocals to "The End," captained by Dino Cazares. He and bandmate/guitaristCorey Beaulieurecorded the song "In the Fire" as well, featuring singerKing Diamond,bassistMike D'Antonio,and drummerDave Chavarri.He also wrote and played guitar on the tracks "Dawn of a Golden Age", "I Don't Wanna Be (A Superhero)" and "Blood and Flames," also contributing vocals to the latter.

Other appearances

[edit]

Heafy won theMetal Hammer"Golden God"award in 2006.[21]

The same year, he sang one song, "Blind",forKornat theDownload Festivalwhen Korn's lead vocalistJonathan Davisfell ill.[22]

Heafy—along with several other metal artists—makes guest appearances in the music videos for "Aesthetics of Hate"byMachine Head,"All I Want" byA Day to Remember,and "Moving On" byAsking Alexandria.

In 2014, Heafy contributed toDragonForce'ssixth studio album titledMaximum Overload.He performed backing vocals in three of the album's ten tracks: "The Game", "Defenders" and "No More".

In 2015, Heafy contributed to the metalsupergroupalbumMetal Allegiance.He provided lead vocals and additional guitars on the track "Destination: Nowhere". He also contributed on guitar for the track "Triangulum I. Creation II. Evolution III. Destruction".

In 2016, Heafy appeared on the albumArktisby fellow musicianIhsahn.

In October 2019, Heafy was a featured guest-vocalist on an acoustic version of "Stabbing in the Dark" byIce Nine Kills.

On December 4, 2020, Heafy appeared on a 5-song collaborative EP with youtuberJared Dinestitled"Dines x Heafy".The music video for the song"Dear Anxiety"was also released on the same day.[23]Heafy and Dines had previously collaborated on a cover of "Better Now"byPost Malone.[24]

On July 16, 2021, Heafy provided guest vocals onPowerwolf'sre-recording of "Fist by Fist (Sacralize or Strike)" on the deluxe version ofCall of the Wild.[25]

Heafy appears as a guest vocalist inFuncom'sMetal: Hellsinger,[26]and has provided two songs for "The Awakened King" expansion ofRemnant 2.[27]He's acting as composer and sound designer for the upcoming gameMartial Arts Tycoon.[26][27]

On November 10, 2023, Heafy performed the songTears Don't Fallon stage with the bandBullet For My Valentineat their show in his hometown of Orlando.[28]

Equipment

[edit]

Guitars

[edit]
Heafy atRock im Park,Germany, 2014

Heafy has been endorsingGibsonsince Summer 2009. Prior to that, in 2006, he endorsedDeanafter he andCorey Beaulieuwere both givenDean Razorbackprototypes. In 2008, his signature model, an ML shape with a graphic of the Japanese Rising Sun, was released. He stopped using Deans in 2009 after some disagreements. In summer 2009 Gibson made him a custom 7 string Explorer, which later became a production model but only available in black right-handed models.

In 2013,Epiphonereleased his artist signature modelLes Paulin both 6 and 7 string versions. He had previously been seen playing his signature models on the Dream Theater "A Dramatic Turn of Events Tour".[29]In 2017, Epiphone released a new signature model called "SnØfall", which drew inspiration from Trivium's 2015 albumSilence in the Snow.This model is available in 6 and 7 string configurations and features an exclusive custom Alpine White finish along with white Phenolic fret board. In 2022, Epiphone released his signature Les Paul Custom Origins with his signatureFishmanFluence pickups and in black and white, 6 and 7 strings and right and left-handed configurations.[30]

Personal life

[edit]

On January 9, 2010, Heafy married Ashley Howard inOrlando, Florida.[31]The wedding was attended by their close friends and family. The couple have twins: a daughter and a son, born on November 6, 2018.[32]Matt returned home from tour to be with Ashley while she gave birth while the tour finished withHoward JonesandJohannes Eckerströmperforming guest vocals on various songs and YouTuberJared Dinesfilling in on guitar.

Heafy has been confused forThe 1975frontmanMatty Healyon multiple occasions due to the similarities of their names. In January 2023, Heafy made the news by responding to aCameorequest from a user that mistook him for Healy.[33]

Twitch streaming

[edit]

Heafy is agamerand practitioner ofBrazilian jiu-jitsu.He does dailylive streamson hisTwitchchannel "matthewkheafy", which consists of playing video games, runningguitar clinics,vocal warm-ups, showcasing his Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes, and playing Trivium songs and acousticcovers.[34]

Discography

[edit]
Heafy performing in 2008

With Trivium

[edit]
Main article:Trivium discography

With Capharnaum

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Mindscar

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  • "Midwinter Darkness" demo (2002)
  • Kill the King(2015) - guitars (track 1), vocals (tracks 1, 7, 8)

Tomorrow Is Monday

[edit]
  • Lush Like an Antpile(2004)
  • "Head on Collision with a Rosebush Catching Fire" (2004)

WithJared Dines

[edit]
  • Dines x Heafy(2020)

With Ibaraki

[edit]
  • Rashomon(2022)

