It’s the collab we already knew we wanted. By the point you learn this, the information of Trivium and Bullet For My Valentine ’s 2025 co-headline enviornment tour could have properly and actually damaged. And the not-so-small print? Not solely is it the primary time the 2 bands have ever toured collectively, however they’ll have fun the twentieth anniversary of their 2005 breakthrough, era-defining albums, Ascendancy The Poison
What higher excuse may there be to get Matt Heafy and Matt Tuck, the frontmen of two of contemporary metallic’s most profitable bands, collectively to speak about the same paths they’ve blazed by way of our scene, their reminiscences, and their plans for what guarantees to be a metallic occasion for the ages.
Matt Heafy: “We have been within the UK on our second or first tour. I used to be blown away by Bullet. It was actually cool to listen to one other band that was popping out across the identical time, that was taking the elements that we have been influenced by as properly, however cooking them another way.”
Matt Tuck: “It was early 2005 and we had simply completed recording The Poison . It was all of the sounds, aggression, pace and technicality of a band that I wished to listen to and what Bullet wished to be like. As quickly as I heard of you boys, I used to be a fan. I repped you as a lot as I may in press pictures, talked about you any time I used to be requested, ‘Who’re you listening to in the mean time?’”
Do you keep in mind the primary time you met in individual?
Tuck: “It was behind the second stage at [German rock festival] Rock Am Ring.”
Heafy: “Oh, that’s proper!”
Tuck: “I noticed you and Corey [Beaulieu, Trivium guitarist] come strolling within the bus space and also you have been like, ‘Hey, man, simply wish to thanks for choosing up our band within the press’, and likewise. I nonetheless keep in mind that interplay to at the present time, over 20 years later.”
You each broke by way of in 2005, a interval when metallic was in transition. Nu metallic had bitten the mud and bands like Killswitch Have interaction and Lamb Of God have been main a metallic renaissance. What are your reminiscences of the scene at the moment?
Tuck: “It was undeniably a time frame the place each our bands began one thing that was necessary. We have been breaking away from a development and a mould, bringing again a sure fashion and aggression, a technicality. We have been representing Britain, and Trivium have been representing the US.”
Heafy: “It was an fascinating time. Guitar solos have been gone once I was in highschool, and nu metallic was in. Rising up in central Florida, pop-punk was the one fashion that was actually round.”
Tuck: “It was an incredible time for each our bands. That entire interval the place it was younger, contemporary and new, folks have been discovering us, and we have been attempting to stamp our sound into the metallic neighborhood. I can’t emphasise how a lot we loved it and the way hungry we have been.”
Heafy: “The New Wave Of American Heavy Steel scene was rising with bands like Lamb Of God, Shadows Fall, Unearth and Killswitch Have interaction all popping out of roughly the identical space, on the identical time. Nevertheless it was at all times Bullet and Trivium floating. And that’s why I at all times felt this kinship.”
So, there was by no means any form of rivalry between your bands?
Tuck: “No!”
Heafy: “We’ve at all times simply lived on these two separate planets. Acknowledging one another and being followers of one another’s music, however by no means connecting the dots. We may have achieved this tour at 10 years, may have achieved it at 15, may have achieved it at 5. We’ve been asking one another, ‘Why haven’t we toured collectively?’ And there wasn’t a motive, we simply didn’t.”
It’s unusual that you just haven’t toured collectively till now…
Heafy: “We’ve achieved festivals, however we’ve by no means achieved a correct, actual tour collectively. Which is nuts, as a result of we’ve toured with everybody.”
Do you keep in mind the second you each knew you’d made it?
Tuck: “Promoting out Brixton Academy in your first album is a fairly cool achievement. And at that time as properly, Tears Don’t Fall wasn’t even a single. And from that second, it simply didn’t cease. It went from Brixton to Hammersmith, Hammersmith to Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace to Wembley, and it simply stored going. What a wild experience.”
Heafy: “Earlier than we toured the UK, nobody preferred us. We have been a gap band, enjoying first of 4, promoting one t-shirt, one CD an evening. We had simply completed a US run, flew over to the UK, and we’re at Wulfrun Corridor [in Wolverhampton]. We hear this sound. We peek behind the scenes. It’s a Trivium chant within the crowd and it’s a sold-out present. We go on the market, they knew each single phrase.
Then [Download Festival organiser] Andy Copping noticed us on the Storage present in London and he mentioned, ‘Let’s bump you up from the tent stage to the principle stage for Obtain 2005.’”
Matt, did you watch Trivium’s now-infamous 2005 Obtain set? (Bullet For My Valentine performed the second stage that 12 months, sandwiched between Lamb Of God and Meshuggah.)
Tuck: “No, sadly we didn’t get on website in time, and it had already occurred. However I keep in mind the whole competition backstage speaking about this Trivium set and it was like, ‘Oh shit, the hype machine is actual.’”
How did you cope with the elevated consideration following the discharge of your albums?
Heafy: “It was powerful for me. Individuals have been like, ‘Oh Matt’s form of a jerk as a result of he doesn’t wish to be round folks.’ However I had horrible zits and social anxiousness dysfunction, so I didn’t wish to be in footage, didn’t wish to meet folks. However that was immersion remedy. I needed to simply get in it, needed to do it, and finally acquired over it.”
