Paolo Gregoletto of Trivium Answers Questions

Aaron Rosso from Littleton, CO:
Correct me if I am wrong, Ember to Inferno was mostly in standard tuning and Ascendancy was in 'drop d' tuning...from what I have heard you guys play in multiple tunings on the new cd; is this preference or was this done to add a thrashier/darker side to Trivum?

-The Crusade was recorded in standard tuning, even on the 7 string songs. After Ascendancy came out, we felt it would be better to return to standard, it's just much easier to write songs in standard.

Dustin Overton from Kuna, ID:
Hey guys, I and anyone who knows who Trivium is should know that you guys have a big inspiration from one of the greatest axe men ever Mr. Dimebag D. How much of his style or thought of the way he play's is or was put into the making of "The Crusade", if any at all?

-Dimebag was a one of a kind player, no one will ever be able to write, play or drink as hard as that man did. We look up to him so much, he was a dude that played from his heart and had as much fun as he could doing it, and I think that's what his biggest inspiration has been on
us.

Suzanna Favola from West Chester, PA:
part 1 - With "The Crusade" people will inevitably compare it to Metallica; do you mind?

-For people to even mention Trivium and Metallica in th same sentence is an honor itself.

part 2 - Even though being compared would be an honor, wouldn't you rather have people say "it sounds like, Trivium!" and not some other band? [even though the album is great by my standards]

- I think every band would want that, that's the goal in music and being in a band. But new bands are always sized up against something before them or put into a genre. I think our writing will naturally evolve, the "Trivium" sound isn't 100% defined just yet. We are growing as people and musicians, and as each CD comes out I hope that we can keep it fresh and intresting.

Donnie Baxa from New Brighton, PA:
You guys have played on some of the biggest tours in the US (Ozzfest & Sound Of The Underground), you are headlining your first US tour and you have your 2nd release coming out in a few weeks....What do you see as the next step for Trivium???

-The next step for us is to keep touring and spreading the word about Trivium through out the world. That's been our plan since day 1, to tour non-stop until everyone knows us and what we are about.

Joey Konigsberg from Owing Mills, MD:
What aspects of your lives gave you the inspiration that you used to write the songs?

-It's hard to say, music has really become everything for us. When you start playing you are inspired by bands you look up to, but for us now I think the our fans are what drives us to keep making music and touring.

Kelly Lilly from Perryville, MO:
"If you could with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?"

-Pantera, because I know we will never be able to share the stage with them and that really sucks!

Keith Goessl from Baldwinsville, NY:
What gear did you use while recording this album and is it the same gear you have or will play through on tour?

-Playing live and recording are such different animals. Things that would sound shitty on stage may sound amazing on CD. We go into the studio with an open mind to get the sounds we need.

Jackson Hart from Delano, MN:
What made you decide to go out on a headlining tour this time around instead of going out as main support for a more recognized band as you have in the past?

-I think it was the right time for us to headline here in the US. We have been dying to finally get out and give our fans here, some of who have been coming out every tour, a full Trivium show. We have come to a point where supporting slots over here will be for bands much bigger than us.

Andrew DiChiara from Bellmore, NY:
Of the songs I have heard ('Detonation', 'Anthem', and 'Entrance...') they all are very different. ,Detonation, is a little more epic towards the end, 'Anthem' is more a Skid Row feel, and 'Entrance...' is along the lines of what I expected to hear (in a good way). Did you guys sit down and try to write different styles for songs or did it just come out this way?

-No, we really wrote this album on the road and not together that much, so there wasn't much discussion together until we sat down to arrange and finalize the songs. We write riffs and build up the songs around them. You can't just go, here is a thrash song and here is a hard rock song, it will just feel forced.


Phil Majkrzak from Brecksville, OH:
What influenced you on some of the new song titles, for example 'And Sadness Will Sear' or 'Contempt Breeds Contamination'?

-The words Matt write influence the song titles. This time around especially some of the songs have really deep meanings behind them and are based on true stories.

Richard Caplan from Coral Gables, FL
:What kind of effect pedals did you rely on most heavily for the recording of 'The Crusade'?

- We don't really use effects pedals. Live, I know the only pedals on stage are usually just overdrive pedals and noise gates. On the CD, effects are usually put on after recording it.

Anthony Rocha from Rio Rancho, NM:
What pushed you to write the songs that you did and what different scales did you use to write the guitar parts of the songs? How long did it take you to write and record the new album, lyrics and instrument-wise?

-We don't think of scales at first when writing, you have to let the riff just come out naturally. We wanted to push ourselves to write the music better music. Since most of the songs where written on the road, I think the shows we were playing and all the fans coming out and supporting us really helped. "The Crusade" took about a year to write, and two months to record. I think some of the first riffs we wrote for "The Crusade" where on the Road Rage tour in March of 2005 right after "Ascendancy" was released.

Kevin Monaco from Portland, OR:
What inspiration and thought went into the making of Corey's kick ass Dean Flying V guitar?

-That was actually a design of Dimebag's which he never was able to see made.

Suzy Bekiroglu from Spring Hill, FL:
If Trivium were to wage a Crusade to end shitty music, which music genre(s) would you obliterate?

-There are so many, I think we will let our fans choose!

Eric Medina from Barlett, IL:
How do you think your sound has evolved from "Ember To Inferno" to "The Crusade"?

-As musicians we have come so far, it's amazing to look back and see that.

Lisa Waksmonski from Tempe, AZ:
What thought went into picking the Sword, Protest the Hero, Cellador, Seemless, and Sanctity as support for your upcoming headline tour of the US?

-We didn't want to have a tour that was just the same bands going out again. We thought really hard about what bands to bring. What is great about the tour is everyone on it is going somewhere, but in there own way. If you can go to a show and actually distinguish each band and what they sound like, then I think we picked the right bands.

Jake Pflum from Weston, FL:
Are you guys going to design any of your own model guitars with Dean? What specs would you want?

-Matt and Corey will be doing that for sure, Travis already has his own DDrum model and I will be doing a BC Rich signature model down the road for sure. We still aren't totally sure about specs yet.

Mat Pileggi from Elizabeth, NJ:
If the Trivium members had to fight a huge dinosaur, what would each member's super power be and why?

-Matt would use his Final Fantasy powers, Corey would drink it to death, Travis would trap it in a room and use his ablitiy to smoke endlessly to kill it, and I would eat it.

Tom MacFee from Old Bridge, NJ:
Favorite things to keep you busy while on tour?

-Video games, working out and drinking is about all you really can do.

Tiffany Olson from Cleveland Heights, OH:
What is every member's favorite song on "The Crusade" and why?

-Matt's is 'The Crusade' because of how ambitious it is for us and just everything going on within the song. Travis loves 'The Rising' because it is very grooving and rockin. Corey is into 'Tread the Floods' because the chorus came out really epic, as well as the solo. I think mine would have to be 'To The Rats', because playing fast is always the most fun.

Be sure to catch Trivium on tour this fall and to pick up their new album "The Crusade" out October 10th!!!!

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jason    September 23, 2006