COREY BEAULIEU Of TRIVIUM On Split With Ex-Drummer ALEX BENT: "We Had Great Chemistry"

Drummers seem to be playing musical chairs this year as several major bands have gone through line-up change after line-up change, even so far as Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails swapping drummers altogether, with not even Trivium being immune to the little 'change-the-drummer' virus that seems go be going around the scene.

Trivium's long-time drummer Alex Bent departed the band earlier this month, right ahead of the band's performance at Aftershock Festival in California.

Guitarist Corey Beaulieu stressed that it was a completely amicable break-up, and the truly did wish all the best for Bent, despite the surprise of the situation: "It just kind of happened, and it was kind of a surprise. I don't think anyone was really expecting it," Beaulieu admitted to Wall of Sound in Australia (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), "But it is what it is. When it all kind of went down, we all wished each other the best. There's no hard feelings. It was just kind of one of those things where it's, like, life changes paths. And it's all positive. We made three amazing records together. The [upcoming] EP is amazing, which it will be his last thing. He started working on the [next full] record with us, so hopefully when that's finished and done, he'll feel a part of that."

Further reflecting on Bent's time with Trivium, Beaulieu went on to tell the Australian podcast about what it was like working with Bent for the first time and how it evolved over the years he was in the band, "When [Bent] came into the band, we had a great chemistry, a great writing team. I think all the music we did together is — hopefully the fans just are really excited about what was created in that time. And [Bent], he's a great drummer, a great person and stuff, and I'm sure he's got plans for whatever his next chapter is."

Trivium's Paolo Gregoletto, responsible for bass, echoed a similar sentiment earlier this week – after Aftershock Festival – when speaking to another Australian podcast, Thunder Underground, saying that he hoped that fans understood there truly was no animosity and the want to respect the history Trivium has with Bent, "I don't feel like I want fans to be, like, 'Hey, okay, we're over it. We expect you to be over it,' kind of thing. I'm like, no. I'm, like, we made a lot of great music and there's a lot of history between us. He was almost in the band as long as Travis [Smith] was and almost made as many albums, I believe. So that's a pretty big chunk of our history right there."

During the aforementioned Aftershock Festival, Gregoletto started off the conversation about the split with Bent incredibly diplomatically, with a small joke that it wasn't a "Cradle Of Filth" sort-of situation. "We've had a great nine years together. I feel like it's kind of a weird thing because, obviously, being in a band together, but I feel like because we've all had families and stuff, there's a tighter connection there that even just what people see," and Trivium wanted Bent to take the lead on how to address the situation with fans, "So I think it's one of those things, we all were kind of sad, but at the same time, we said, '[Bent], we want you to kind of make the statement. You kind of lead how you'd like to handle all this stuff.' And I didn't wanna put words in his mouth or say whatever. He made the statement. I feel like we ended on great terms. And that's really kind of it. I mean, there's no juicier Cradle Of Filth [-style] drama. And, again, it's one of those things where we wanted him to make a statement."

It's a refreshing take on a band breakup considering the absolute shitshows that happened with Jesus Piece, Cradle Of Filth, As I Lay Dying, and quite a few others this year. We've heard bands state that being in a band is like being married, and some of these seemed to be pretty nasty divorces. For Gregoletto, Beaulieu, and the rest of Trivium, it's pretty much the opposite: "And I think The Sin And The Sentence, of the stuff we all did together, is maybe one of my favorite records we've done. And I think the [upcoming] EP, too — if that's the end of the chapter, I'm, like, that's a great ending right there, 'cause I think it's a very, very cool EP," Gregoletto explains, "And I can say without a doubt, I feel that the albums and EP has been an incredible run. I don't feel we had a real weak point. I can't say that's something I feel like for our whole career. So I'm, like, I feel very proud of that. It was a lot of effort and work and everyone's part."

The aforementioned EP can be pre-ordered here.