Trivium's Heafy helped by Axl Rose vocal coach

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By ( Metal Hammer ) published

Singer says Ron Anderson taught him to protect his voice after 2014 'blow out'

Trivium’s Matt Heafy has recalled how Axl Rose’s vocal coach helped him overcome his singing problems.

He blew out his voice during a show in Columbus, Ohio, last year and the band were forced to cancel shows as a result. But when he made his live return, fans noticed changes in his performance.

And on Trivium’s latest single Silence In The Snow, he can be heard delivering a more melodic sound, a pattern which is followed throughout the album of the same name.

Heafy tells Metal Hammer magazine that he hooked up with signing coach Ron Anderson after a recommendation from Avenged Sevenfold’s M Shadows. He says: “Ron’s taught Axl Rose, Chris Cornell, Janet Jackson – the list goes on.

“Not only has he helped my clean singing, but he’s taught me a correct screaming technique, because what I’d been doing for 15 years was incorrect and I was on the brink of destroying my voice.

“In the past, singing was such a strain and screaming would give me headaches and make my lungs hurt and my throat hurt. But I thought that was the way it was supposed to be.”

As well as changes to how he sings because of the damage done to his voice, Heafy says the band wanted to challenge themselves on Silence In The Snow, which is released on October 2.

He adds: “We wanted to do something we hadn’t done before. That doesn’t mean we’re not as heavy or are watered down – we’re just trying to push the boundaries on what we’re capable of doing.”

The full interview appears in the current issue of Metal Hammer magazine, available now in print, digital and via TeamRock +.

Stef Lach

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.