Trivium’s Matt Heafy Reflects On 2024 “Midlife Crisis” And The Making Of ‘Struck Dead’

Trivium’s Matt Heafy has always been one of metal’s most open book frontmen, but his latest reflections around the ‘Struck Dead’ EP cut deeper than usual.

Speaking with Shawn Whitney of 96.3 The Blaze, Heafy revealed that the record was shaped during what he calls a “midlife crisis slash mental breakdown” in 2024, a point where the pressure of juggling dozens of creative projects finally caught up with him.

Heafy confessed he’d been pushing himself far past breaking point, scoring video games, scoring a movie, managing and producing bands, writing a kids’ book and instructional material, ‘30 to 50 projects,’ as he put it.

That grind cracked something open, forcing him to confront layers of ADHD, OCD and anxiety he hadn’t fully recognised until therapy brought them forward.

“Now I’m in a better place than I’ve ever been in my entire life,” he said, crediting psychiatry and cognitive behavioural therapy for pulling him out of the spiral.

Mental fritzing lowest point

It’s a stark contrast to the emotional state he was in while crafting the ‘Struck Dead’ lyrics, those songs were written, as Heafy describes, at his “mental fritzing lowest point.” Revisiting the Ascendancy era for the album’s twentieth anniversary only intensified the self reflection, he realised the thoughts he’d written about at nineteen were still echoing through adulthood.

That realisation became a turning point. “I was able to channel all that into the music,” he explained, adding that speaking openly about mental health onstage has become part of his mission.

Heafy also highlighted the practical side of therapy, using CBT to rewire instinctive reactions, whether it’s anger in traffic or the emotional spirals that once dominated his life. His metaphor comparing CBT to jiu-jitsu training, learning how to “fall correctly”, frames recovery as a discipline rather than a quick fix.

Struck Dead tour

Meanwhile, Trivium have kept momentum rolling, their ‘Struck Dead’ tour continues across North America with Jinjer and Heriot, following lineup changes that saw longtime drummer Alex Bent replaced by Alex Rüdinger.

With Rüdinger joining the writing sessions for the next album and the band still celebrating the twenty year legacy of Ascendancy, Trivium are entering a new era, more self aware, more grounded, and carving forward with clarity Heafy fought hard to reclaim.