Earlier this year, Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine set out together to mark the 20th anniversaries of their landmark albums Ascendancy and The Poison. The run was billed as The Poisoned Ascendancy tour, but despite high expectations, the partnership fizzled out before it reached the global stage.
In May, Trivium revealed that additional international dates were scrapped. According to bassist Paolo Gregoletto, the decision came down to Bullet For My Valentine frontman Matt Tuck. Gregoletto said during a livestream that Tuck had pulled out because he "didn't wanna do it." He went further, adding that Tuck is "the sole decision maker of [Bullet For My Valentine] and he has no respect for us or our crew."
Soon after, Bullet For My Valentine offered their own perspective in a public statement. They reassured fans of their appreciation while shifting the focus toward their next creative chapter: "We're incredibly grateful to have been given the chance to look back at a pair of life-changing albums for us & Trivium, who we have nothing but respect and admiration for," they said. "With that being said, the four of us collectively feel that the time is right for us to divert our full attention towards the next chapter of Bullet For My Valentine."
The band emphasized that new music is their top priority: "We can't wait to get back in the studio later this summer and finish what we promise you is our best album to date. To go along with this, we are already starting to make plans for the 2026 & 2027 touring cycles, hitting every corner. We are super excited to drop new music for you all. We value our fans above all else and are forever grateful for your support. We'll be back with all of you very soon."
Meanwhile, Trivium wasted no time regrouping. In a conversation with Fox40, frontman Matt Heafy explained why the band pressed ahead with new touring plans. He pointed out that both groups had originally promoted The Poisoned Ascendancy as a year-long global trek
"Everyone is kind of wondering, 'Hey, this [The Poisoned Ascendancy] was supposed to be a world tour. You and that other band [Bullet For My Valentine] said this is gonna be a world tour from January through December.' Well, we did — we flew over to the U.K. to do a press conference [with Bullet For My Valentine], promising a world tour from January through December," he recounted (via Blabermouth)
"And you know the old saying 'it takes two to tango' — well, our dance partner dropped off after three months of touring, and we're, like, 'We wanna keep playing,'" he added.
Heafy was clear that the band had no interest in slowing down: "We've had people say, 'Hey, what was the drama with this story?' It's just that we wanted to play shows, and someone else didn't. So we're gonna keep playing shows. That's why you're gonna see us at the Aftershock [festival in early October in Sacramento, California]. That's why we've got this Trivium, Jinjer, Heriot tour. We've got an EP ['Struck Dead'] coming out [in October]. We're already writing record eleven at the same time. So there's no stopping us, man. It's incredible."
For Trivium, the change of plans became an opportunity to pivot. As Heafy explained: "So this new tour is a pivot. It's not the Ascendancy tour; it's the Struck Dead tour. So we're playing greatest hits of everything we've ever done, plus the new EP."
