Trivium’s Matt Heafy praises drummer Wandtke

Trivium

Trivium mainman Matt Heafy says the decision to recruit drummer Paul Wandtke has been a revelation.

He joined the Florida outfit last year on the recommendation of Dream Theater’s Mike Mangini and replaced Mat Madiro who departed due to reasons of “creativity.”

And Heafy says even after only a few months with Wandtke, it feels as if he’s been part of the group for years.

Heafy tells Loudwire: “For the first time in our careers, everything we’re playing sounds like the record. I’m not putting that as a fault upon any of the previous drummers, but I’m putting that as a fault of the previous three lineups.

“At each point in time, we had to make a drummer change because our band either wasn’t able to perform well or create good music or be functional as a unit anymore. So, thankfully with someone like Paul who comes to the table with a full set of musical pedigree, it allows us to play anything.

“We’re playing music from records two-seven now. I finally retrained myself how to scream again, so everything is exactly how it was.”

Heafy knew finding the right man to fill in the drum position was vital, as they didn’t have the time to train someone up.

He adds: “Paul’s an amazing drummer. He’s what we’ve always been missing. We’ve been missing someone who can keep up with us musically and creatively. Someone who already has stage presence. He comes to the table completely prepared. It’s as if he’s been with us the whole time.”

Trivium will head out on the road later this month with Sevendust in support of their latest album Silence In The Snow.

Trivium US tour dates with Sevendust

Apr 26: Baton Rouge The Varsity Theatre, LA
Apr 27: Birmingham Iron City, AL
Apr 29: Atlanta Center Stage, GA
Apr 30: Fort Myers Fort Rock, FL
May 01: Jacksonville Welcome To Rockville, FL
May 03: New York Playstation Theater, NY
May 05: Hartford Webster Theater, CT
May 07: Charlotte Carolina Rebellion, NC
May 08: Baltimore Rams Head, MD
May 13: Clear Lake Surf Ballroom, IA
May 15: Somerset Northern Invasion, WI
May 17: Sioux Falls The District, SD
May 18: Arlington Heights Home Bar, IL
May 20: Columbus Rock On The Range, OH
May 21: Reading Reverb, PA
May 22: Albany Rock Derby, NY
May 24: Flint Machine Shop, MI
May 25: Louisville Mercury Ballroom, KY
May 27: Shreveport Riverside Warehouse, LA
May 28: Pryor Rocklahoma, OK

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.