TRIVIUM have announced "The Crusade: Symphony," an orchestral reimagining of their critically divisive but fan-beloved 2006 album "The Crusade," set for release on July 11, 2026 via Roadrunner Records. The project sees every track from "The Crusade" — the album that marked the Orlando band's first major attempt at classic heavy metal, drawing comparisons to METALLICA and earning both praise for its ambition and criticism for its departure from their metalcore roots — rearranged and rerecorded with a 60-piece orchestra conducted by Ivo Ilic, who has previously worked with RAMMSTEIN and NIGHTWISH on similar projects.
Frontman and guitarist Matt Heafy, who has spoken extensively over the years about the critical polarization surrounding "The Crusade" and his evolving relationship with the album, described the project as "something I've been conceptualizing since about 2015 — a way of honoring what we were trying to do with 'The Crusade' and giving it the dramatic grandeur it deserved." The orchestrations were written by composer Yann Tiersen collaborator Ross Goldsmith, and the recording sessions took place at Abbey Road Studios in London across two weeks in February 2026.
The album features guest appearances from guitarist Fredrik Åkesson of OPETH on "Entrance of the Conflagration," violinist Hilary Hahn on "Becoming the Dragon," and spoken word contributions from author Neil Gaiman on the title track. TRIVIUM have also confirmed a limited number of orchestral live presentations of the album in major cities including London, New York, Tokyo, and Sydney, to be staged in September 2026 in partnership with local orchestras.