Matt Heafy

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Matt Heafy
Trivium-Rock im Park 2014- by 2eight DSC8991.jpg
Heafy performing at Rock im Park in 2014.
Background information
Birth name Matthew Kiichi Heafy
Also known as Matt Heafy
Born (1986-01-26) January 26, 1986 (age 39)
Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan
Origin Orlando, Florida, United States
Genres Heavy metal, metalcore, thrash metal, death metal, black metal[1]
Occupation(s) Guitarist, vocalist, musician, songwriter
Instruments Guitar, vocals, bass, drums, saxophone, banjo
Years active 2000–present
Labels Lifeforce, Roadrunner
Associated acts Trivium, Capharnaum, Mindscar, DragonForce, Caliban
Website www.trivium.org

Matthew "Matt" Kiichi Heafy (born January 26, 1986)[2] is a Japanese-American musician, best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist[3] for the American heavy metal band Trivium. Heafy is also the lead vocalist for the band Capharnaum, along with Trivium's former producer Jason Suecof.

Biography

Heafy was born in Iwakuni, Japan to an Irish-American father and a Japanese mother. Although Heafy was born in Japan, he lived there for only one year. His family then moved to Orlando, Florida, where he currently resides.[4]

Heafy learned to play the saxophone in years leading up to becoming more serious on guitar at the age of twelve.[5]

Heafy attended Lake Brantley High School. He completed his senior year while also touring in Europe, and graduated in 2004.[6] He currently plays a custom Gibson 7-string guitar.[7] He used 6-string guitars for Trivium's first two albums, utilizing standard tuning and Drop D tuning on Ember to Inferno, and solely drop D tuning on Ascendancy.[8] On Trivium's third record, The Crusade, he returned to standard tuning and performed some songs on 7-string guitars. On Shogun, Heafy used 7-string guitars almost exclusively, with only two songs using a 6-string. For Trivium's fifth studio album In Waves, Heafy returned to using solely 6-string guitars and used drop C# tuning similar to the drop D as seen on Ascendancy.[9] For Vengeance Falls, Trivium's 6th effort, Heafy continued to solely use 6 string guitars tuned to Drop C#. However, for the recording of Trivium's seventh studio album "Silence In The Snow", Heafy used both 6 and 7-string guitars, tuned to Drop C#, B Flat Standard and Drop A Flat.

Heafy does not know formal music theory, and was almost completely self-taught. However, he does know how to read sheet music, but can only apply it on the saxophone and banjo. "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."[5]

On January 10, 2010, Heafy married Ashley Howard[10] in Orlando, Florida. The wedding was attended by close friends and family.

Matt still often uses the same first Gibson Les Paul he got from his father, in both a live and studio setting.[11]


Trivium

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Main article: Trivium (band)
Matt Heafy at Nova Rock Festival 2014

Matt Heafy unofficially joined Trivium at the age of twelve, but became the official frontman after Brad Lewter, the previous vocalist of Trivium, quit the band shortly after Heafy joined. Heafy assumed responsibility for vocals and the majority of the songwriting. Matt's debut with Trivium included his compositions of "Fugue", "Demon", "Requiem", "Sworn", and "The Storm". He has also composed the songs and lyrics for Ember to Inferno and Ascendancy.[citation needed]

With the release of Trivium's 4th 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 and others with no screaming at all, and many songs that fused the two as with previous records.

In Trivium, Matt shares lead guitar duties with Corey Beaulieu, although he is responsible for recording the rhythm tracks on the albums.

Matt Heafy performing live.

After Ember to Inferno, Trivium experimented with post-hardcore music, releasing one song titled "Head on Collision with a Rosebush Catching Fire" under the name "Tomorrow is Monday. As revealed in a 2008 interview in Rock Sound,[citation needed] they wrote, recorded and edited the song in one hour while intoxicated.[12]

Roadrunner United

In 2005, Roadrunner Records released Roadrunner United: The All-Star Sessions to celebrate the label's 25th birthday. Four "team captains" were chosen: Joey Jordison (Slipknot, Murderdolls, Scar The Martyr), Robert Flynn (Machine Head), and Dino Cazares (Fear Factory) as well as Heafy.[13] Heafy also wrote the lyrics and sang the lead vocals to "The End", captained by Dino Cazares. He and bandmate/guitarist Corey Beaulieu recorded the song "In the Fire" as well, featuring singer King Diamond, bassist Mike D'Antonio, and drummer Dave 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

Heafy won the Metal Hammer "Golden God" award in 2006.[14]

Also in 2006, he handled vocals for the band Korn, one of his favourite bands, (singing one song) at the Download Festival when Korn's lead vocalist Jonathan Davis fell ill.[15]

Heafy—along with several other metal artists—makes guest appearances in the music videos for "Aesthetics of Hate" by Machine Head, released March 27, 2007 and "All I Want" by A Day to Remember, released January 7, 2011.

In 2015 Heafy contributed to the metal supergroup album "Metal 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".

Musical influences

Matt Heafy cites musicians James Hetfield, John Petrucci, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Ihsahn as his primary influences. His style was mostly influenced by bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Slayer, Pantera, Korn, Dream Theater, Death, Burzum, Down, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Poison the Well, and later on In Flames, Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy, Dark Tranquillity, Opeth, Dimmu Borgir, Fozzy, Dark Funeral, Emperor and Anorexia Nervosa.[9]

Equipment

Guitars

Matt Heafy performing in 2008.

Matt Heafy has been endorsed by Gibson since Summer 2009, but before he was endorsed by Dean after he and Corey Beaulieu were both given Dean Razorback prototypes in 2006. In summer 2009 Gibson made him a custom 7 string Explorer, which is now a production model but only available in black right-handed models.

In 2013, Epiphone released his artist signature model Les Paul in 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".[16]

Pickups

  • EMG 81/85 with Chrome and Gold covers. (Used on all his 6 Strings)
  • 81-7/707 with standard Black covers. (used on all his 7 Strings)

Amplifiers

  • Studio: Marshall Amplification JVM410H heads, or Peavey 5150 block-letters with Mesa cabinets.
  • Live: Kemper Profiler Multi Effects unit with distortion patches based off the EVH 5150 III direct to the PA system.

Accessories

  • Dunlop Jazz III Max Grip picks
  • Dunlop .10-.52 strings (And a .63 on 7 strings.)
  • Dunlop straps

Pedalboard

  • Behringer FCB1010 Midi foot controller connected to the Kemper.

Discography

Trivium

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Main article: Trivium discography
Capharnaum
MindScar
  • MindScar EP (2001)
Tomorrow Is Monday
  • Lush Like an Antpile (2004)
  1. "Head on Collision with a Rosebush Catching Fire"
Other

References

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External links

Template:Roadrunner United

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  1. ↑ http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/04/12/check-out-matt-heafy-from-triviums-old-black-metal-band-mindscar/
  2. ↑ Matt Heafy biography @Trivium.org Archived January 27, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ http://www.bravewords.com/news/166747
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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