Bullet for my Valentine continue their battle for world dominance, preparing to once again win over Australia in the wake of their latest release, Scream Aim Fire.
Having cemented themselves as one of the major names in metal, Bullet for my Valentine is finally bringing their melodic roar to anxiously awaiting fans. Guitarist Michael “Padge” Paget is preparing to depart Wales, with fellow bandmates: vocalist and guitarist Matthew “Matt” Tuck, Michael “Moose” Thomas on drums and Jason “Jay” James playing bass. They’ll be spending these next two years on the road. “We’ve only been once [to Australia]. Sydney was really cool, we didn’t get the chance to get out West, so we’re really excited to see what it’s all about.”
Sharing the stage with U.S heavyweights Avenged Sevenfold and Atreyu, BFMV are graced with a full-scale show – in contrast to the Taste of Chaos Tour, which they recently wrapped up. “Taste of Chaos was great, especially for us. We were on quite early in the day, so it’s nice to get off early and have a good drink.”
The band has been home nearly two weeks. “We’ve just come off a three month tour, so we’re still really fresh, really fired up. We have two days rehearsal scheduled, ending on Friday.” With many curious as to why they didn’t tour with Taste of Chaos, Padge simply reveals, “I think it’s just a combination of the bands on Taste of Chaos and Australia. We thought it’d be fine to continue on our own. It just seemed like a good idea at the time.”
As for musical progression since their latest release’s predecessor, The Poison, “I think the music is a lot faster this time, it came a lot quicker.” However, this recording process did endure its fair share of difficulties. Matt was struck with laryngitis, halting him from using his voice. “Matt had an operation in the middle of tracking vocals. Since the operation everything’s been fine. We’ll see.”
Bullet for my Valentine is a moniker which captures the essence of their music – heartfelt melodic lyrics mixed with pounding aggression and ear-bleeding riffs. “We got offered a record deal [on Song BMG] and we had a really cheesy band name and they suggested we change it, so we got together in a bar.”
A list was soon compiled with names created including, ‘Violence of Valentine.’ The list also containing ‘Bullet’ was rearranged to create the name that can be seen on magazine covers and album charts around the world. “It agreed with what Matt was writing at the time. Obviously he writes the lyrics about what he and the band experience being on the road, away from family. Different emotions, fictional stuff made up.”
Notably, their new film clip for Waking the Demon demonstrates the harsh reality of bullying. “Years ago we were all in school. Everyone gets affected some time in their life.”
Having won over audiences when they toured last September with their immensely successful debut, they will be delighting fans by introducing tracks from their latest release. “ Waking the Demon is a really good end-of-set song, with my crashing guitar solo.”
With The Poison selling over one million copies worldwide, Padge ensures that the figures aren’t getting planted too deep in their heads. “It’s just a figure at the end of the day. Chart positions are cool but we’ve never worried about high it goes. We just get it finished and get it out. So far it’s number one in Japan, four in America, sold over 165,000 in the U.S, which is pretty cool for four months. We’ll just continue to tour for the rest of the year.” However, with families at home, surely touring must take its toll? “Only the long ones in the U.S. Right at the end when you’re stuck on the bus with twelve men for eight weeks, you get pissed off.”
As far as influences go, this band sticks to their old school roots. “As a band we all like classic metal: Judas Priest, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Metallica. ” Having shared the stage with metal’s greatest including Iron Maiden and Metallica, BFMV are the victims of continuous comparison to those bands. Padge describes it as being “strange for us to believe, we brush it off, laugh about it in our own way. If you stop and think, it’s really cool. It’s a scary, strange thing.” As for touring alongside metals icons: “It’s cool, obviously a dream come true. It’s kind of crazy, it hasn’t dawned on us.”
Padge offers his final word. “If you haven’t already got the album, go get it, we’ll see you in a week or so. I’m not sure what kind of production, or what capacity the shows are.” However, one thing is for certain: punters are guaranteed “all balls out rock.”
Bullet for my Valentine is currently on tour with Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu and Behind Crimson Eyes:
Tuesday May 6 – Riverstage, Brisbane (AA)
Wednesday May 7 Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (AA)
Thursday May 8 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide (AA)
Saturday May 10 – Festival Hall, Melbourne (AA)
Sunday May 11 – Metro City, Perth (U18)
Monday May 12 – Metro City, Perth (18+)
