Trivium singer and guitarist Matthew Kiichi Heafy has shared the news that Rashomon the long-awaited and much-anticipated debut album from Ibaraki will be released on May 6th! To celebrate the massive news, Ibaraki have released the equally massive single Akumu featuring none other than Behemoth's creative powerhouse, Nergal.
Watch the video for Akumu (Feat. Nergal) below.
Speaking to Akumu's meaning and inspiration, Heafy reveals the track is a bit of a tribute to French artist Olivier De Sagazan's Transfiguration.
Akumu translates to 'nightmare' — and with this piece, I encourage the listener to work to find their interpretations of what they feel from the lyrics, music, and the haunting visuals of the music video. I have always been fascinated by Sagazan's 'Transfiguration,' and for years, I have wanted to pay homage to his works with a performance art piece; to finally be able to immerse myself in his style was an intense experience."
Akumu was also an opportunity for Heafy to work with, draw influence for and be inspired by two of his favourite metal musicians in Nergal and Emperor's Ihsahn who both contributed more than just performance to Akumu.
"Having Nergal guest in this Ihsahn co-written piece allowed me to combine many of my long-time influences; and when I presented with Nergal of the challenge of translating my lyrics into Polish, it brought the song to another level."
Last month Ibaraki released their debut single Tamashii No Houkai, a six-minute storm of black metal majesty featuring genre icon Ihsahn (Emperor). Arriving accompanied by an artsy, Samurai starring, black and white video, Tamashii No Houkai has quite a deep meaning as Heafy explains.
"Tamashii No Houkai means 'the breaking of the soul' or 'soul collapse', it's a Japanese term that didn't exist before, but one we forged to reflect the song's meaning."
Watch the video for Tamashii No Houkai below.
Ihsahn and Nergal aren't the only two big names with features on Rashomon though, a glimpse at the tracklisting for the album below reveals that My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way will also feature on the album. That's one collab we can't wait to hear!
Rashomon Tracklist
1. Hakanaki Hitsuzen
2. Kagutsuchi
3. Ibaraki-Dōji
4. Jigoku Dayū
5. Tamashii No Houkai
6. Akumu (Feat. Nergal)
7. Komorebi
8. Rōnin (Feat. Gerard Way)
9.Susanoo No Mikoto (Feat. Ihsahn)
10. Kaizoku
The debut Ibaraki release add to a busy few months for Heafy who has released several cover songs following the release of Trivium's 10th studio album, In The Court Of The Dragon in October.
Buy In The Court Of The Dragon Now In The Maniacs Store
Listen to Ibaraki now
