Bullet for My Valentine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bullet for My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine performing at Hellfest 2018
Background information
Also known as	Jeff Killed John (1998–2003)
Origin	Bridgend, Wales, UK
Genres	Metalcore heavy metal thrash metal hard rock emo post-hardcore
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Trustkill Visible Noise Gun Sony Music Jive RCA Spinefarm
Members	Matthew Tuck Michael Paget Jamie Mathias Jason Bowld
Past members	Nick Crandle Jason James Michael Thomas

Bullet for My Valentine, often called BFMV, is a heavy metal band from Bridgend, Wales. They started in 1998. The band's current members are Matthew Tuck (who sings and plays rhythm guitar), Michael Paget (lead guitar and backing vocals), Jason Bowld (drums), and Jamie Mathias (bass guitar and backing vocals).

Before they were called Bullet for My Valentine, the band was known as Jeff Killed John. They began by playing cover songs by famous bands like Metallica and Nirvana. They recorded some songs that were not released, but two of them were later used for Bullet for My Valentine. The band changed their name and their musical style. In 2002, they signed a big record deal with Sony BMG. The band says their music is inspired by classic metal bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Slayer.

Bullet for My Valentine's first album, The Poison, came out in the UK in October 2005 and in the US in February 2006. It reached number 128 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The album was certified gold, meaning it sold over 500,000 copies in the US. The band played at big music festivals like Download Festival. Their second album, Scream Aim Fire, was released in January 2008 and reached number four on the Billboard 200. Their third album, Fever, came out in April 2010 and reached number three. Since then, they have released several more albums, including Temper Temper (2013), Venom (2015), Gravity (2018), and their self-titled seventh album in 2021. The band has sold over one million albums in the United States and more than 3 million worldwide. They have also won the Kerrang! Awards for Best British Band three times.

Band History

Early Days and First Record Deal (1998–2005)

The band started in 1998 as Jeff Killed John. The original members were Matthew Tuck, Michael "Padge" Paget, Nick Crandle, and Michael "Moose" Thomas. They met while studying music at Bridgend College. They began by playing cover songs by bands like Nirvana and Metallica.

In 1999, they released their first EP (a short album) called Better Off Alone. They released more EPs in 2002 and 2003. These EPs helped them get noticed. In 2003, bassist Nick Crandle left the band and Jason James joined. Soon after, the band changed their name to Bullet for My Valentine. They released a final EP that caught the attention of record companies because of their new sound.

Even though Roadrunner Records showed interest, Bullet for My Valentine decided to sign a five-album deal with Sony BMG. They also signed a UK deal with Visible Noise. Matthew Tuck said they chose Sony because it would open "a lot more doors" for them. Their first official release as Bullet for My Valentine was a self-titled EP in November 2004. Another EP, Hand of Blood, was released in the U.S. in August 2005.

The Poison Album (2005–2007)

Michael Paget (left) and Matthew Tuck (right) at 2006's Roskilde Festival in Denmark

Bullet for My Valentine's first full album, The Poison, was released in October 2005 in the UK and on Valentine's Day 2006 in the US. It reached number 128 on the Billboard 200 chart. By 2009, the album had sold over 500,000 copies in the US, earning a gold certification.

Four songs from The Poison were released as singles: "4 Words (To Choke Upon)", "Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)", "All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)", and "Tears Don't Fall". The band toured all over the world to promote the album. They played at the Download Festival and opened for famous bands like Metallica and Guns N' Roses. Their concert at Brixton Academy in London in 2006 was filmed for their first DVD, The Poison: Live at Brixton. In 2007, Matthew Tuck had a throat problem and needed surgery, which caused the band to cancel some shows.

Scream Aim Fire Album (2007–2008)

The band's second album, Scream Aim Fire, was recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios. Matthew Tuck said it was "a lot more up tempo, a lot more aggressive." The album was released in January 2008. It sold 53,000 copies in its first week and reached number four on the Billboard 200. The singles from this album were "Scream Aim Fire," "Hearts Burst into Fire," and "Waking the Demon."