Others

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Matt Heafy biography @Trivium.org".Archived fromthe originalon January 27, 2007.
  2. ^bravewords.com."TRIVIUM Frontman Matt Heafy -" IN FLAMES Played A Huge Role In My Rhythm Guitar Playing; The Jester Race And Whoracle Were Two Of The Most Influential Records Ever Made "".RetrievedJanuary 18,2018.
  3. ^"Friday Top: 25 Greatest Modern Frontmen".ultimate-guitar.com.RetrievedAugust 29,2021.
  4. ^Blabbermouth (December 14, 2012)."TRIVIUM Frontman talks U.S. Politics, Band's Next Studio Album (Video)".RetrievedJanuary 12,2018.
  5. ^Heafy, Matt [@matthewkheafy] (March 10, 2017)."My amazing sister @michelleheafy covering #aeris from #finalfantasyvii 's theme! Amazingggg. https://youtu.be/6RJRfZurntE @FinalFantasy"(Tweet).RetrievedOctober 31,2021– viaTwitter.
  6. ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon October 31, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 26,2016.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^Perez, Omar (December 8, 2004)."Music: Collapsing The Masses".Orlandoweekly.com.RetrievedNovember 4,2011.
  8. ^"Guitar Messenger – Matt Heafy Interview (Trivium)".Guitarmessenger.com.RetrievedOctober 20,2011.
  9. ^Meisenkaiser (February 23, 2004)."Interview: 2004-02-23 Trivium".metalinside.de(in German).Archivedfrom the original on May 20, 2017.RetrievedMay 20,2017.[...] Die High-School-Party-Szene interessiert mich nicht. Ich bin straight-edge. Keine Drogen, keine Probleme, keine Verbrechen. Musik ist alles. (The high school party scene does not interest me. I'm straight-edge. No drugs, no problems, no crimes. Music is everything.)
  10. ^"Trivium - Vengeance Falls Documentary (Part 1)".YouTube.October 14, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 18,2018.
  11. ^ab"Gear Nerd- Guitars With Matt Heafy (Trivium) - Roadrunner Records Uk".Roadrunnerrecords.co.uk.March 25, 2010.RetrievedOctober 20,2011.
  12. ^Trivium (February 4, 2016)."Trivium - Silence In The Snow Mini-Documentary".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 18,2018.
  13. ^"Gear Nerd:Trivium's Matt Heafy Part 1".Roadrunnerrecords.com.RetrievedOctober 20,2011.
  14. ^Trivium (August 27, 2015)."Trivium - Until The World Goes Cold [OFFICIAL VIDEO]".Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 18,2018– via YouTube.
  15. ^Astley-Brown, Michael (December 4, 2020)."Jared Dines and Trivium's Matt Heafy team up for new collaborative EP".Guitar World.RetrievedDecember 4,2020.
  16. ^"Ibaraki - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives".
  17. ^DiVita, Joe (January 21, 2022)."Matt Heafy's New Black Metal Band Ibaraki Debuts First Song With Ihsahn".Loudwire.RetrievedJanuary 21,2022.
  18. ^"IBARAKI (Trivium's Matthew Kiichi Heafy) announces album featuring Nergal, Gerard Way".Kerrang!.February 18, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 22,2022.
  19. ^"Album Review: Ibaraki, Rashomon".Exclaim!.May 5, 2022.RetrievedMay 11,2022.
  20. ^"Roadrunner United Mini-site".Roadrun.com. Archived fromthe originalon April 12, 2008.RetrievedNovember 4,2011.
  21. ^"Golden God Award citation".Metalhammer.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon December 9, 2006.RetrievedNovember 4,2011.
  22. ^"Korn: Frontman Hospitalized, Band Plays With Various Vocalists".ultimate-guitar.com.RetrievedApril 30,2012.
  23. ^Pasbani, Robert (December 4, 2020)."TRIVIUM's MATT HEAFY & JARED DINES Release Their Collaboration EP, Dines X Heafy, Release" Dear Anxiety "Video".Metal Injection.RetrievedApril 20,2021.
  24. ^"Trivium Members And Jared Dines Cover Post Malone's Better Now".Kerrang!.RetrievedMay 12,2020.
  25. ^"Album: Call of the Wild | POWERWOLF".Archived fromthe originalon November 4, 2021.RetrievedNovember 4,2021.
  26. ^ab"Trivium's Matt Heafy Nerds Out on Video Games for 14 Minutes".YouTube.September 6, 2022.
  27. ^ab"Trivium's Matt Heafy collaborated with Remnant 2 because it" looks like metal "".November 13, 2023.
  28. ^"Watch: BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE Joined by TRIVIUM's MATT HEAFY for 'Tears Don't Fall' Performance in Orlando".November 11, 2023.
  29. ^abc"Ltd. Ed. Matthew K. Heafy Epiphone Les Paul Custom".Epiphone.com.RetrievedFebruary 21,2013.
  30. ^"Epiphone and Matt Heafy launch MKH les Paul Custom Origins Collection, including 25.5" -scale 7-strings ".June 7, 2022.
  31. ^"Matt Heafy Gets Married".Archived fromthe originalon January 31, 2010.
  32. ^Heafy, Matthew kiichichaos (September 15, 2018)."Somehow... there are four people in this photo. pic.twitter.com/7YmKXCqoCZ".
  33. ^Enis, Eli (January 24, 2023)."TRIVIUM: 1975 FAN BUYS MATT HEAFY CAMEO INSTEAD OF MATTY HEALY".Revolver Magazine.RetrievedJuly 23,2023.
  34. ^Singer, Quentin (March 20, 2020)."Trivium's Matt Heafy Details New Album And How Twitch Has Changed His Career".Forbes.RetrievedApril 30,2020.
  35. ^"Trivium's Matt Heafy Has a Time Machine - MetalSucks".August 12, 2014.RetrievedJanuary 18,2018.
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