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: https://youtu.be/Qi-G8XEmK9U
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.
