Trivium has tapped Chicago nativePaul Wandtkeas the band's new touring drummer.
Wandtkemade his live debut withTriviumearlier today (Saturday, December 5) atKnotfestin Toluca, Mexico.
Brian Heafy, the father ofTrivium frontmanMatt Heafy, wrote onInstagram: "I had the pleasure meetingPaul Wandtke(Trivium drummer) at theTrivumin-store signing event and we had him over for Thanksgiving dinner!Pauland I also hung out for a bit at theTRIVIUMbeer-tasting event.
"I knowMatthew,Corey[Beaulieu, guitar], andPaolo[Gregoletto, bass] are excited about whatPaulbrings to the team. Incredible timing, vigorous work ethic and loves to practice. A player's player, from what I have seen. Hopefully everything works out positively.
"Many of you know I've been in theTriviumcamp (1999-2010) for quite a awhile and I've seen three drummers come and go, like the rest of you. During my time, one of the weakest links in the group has always been the drumming. All solid people, but not quite up to the standards [Matt,CoreyandPaolo] place upon themselves. We wish them all well, never personal."
Wandtkehas previously drummed for the hit musical"Rock Of Ages"and sat behind the kit forKill Hannah during the band's main-support run with theSmashing Pumpkins.
Trivium in May 2014 parted ways with drummerNick Augustodue to personal differences. Stepping in for him onTrivium's recent dates and on the band's latest album,"Silence In The Snow", was the group's drum tech,Mat Madiro.
"Silence In The Snow"debuted at No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 18,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8.
The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).
"Silence In The Snow"was released on October 2 viaRoadrunner. The follow-up to 2013's"Vengeance Falls"was produced byMichael "Elvis" Baskette(Slash,Alter Bridge,The Amity Affliction) and was mixed byJosh Wilbur(Gojira,Lamb Of God).
