Silence in the Snow

The title track of Trivium's Silence In The Snow album, this was written after the band toured Japan with the group Heaven & Hell in 2007. That group's lead singer was Ronnie James Dio. Frontman Matt Heafy explained in an Allstars interview (transcribed by Blabbermouth.net). "Seeing that for the first time really changed something in all of us, and I started writing the song 'Silence In The Snow' back in 2007." "And I feel that song, maybe, was too big for where we were at the time, maybe we hadn't grown into the song yet, so we held on to it for about eight years, where finally Paolo [Gregoletto, bass] was, like, 'I think 'Silence In The Snow' should be on the next record.' And we wrote new music, put that on there, and that became the title track of the record."

With their Heaven & Hell experience as inspiration, this song was the jumping-off point for the album. "We got really inspired by the power and how amazing that band was live," Trivium guitarist Corey Beaulieu said. "The song really spoke to us and got that classic metal inspiration. It spawned every other song on the record."

Speaking on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, Matt Heafy explained the evolution of the song. "It was pretty crazy, 'cause we wrote that song while we were creating the material for Shogun," he said. "And it was a song that I loved, and I remember our manager loved, and my wife loved. But Paolo [Gregoletto, bass] and Corey [Beaulieu, guitar], they weren't quite into it yet. And we couldn't really figure out exactly why it didn't fit; they couldn't really put exact words on why they were not into it." "Looking back at it now, eight years later, I see that we weren't ready for that song," Heafy continued. "'Cause that song was the most stripped-back thing that we had written for Shogun, and Shogun was a very intensively technical record. And with the song 'Silence In The Snow;, it was more minimal. So when a song is more minimal musically, and technicality wise, it relies on a much bigger vocal. And I was an okay singer at that time, but I wasn't where I am now. I'm not saying that I have arrived as a singer, I am not saying I'm at my end result or where I was intending on going in the beginning, but I'm on the path. And I feel like, with growing the vocal range as I have, I've stepped up myself to be the singer that the song required." Heafy concluded: "When the music is boiled down to the simplest part, it's all about the big hook or the rhythm or the big melody, and that's what 'Silence In The Snow' is all about, and it just required us to be bigger musicians and bigger performers then we were at that point in time."