To support the new album, the band toured North America and Australia in 2008. They were part of the Taste of Chaos tour with bands like Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold. They also toured Europe later that year. In December 2008, Scream Aim Fire was re-released with four extra songs.

Fever Album (2009–2011)

Bullet for My Valentine performing live at Norway Rock Festival 2010

In 2009, Matthew Tuck talked about writing their third album. He said they had four or five songs ready and were trying to write the vocals at the same time as the music. The band aimed to release the new album in early 2010. Tuck said the new record would sound "a lot more mature" and "classic."

In January 2010, Tuck announced the album would be called Fever. It would have 11 songs and sound more like The Poison than Scream Aim Fire. The band toured the United States as part of the Mayhem Festival in 2009 and played at the UK Sonisphere tour. They also headlined the second stage at the Download Festival 2010.

Fever was released on April 27, 2010. A new song, "Begging For Mercy," was given away for free online. The song "Your Betrayal" was the first single, released in March 2010. The second single was "The Last Fight". The band started their US tour for Fever on April 30. They also released music videos for "The Last Fight" and "Your Betrayal." The third single, "Bittersweet Memories", was released in November 2010 with a music video.

Temper Temper Album (2012–2013)

In January 2011, Michael Paget said the band was already planning their next album, and it would sound similar to Fever. They planned to write the songs in 2011 and start recording by the end of the year. Some songs left over from the Fever sessions might be used. The band played at Uproar Festival 2011 before writing new music.

Bullet for My Valentine at Ursynalia 2013 Warsaw Student Festival, Poland

In October 2011, RCA Music Group announced that Bullet for My Valentine would release their future music under the RCA Records label. In May 2012, it was announced that Bullet for My Valentine would play at the South African music festival Oppikoppi. They had planned to play there in 2009 but had to cancel to record Fever. In August 2012, the band confirmed that recording for their fourth album was finished, and it would be released in late 2012.

Bullet for My Valentine released the song "Temper Temper" on October 22, 2012, with a music video following in November. The album Temper Temper was released on February 12, 2013. The band first played "Temper Temper" at Radio 1 Rocks. The second single, "Riot," came out in December 2012. "P.O.W." was the third single in May 2013, and "Breaking Point" was the fourth in June 2013. The band toured to support Temper Temper from February to November 2013.

Venom Album (2013–2015)

Bassist Jason James, pictured in 2013, left the band shortly before recording sessions took place for Venom.

Matthew Tuck said in an interview that Bullet for My Valentine would start working on a new album before their Rule Britannia Tour in December 2013. He also mentioned they were thinking about working with producer Terry Date, who has worked with bands like Pantera. Tuck said the band would bring back the fast, heavy "thrash metal" parts from Scream Aim Fire.

In November 2013, Bullet for My Valentine shared on Facebook that they were working on a new song called "Raising Hell." A short preview was released, and the full song was played on BBC Radio 1 a few days later. A music video for the song was released a week after that.

In 2014, Matthew Tuck announced that the band was going into the studio to record their fifth album. In January 2015, Tuck told Kerrang! that they would work with producer Colin Richardson again, who produced The Poison and Scream Aim Fire. Tuck also said their fifth album would be their heaviest yet.

On February 9, 2015, Bullet for My Valentine announced that bassist Jason James had left the band. They said they would announce a new bassist when the time was right and that they were focused on recording their new album.

The band released the song "No Way Out" on May 18, 2015. They also announced their fifth album would be called Venom. Jamie Mathias, from the band Revoker, was announced as the new bassist. Venom was released on August 14, 2015. The band also announced a big UK tour and headlined London's Camden Rocks festival. They released more singles from the album, including "You Want a Battle? (Here's a War)" in June 2015, the title track "Venom" in October 2015, and "Worthless" in February 2016.

Gravity Album (2016–2020)

Bullet for My Valentine live at Rock am Ring 2016

In 2016, Bullet for My Valentine announced that drummer Michael Thomas would take a break because his wife was expecting their first child. Jason Bowld, who was also in Matthew Tuck's other band AxeWound, filled in as drummer. In April, the band signed a new record deal with Spinefarm Records. Matthew Tuck hinted on Twitter that they had started working on their sixth album. Later that year, they released a new song called "Don't Need You" with a music video. By the end of 2017, Jason Bowld became the band's full-time drummer.

