Bullet For My Valentine: My Reflection For Company
There’s a certain electricity around an album release date. Both for the fans and for the band itself. Excitement, relief, ecstasy, and a little bit of trepidation. When that date lands in the middle of an arena tour, however, that electricity surges to the next level. As we walk through the bowels of the Eventim Apollo in London, the tension is palpable before BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE perform a storming show.
Yet, entering the press room, we feel a sense of calm away from the buzz of load in. Sat on a couch with his back to the winter sun is guitarist Padge, who’s finally getting a hit of sweet caffeine. “It’s nice having someone who’ll go get it for me,” he laughs as tour manager Ollie shakes his head.
From the get go, it’s clear this is a man who is eager to get back to life as it was before lockdowns and the repetition of the phrase unprecedented times. When we asked if the band had any trepidation about resuming live shows, Padge told us, “I’m quite confident on this one. Ironically. This is probably the most technical BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE album we’ve done, but yeah, just chomping at the bit to get out.” The last time the band played the Apollo was in January 2007, a fact which slips our company’s mind. “We’ve been doing this for a while, so I forget sometimes,” comes with a big smile.
Joining Padge on release day for BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE’s self-titled album, we’re keen to get a closer insight into the record. The record treats us to a heavier, much crisper BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. Something which actually wasn’t planned. “Matt [Tuck] started writing the demos and it just came out heavy,” Padge explains. “It didn’t bother anyone so it just organically happened and flowed out.” Opening track Parasite begins an almost thrash metal inspired spiral into the negativity picked up by the band via osmosis. The cynical No Happy Ever After mirrors the sentiment many felt during the various lockdowns over 2020, while Rainbow Veins calls things as the song sees them with the line ‘another day but I don’t wanna face it’. Billed as ‘BULLET 2.0′, Padge has one man to thank; “Carl Brown [the record’s producer], can’t thank him enough for what he’s done on this record, he’s turned it into an absolute monster.”.
A notion that’s been reflected many times across the sphere of music is that the lockdowns and restrictions have helped the quality of records which have been produced over that period. For BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, it gave them the time to not only reinvent their style in terms of logos and imagery, but also their sound. Like how graphics is important when you go to this website, sound plays a vital role as well. “We got more time to write and perfect the songs, do pre-production and all sorts of good things,” the lead guitarist comments. “Ironically, out of a super negative time, there were super positive things. It feels like a new breath of life into the band and we’re so proud of what came out.”
With so much change within the BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE camp, not only in terms of iconography and sonically, but in terms of bringing Jason Bowld [drums] and Jamie Mathias [bass] into the fold over recent years, there’s been some reflection for the band. “Everything’s just falling into place on this one and it just feels like the right time to call the album self-titled,” Padge muses. It isn’t only the collective BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE that’s gone through somewhat of a reinvention. Padge’s guitar work on the self-titled record breaks the glass ceiling on where the musician has been before. His solos and riffs are much more technical and are a dream to listen to. “I’m always conscious of not settling for one thing,” he tells us. “Matt’s really good as well because he sees me and knows how to push my buttons. He really does get the best out of me.” The best is what emerges from Padge on this record.
“I don’t want to sound weird when I say this but it’s just a new Padge”, he comments, somewhat separating Padge from Michael Paget. “This is all just an extension of who I am and where I’ve come from. There weren’t many solos on The Poison, basically learned how to play my guitar on Scream Aim Fire,” he stops to chuckle at himself, “My solos started coming on since then and I think this is some of my best guitar work ever,” he says with a pride filled smile.
This trip down memory lane sparks a conversation about another. The album opens with a montage of clips compiled of BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE’s older material before blending into Parasite. “I actually wasn’t there for that one”, Padge states, going on to tell us he had written and submitted a more traditional intro for the track. “Didn’t KISS do something similar?” Padge asks, prompting a quick Google session before we discover KISS had opened Destroyer (1976) with the same idea. “Maybe that’s where they got the idea from,” Padge chortles. Revealing Parasite opens the band’s set list for this tour, the guitarist tells us it serves two purposes; it gets him wound up to play a show and “the kids get to hear a little bit of each song throughout the ages”.
It’s “the kids” we’re all here for. Those who are already queuing outside the venue at 2pm. Those who are waiting at FOPP in Covent Garden for the start of a string of in-store signings. The regular faces on the barrier that Padge looks for. “I live alone so this lockdown stuff has been a rough time,” he tells us. “To come back into this; seeing bodies tumbling over each other. Or feeling that sweaty hair, sweaty mess sensation. Blood. Tears. It’s been great – the complete opposite to what I got used to over the past year. I’m so happy to be back!” When we ask whether that sight was worth the negativity, Padge seems rightfully recalcitrant to answer. “I thought the band was done,” he comments, “I didn’t think we were all gonna die, don’t get me wrong, I just thought there was gonna be no more music.”
As Padge’s cup nears empty, we ask what his favourite part of the self-titled process was. “Getting to see the boys again,” comes relatively quickly. “Playing Download Pilot and seeing those smiling faces.” Leaving the guitarist to ready himself for the night ahead, we’re left with a comment which feels like a life lesson; “Let’s look forward, never look back.”
Bullet For My Valentine is out now via Spinefarm Records/Search & Destroy.
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