by Trivium frontman Matt Heafy recently addressed the early end of The Poisoned Ascendancy world tour. The tour was originally planned as a joint venture with Bullet For My Valentine, in a statement shared on YouTube.
Heafy’s comments aimed to clarify fan questions about what happened with the tour that was supposed to run from January through December.
“Everyone is kind of wondering, ‘Hey, The Poisoned Ascendancy was supposed to be a world tour. You and that other band [Bullet For My Valentine] said this is gonna be a world tour from January through December,’” Heafy said. “Well, we did — we flew over to the U.K. to do a press conference [with Bullet For My Valentine], promising a world tour from January through December.”
He continued with a pointed reference to their former tour partners.
“You know the old saying ‘it takes two to tango’ — well, our dance partner dropped off after three months of touring, and we’re, like, ‘We wanna keep playing,’” he added.
Heafy emphasized that there was no drama beyond different priorities regarding touring.
“We’ve had people say, ‘Hey, what was the drama with this story?’ It’s just that we wanted to play shows, and someone else didn’t. So we’re gonna keep playing shows,” he explained. “That’s why you’re gonna see us at the Aftershock. That’s why we’ve got this Trivium, Jinjer, Heriot tour. We’ve got an EP called ‘Struck Dead’ coming out in October. We’re already writing record eleven at the same time.”
The frontman concluded by outlining Trivium’s pivot to new touring plans.
“So there’s no stopping us, man. It’s incredible. So this new tour is a pivot. It’s not the Ascendancy tour; it’s the Struck Dead tour. So we’re playing greatest hits of everything we’ve ever done, plus the new EP,” Heafy said.
The comments provide Heafy’s perspective on the tour situation that had left fans with questions about the early conclusion of what was meant to be a year-long world tour.
The tour’s abrupt end came after what initially appeared to be a successful celebration of two milestone albums. Ultimate Metal reported that The Poisoned Ascendancy Tour kicked off on January 26 in Cardiff, Wales. The tour celebrated the 20th anniversaries of Bullet For My Valentine’s The Poison and Trivium’s Ascendancy albums.
The tour officially ended on May 18 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ultimate Metal revealed that Bullet For My Valentine pulled the plug on continuing the run beyond that point to focus on recording a new album. The Welsh band issued a statement expressing their respect for Trivium and gratitude to fans. They noted that after the last shows, they planned to focus on a summer festival run in June.
Both bands have maintained respect for each other throughout the situation despite the split. Ultimate Metal confirmed that Bullet For My Valentine acknowledged the significance of celebrating two decades of breakthrough albums through the tour. They made this acknowledgment even as they decided to prioritize their recording schedule.
Fans of both bands had highly anticipated the tour. It represented a rare opportunity to see two influential metalcore acts celebrating their most important releases together. The early conclusion left many supporters disappointed. Heafy’s recent comments suggest Trivium has channeled that energy into new projects and touring opportunities moving forward.
