The Welsh metal-core band Bullet For My Valentine has spent most of the past two years taking over the world with massive U.K., European, U.S. and worldwide tours, sharing the stage with Guns N Roses, Metallica and Iron Maiden, playing the Main Stage at just about every rock festival on the planet, and seeing their 2006 debut album THE POISON - an album London's daily The Sun called "One of the finest debut albums in rock history" - sell more than one-million copies worldwide – 350,000 in the U.S. alone – a very rare achievement for an emerging band.
Back home, Bullet For My Valentine has graced the covers of the UK’s Kerrang!, Rock Sound, and Metal Hammer. They won Metal Hammer’s 2006 “Golden God Award” for Best British Band, and the 2006 Kerrang! Award for “Best UK Single” for their track “Tears Don’t Fall.” Here in America, Revolver magazine heralded the band “British Import of the Year,” and THE POISON generated the hit singles “Tears Don’t Fall” and “All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me),” with the video for “All These Things I Hate” going to the #1 spot on MTV2. The band has toured North America three times, and in early 2007, they sold out their first headline trek.
On January 29, 2008, Bullet For My Valentine is set to return with SCREAM AIM FIRE (20-20/Jive/SonyBMG), the band’s highly anticipated sophomore release. The 11-track assault was produced by Colin Richardson (Machine Head, Funeral For A Friend) and recorded at Sonic Ranch just outside of El Paso, TX in early 2007, and is, according to front man Matthew “Matt” Tuck, “really melodic heavy metal…catchy, hooky choruses and full-on vocals with the music being very in-your-face and heavy…it’s a lot more up-tempo than The Poison, a lot more aggressive.”
SCREAM AIM FIRE, featuring the distinctive and powerful six-string dexterity of Michael “Padge” Padget, the unwavering instrumental groove of bassist Jason “Jay” James and the relentless thundering rhythms of Michael “Moose” Thomas, the musical backbone of Bullet is an intimidating force. With a lifetime of classic metal inspiration behind him, vocalist/guitarist Tuck is a formidable and powerful voice for the ever energetic, young metal generation.
“We have stepped it up a gear,” says the front-man. “This album is chock full of classic Bullet ingredients. Metal riffs, pounding rhythms, shredding solos and great melodies. We took everything that we learnt from ‘The Poison,’ and took up tenfold. Better, fresher, harder, sadder and more real.”
Opening with the aural assault of the title track and first single -“Scream Aim Fire” – to the hard-hitting riff slammer of “Waking The Demon,” and the arena-ballad epic “Hearts Burst Into Fire,” this album will definitely catapult Bullet into a world-wide spotlight.
“(The track) ‘Scream Aim Fire’ set the benchmark for the rest of the album,” says Tuck. “It was the moment we realized the direction of where we wanted the record to go. Lyrically, it’s not a saying that anyone can relate anything else to. It’s ours and the meaning is ours alone. Kill or be killed – that’s what this game is like. You’re either on top of the game, or you are out, and we are very much still in. Our quality of song writing, our structures, our timing – the songs are intense and accessible, whilst still keeping our metal roots.”
Tuck believes that the band’s unique accessibility lies in the fact that fans – regardless of age, gender or nationality – can relate to the subjects and issues tackled within their tracks.
“It’s important to us that fans can make a connection with our songs,” says the front-man. “For example, ‘Waking The Demon’ is about being bullied at school – which is something that me and most of the boys went though. The track is about one day, just turning round, and deciding to not take it anymore. I’d hope that our fans can relate to that.”
And despite the fact that these four musicians are now considered prominent players in the UK/European metal world, as well as serious up-and-comers here in the U.S. – the lads remain grounded (all still living in their native Welsh homeland) – and eternally grateful for the position that they now find themselves in.
“If it wasn’t for the fans, we would never even have been able to make this second album,” says Tuck. “We are so thankful to them, and we will always try to deliver the goods. I know we had to cancel a load of shows last year (Tuck was hospitalized in the winter of 2006 and forced to undergo surgery on his tonsils), but it hurt us so much to do so. We really hated to let anyone down, but it was an unavoidable evil, and now I am confident that this record – and this band – are stronger than ever.”
To support the release of SCREAM AIM FIRE, Bullet for My Valentine will set off on what will be more than two years of solid, worldwide touring, starting in the UK and Europe in January, 2008, and then coming to America beginning in late February.
“We are still so hungry for this,” states Tuck. “We are motivated and ambitious. We know where we want to be. We have played with legends and if we get to that level, it would be amazing. But you know what? If it ended tomorrow, we would still be happy. We are amazingly proud of what we have achieved and what we have done. We are having the time of our lives. The world is our oyster…”
Scream, Aim, Fire – the bullets are launched. You have been warned!
“Bullet For My Valentine seem unstoppable…” -- NME
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