In June 2020, guitarist
Corey Beaulieu revealed the band is already working on the follow-up to
What the Dead Men Say while being in
COVID-19 pandemic quarantine, saying the material they've been working on sounds "really pissed-off." On July 7, 2021, the band teased that they are planning to release new music on Friday, July 9, with a 2-minute video trailer hinting at some potentially new music. On that day, the band officially released the new single and title track "In the Court of the Dragon" along with its music video. On August 10, the band started posting more cryptic images and videos pertaining to another new single on their social media pages. The second single, "Feast of Fire", was released on August 12 along with a corresponding music video. At the same time, the band announced the album itself, the album cover, the track list, and release date. On August 19, a collaboration between Trivium and
Bethesda Game Studios has been announced that will include
The Elder Scrolls Online-themed music video. On October 1, one week before the album release, the band unveiled the third single "The Phalanx" along with an accompanying music video. The single is the album's final track and a re-recording of a scrapped song from the
Shogun sessions. A music video for "The Shadow of the Abattoir" was released on November 17, 2022. ==Composition==