TRIVIUM Guitarist Says 'Things Just Weren't Working Out' With Ex-Drummer TRAVIS SMITH

Earlier this month, U.K.'s OneMetal.com conducted an interview with guitarist Corey Beaulieu of Florida metallers TRIVIUM. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

OneMetal.com: OK, I'm going to have to get this out of the way, and its probably the question you're expecting the most… What's the truth behind [the departure of former drummer] Travis [Smith] and [addition of current drummer] Nick [Augusto]?

Corey: (laughing) Yeah, yeah.. Well, it's kinda like a really long story. But, over time, things just kinda weren't working out. We did a headline tour of the U.S. and about halfway through Travis just said he wasn't going to do the next tour, so regardless we had to think about getting someone to fill in, then once we started playing with Nick we just knew it was the right thing. At that time though we didnt know whether it was going to be Nick specifically or somebody else. We just knew it had to be somebody new, and for the benefit of moving the band forward, we had to do it. It was either moving forward, not going backwards or just falling apart. It's just something we had to do to move everything forward in a fucking positive way.

OneMetal.com: Are there truths in what we are hearing about the way Travis was fired? Was it amicable?

Corey: Well, we were on a tour so we had to do it over the phone. We were just like, "Hey, we've decided to go on without you,' and stuff, and he was like, "Yeah, alright whatever…" Something was going to happen; it was just whether it was coming from us or from him. Things were falling apart, and we just kind of pulled the trigger first, just to get it done, move forward and get the new guy settled in and comfortable. It's been working really great with Nick and when people see the show they will see why.

OneMetal.com: What's your opinion on the whole "American Idol"/"X-Factor" reality music thing?

Corey: Oh, man… I mean, who buys that shit? It's just like normal average people. But I've watched "American Idol", and if you watch it from the beginning you get sucked in; it's just like any other TV show. You get the whole storyline, all the different people on the show with their stories. It's just kind of like a TV show, but then you get the music. People get attached to whoever is on the show and when they put out a song, it's like (in a cracking falsetto voice) "Oh yeah, I gotta buy it, yeah yeah yeah." But a lot of the people on "American Idol", if they came out with music, they would just be like a dime a dozen, with the same old shit. But I guess being on "American Idol" gives them a platform to connect with people so that people like that person and want to buy their stuff. But there's like 15 other people that have CDs that sound exactly like it. Its just a TV show. I mean, Simon Cowell is one smart motherfucker. He knows how to make some cash. I mean, I wouldn't mind getting in on a piece of that. But it is what it is.

Read the entire interview from OneMetal.com.