Betrayer

Album: The Sin and the Sentence (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was inspired by a close pal of vocalist Matt Heafy, who let him down. He explained to TeamRock:

    "It was the end of the tour, and I had just come out of a really bad ending of a really good friendship – someone I consider one of my really close friends, someone that I had helped in their time of need, they've helped me in my time of need. And I felt like I really was a good influence on this person that was addicted to bad things, doing bad things. And it completely soured when they turned their back on me and all of us, and I remember sitting on that flight and being so choked up with anger. I just put my headphones on, put the song on, and immediately started writing the lyrics."
  • Unto you I proclaim "Creonte" shall be your name

    Heafy explained: "There's a word in there, 'creonte'. It's a Brazilian-Portuguese word that's passed around in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gyms, and it means 'traitor'. It's when someone was part of your gym, and they leave for an unknown reason, and join a rival gym."
  • The song earned Trivium their first-ever Grammy nomination. "To hear we were getting not only a Grammy nomination but a nomination for that song makes me so proud, because it has screaming and key changes and is so extreme," Heafy told Consequence of Sound. "We're an intense band, 75% to 80% of the time, so it was such an honor to see that."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

The Evolution of "Ophelia"

The Evolution of "Ophelia"Song Writing

How four songs portray Shakespeare's character Ophelia.

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)

Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)Songwriter Interviews

Richie talks about producing the first two Kiss albums, recording "Brother Louie," and the newfound appreciation of his rock band, Dust.

Peter Lord

Peter LordSongwriter Interviews

You may not recognize his name, but you will certainly recognize Peter Lord's songs. He wrote the bevy of hits from Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

U2 Lyrics

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.