Matt Heafy of Trivium has announced that he will be releasing an illustrated book, but contrary to what many might think, the work is not autobiographical. The musician has teamed up with the Half Sumo to release a book of Japanese folklore stories called Ibaraki and Friends .
The book of mythologies will be accompanied by a CD of lullabies that will complement the stories being told. Ibaraki and Friends should be available from June.
“ Ibaraki and Friends is a book full of stories that I grew up hearing. This Japanese folklore is the root of many of the incredible stories we have today, whether in video games, anime, movies, or music,” explains Heafy.
Ibaraki is also the name of Matt Heafy's progressive metal project. The band, however, has no direct connection to the illustrated book, other than the stories that inspired content for both. “For years, I researched as many Japanese stories as possible, tattooed several on my body, and explored their themes in the music of Trivium, Ibaraki, and now Ibaraki & Friends . By exploring these wonderful stories, we hope that readers will want to learn more about Japanese culture and then about more cultures from Asian countries, and spread this desire to learn to stories from all over the world, inspiring curiosity about the various cultures we share around the planet,” says Heafy.
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