On April 1, 2018, the band debuted a new song, "Over It," on BBC Radio 1. This was the first single from their sixth album, Gravity, which was released on June 29, 2018. They released another song, "Piece of Me," in April 2018, and "Letting You Go" in May 2018, along with a music video. In October 2018, they released a music video for the song "Not Dead Yet."

Self-titled Seventh Album (2020–Present)

In May 2020, Matthew Tuck announced that the band was writing a new album. After some mixed reviews for Gravity, they decided to make this new record "heavier." The production of the album was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tuck said the new album would be "pretty brutal" and "very technical." He also mentioned it would have more aggressive vocals than their previous albums.

On June 11, 2021, Bullet for My Valentine launched a Patreon page called The Army of Noise, where fans could get exclusive news and items. On June 15, 2021, they teased new music, and on June 18, they released the new single "Knives" with a music video. At the same time, they announced that their self-titled seventh studio album would be released on October 22, 2021. They also showed the album cover and track list.

On July 23, 2021, the band released the second single, "Parasite," and its music video. The third single, "Shatter," came out on September 10, 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and production delays, the band pushed back the album's release date to November 5, 2021. On October 1, 2021, they released the fourth single, "Rainbow Veins." On April 8, 2022, they released the fifth single, "Omen," and announced a deluxe (special) edition of the album for July 8, 2022. This deluxe edition was later delayed to August 5, 2022. On May 27, 2022, they released another single, "Stitches," and on July 29, 2022, their seventh single, "No More Tears to Cry," was released.

Musical Style and Influences

Bullet for My Valentine's music has been described as metalcore, heavy metal, thrash metal, hard rock, emo, and post-hardcore. Their sound often includes "heavy metal" guitar solos and "post-hardcore" singing. AllMusic says they mix "strong guitar riffs and emo harmonies," taking ideas from 1980s metal bands and punk-influenced metal to create melodic, dark rock songs.

Matthew Tuck has said the band is a "hard rock band with metal influences." Before they became Bullet for My Valentine, their earlier band, Jeff Killed John, played music similar to nu metal bands like Korn. When they changed their name, they decided to play heavy metal songs with "harmony guitars and big angelic choruses."

Tuck prefers people call Bullet for My Valentine a heavy metal band rather than using specific subgenres. He also said that for their album Scream Aim Fire, they tried too hard to please critics who said they weren't "real metal." He explained that Fever was an album they made entirely for themselves, without worrying about what others thought.

Bullet for My Valentine is influenced by many bands, including Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Pantera, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, and Guns N' Roses. Michael Thomas says these bands inspire Bullet for My Valentine's "catchy vocals, aggressive riffs and melodies." Matthew Tuck also mentioned that his songwriting is greatly influenced by classic songwriters like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, and Bob Dylan.

Band Members

• Bullet for My Valentine live at Rock am Ring 2022
• 

  Matthew Tuck

• 

  Michael Paget

• 

  Jamie Mathias

• 

  Jason Bowld

Current members

• Matthew "Matt" Tuck – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1998–present); bass (2003–2015)
• Michael "Padge" Paget – lead guitar, backing vocals (1998–present)
• Jamie Mathias – bass, backing vocals (2015–present)
• Jason Bowld – drums, percussion (2017–present; touring member 2016–2017)

Former members

• Nick Crandle – bass (1998–2003)
• Jason "Jay" James – bass, backing vocals (2003–2015)
• Michael "Moose" Thomas – drums, percussion (1998–2016)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

• The Poison (2005)
• Scream Aim Fire (2008)
• Fever (2010)
• Temper Temper (2013)
• Venom (2015)
• Gravity (2018)
• Bullet for My Valentine (2021)

Awards and Nominations

Kerrang! Awards

Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards

Welsh Music Awards

See also

In Spanish: Bullet for My Valentine para niños