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

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)Songwriter Interviews

The co-writer/guitarist on many Alice Cooper hits, Dick was also Lou Reed's axeman on the Rock n' Roll Animal album.

Amanda Palmer

Amanda PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.