While it's been a hugely successful couple of years for Trivium, frontman Matt Heafy has also found the time to work on a much talked-about black metal project, IBARAKI – and today he's shared the first single.

Featuring Emperor's Ihsahn, the first release from IBARAKI is entitled Tamashii No Houkai, and according to the vocalist / guitarist, is "the perfect summary and representation of everything that IBARAKI is… and will be".

He explains, "Tamashii No Houkai means 'the breaking of the soul' or 'soul collapse'. It's a Japanese term that didn't exist before, but one we forged to reflect the song's meaning.

"Tamashii No Houkai is co-written by Ihsahn – the legend behind Emperor and a musician who has been a longtime influence and mentor to so much that I do in music. The writing of this song was the turning point for IBARAKI – it summarised everything from the past, present, and future of what I thought black metal was, is, and could be."

Watch the video for Tamashii No Houkai below – and stay tuned for more when we have it…

The 32 moments that defined 2025

Between the highs of Turnstile Summer, the heartbreaking lows of saying goodbye to legends like Ozzy, and the sheer WTF madness of Tyson Ritter launching an OnlyFans or Davey Havok’s moustache, 2025 was a time that the rock world will never forget. Here, we run down 32 of the most defining moments of the year…