“Scattering the Ashes” by Trivium

The initial premise behind Trivium’s “Scattering the Ashes” was the death of Corey Beaulieu’s, Trivium’s guitarist’s, grandfather. And as part of the burial ceremony they literally scattered his ashes into the sea. But taking things a step further, what the whole incident caused the band to write about is the subject of unresolved issues. And more specifically, they use the fictional case of a less-than-ideal relationship between a father and his son. 

And in a way, the lyrics can be read as if the addressee, who would be one of these individuals, has passed away. Or perhaps more logically, the situation can be deduced that this person is still alive. And the relationship between the singer and the addressee has been strained via, as aforementioned, an unresolved issue(s). So even though they may not actually speak on the matter, it is pretty apparent that a riff exists between them in which their relationship has been fractured. And the way the situation reads, which lends to the idea of the addressee perhaps being dead, is as if the narrator is under the impression that at this point said riff can never be mended.

Writing Credits for “Scattering the Ashes”

“Scattering the Ashes” was composed by the entirety of the band (Trivium). And the track’s producer is Josh Wilbur.

Release Date

This is the eighth song on the playlist of “What the Dead Men Say”. Trivium released the track along with the album on 24 April 2020.