Tuck: “I don’t suppose it’s ever one thing I struggled with. It’s one thing I’d wished since I used to be 14 years previous, so I used to be in a extremely glad place. I didn’t go excessive with my ego or something, I used to be at all times very assured, however I keep in mind feeling validated that I’d labored so arduous. I knew I used to be able to one thing particular.”
Heafy: “I want I’d sat again and simply smelled the roses for a minute. It’s not that I used to be grumpy, it’s simply that it was taking place so fast, we needed to put our heads down and work. I see that generally these days for bands, and I hope that they’re relishing it. Nevertheless it’s arduous to do while you’re within the second.”
Tuck: “We have been responsible of the identical factor. We weren’t having fun with it or taking it in, we have been simply doing it and residing it.”
What have been the challenges again then?
Heafy: “I might by no means change the downs, as a result of the downs are what made us robust and what made us realise who we’re. The Ascendancy interval was the place we have been praised. Then The Campaign [the band’s poorly received second album, released in 2006] was form of powerful, however then we constructed and wrote out of that.”
Tuck: “You go from enjoying as soon as per week in a rehearsal room with your folks, to touring the world and enjoying large festivals within the blink of an eye fixed. It’s a steep studying curve. As pleasing because it all was, there have been instances the place I used to be in a really darkish, low place as a result of I felt like issues have been being taken away from me by my very own misdoings with my voice, ingesting and smoking and all that stuff you do while you’re younger and silly. I don’t miss the naivety and the inexperience, however would by no means change it for the world.”
Matt, final November, you joined Bullet onstage in Orlando to carry out Tears Don’t Fall. What was that have like?
Heafy: “I had a blast. I used to be like, ‘I’m going to let all of it rip. I don’t have a present tomorrow. I’m going to blow my voice out.’ I used to be sweating so dangerous after only one tune…”
Tuck: “…You do sweat, man. I keep in mind, ‘God rattling, you’ve achieved, like, 4 minutes right here!’”
Heafy: “I gave it my absolute all, man. You must see me in jiu-jitsu. Generally my sweat goes in my associate’s mouth, their nostril. I feel I’m simply very properly hydrated.”
How did the concept come about for the joint 20-year anniversary tour and enjoying each albums in full?
Tuck: “It was round October final 12 months. Me and the boys wished to do one thing for The Poison and it simply clicked. Let’s see if Trivium wish to bounce onboard right here and do one thing collectively, break up all the things down the center, no bullshit, co-headline, Ascendancy and The Poison .”
Heafy: “I keep in mind we had a textual content from our supervisor. He’s like, ‘Hey, the Bullet camp simply put over the concept of Trivium and Bullet doing a tour collectively in 2025…”
Tuck: “I feel a Bullet and Trivium tour is one thing that the majority followers of that period would wish to see. It’s taken us 20 years to get there, however as an alternative of only a regular tour, we’re bringing one thing particular. I feel persons are going to flip once they discover out what’s happening.”
Are you able to inform us something about what you may have deliberate?
Heafy: “We’ve been creating all kinds of belongings. Cool, artistic stuff. Matt got here all the way down to The Hangar [Trivium’s Florida HQ] and perhaps subsequent month, we’re going to go go to them. We’re going to make this the occasion that it must be. I wish to see the present. I don’t wish to must play it. I wish to watch each units from each bands as a result of it’s going to be one thing momentous.”
Tuck: “I can’t see anybody that was a part of the metallic scene in 2005 that received’t wish to come to this and have fun and benefit from the night with us. It’s going to be a have-to-be-there form of occasion, as a result of it’s solely going to occur one time.”
Heafy: “I discussed the tour to [Malevolence guitarist] Josh Baines, and he’s like, ‘That’s my childhood.’ You see how thriving and the way robust and wholesome the UK scene is correct now, what number of superb bands are popping out. You speak to them and the primary bands they noticed reside have been Bullet and Trivium.”
(Picture credit score: Press)
Bullet performed The Poison in full in 2016 for the album’s tenth anniversary, however have Trivium ever performed Ascendancy in full?
Heafy: “We’ve by no means achieved it on a present. We’ve by no means achieved it on a tour. It’s going to be one thing particular. I feel that persons are going to lose their minds. I do know I’m!”
Would you ever file a tune collectively?
Heafy: “Sure, completely.”
Is it within the pipeline?
Heafy: “Ha ha ha! I can’t verify or not.”
Tuck: “It’s one thing we’ve mentioned. It might seem to be a missed alternative if we didn’t do one thing collectively, particularly for this tour. I might assume it’s going to occur. We haven’t began engaged on something but. Matt’s being shy and coy, however I’ll simply say how it’s.”
What do you suppose the legacy of Ascendancy and The Poison is?
Heafy: “It’s very cool to see the blueprint that was laid by our two bands; singing, screaming, guitar solos, nice rhythm enjoying. Additionally, younger followers wished to decorate like us and make music like us and canopy our songs.”
Tuck: “I hope we proceed to encourage younger musicians and bands to select up these devices, be artistic, have enjoyable, take pleasure in themselves. I feel I may communicate for Matt after we say each albums formed an enormous a part of our musical tradition and everybody that listened to them on the time.”
Heafy: “After this tour, I assume festivals can be calling each our bands begging for these full album performs after which perhaps on the 25-year, 30-year mark, let’s do some gigantic stuff. It’s acquired me set for the longer term, however I’m going to have a word in entrance of my face on my bunk day by day: take pleasure in this, relish this, and simply sit again and have fun.”
Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium co-headline UK arenas from January 26 2025.
