From Bullied to Bullet for My Valentine: Matt Tuck Gets the Last Word

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(photo: Mat Hayward/Getty Images)

Back in the mid-‘90s, when Bullet for My Valentine vocalist/guitarist Matt Tuck was growing up in a small town in Wales, there was no such thing as a “no tolerance” policy when it came to bullying. If teachers at Tuck’s high school saw someone pick a fight with the pale, skinny, long-haired alt-metal rocker, they’d stand there and watch, as if the victimization was a spectator sport.

“It made me angry and scared,” Tuck says from the back lounge of his tour bus during a drive to play a show opening for Lamb of God and Slipknot. “I had an anxiety problem walking around in public. I was made to feel ashamed of myself and basically worthless. I suffered from severe anxiety and night terrors, even years after I finished my schooling.”

For Bullet for My Valentine’s fifth studio album, Venom, which debuted at No. 8 on this week’s Billboard album chart (the only hard rock album in the chart’s top 55 titles), Tuck dug into his past and unearthed numerous memories of being beaten up and humiliated and used them as inspiration for the songs. The anthemic “You Want a Battle? (Here’s a War)” is about how, after his group became popular, Tuck took aim at those who made him feel hopeless and helpless.

“When the band got signed, and I had a platform, I named and shamed them publicly,” he says. “I was sitting on top of the world as a f—ing rock star and they were still back home working in their s—ty jobs struggling to make ends meet. That was the moment I went, ‘I’ve won! No matter what you did to me and how you made me feel, I have come out on top and you’re back there on the bottom!’ It was the best feeling in the world!”

The barreling “No Way Out” stems from deeper pits of negativity. “It’s basically about feeling trapped and almost suicidal because no one believed in me,” Tuck says. “Even teachers at school told me to stop chasing this stupid dream and do something else with my life. They said I’d never be able to play guitar in a band and tour the world. I felt like, ‘Well, if I can’t do what I want with my life, then what’s the f—ing point of even being alive?’”

Tuck sifted through his troubled past for Venom not to vent, but to match the musical aggression of the songs on the album. Today Tuck is happy with his personal life and excited about touring, so when it was time to write, there was nothing he needed to get off his chest. And songs about sunny days and satisfying nights don’t sit well with hammering beats, propulsive rhythms, and raw-throated vocals. To a certain extent, Venom is a case of Bullet for My Valentine giving the people what they want. Many of the band’s fans were sorely disappointed by the lack of bite on the band’s last record, 2013’s Temper Temper.

“I loved Temper Temper, but I think our fans wanted something a lot more aggressive and exciting and pissed-off,” Tuck explains. ”So, the spirit on this album was to prove to people, ‘Yep, we still do that. It’s just we didn’t do it last time around. This time, if that’s what you want, you can f—ing have it.”

Adding fuel to the fire of the Venom sessions was the departure of longtime bass player Jason “Jay” James, after 12 years in the band. “There were things going on behind the scenes and stuff happening on the road that were not cool,” Tuck says of the James’s termination. “I’m not going to be specific, but it got to the point where we had to let Jason go for the longevity of the band, but also for everyone’s personal wellbeing. But this is the first time we’ve had a lineup change since our first album. Over a 10-year period, that’s not bad going.”

Tuck played all the bass parts for Venom, and, while recording the album, Bullet for My Valentine held auditions. They ultimately chose Jamie Mathias, whose old band Revoker worked on several demos with Bullet lead guitarist Michael “Padge” Padget. “Jamie is actually a singer and guitarist like myself, but Padge called him and said, ‘Wanna give it a go?’ and he said yes, so we sent him an audition tape [to play along with] and he did great,” Tuck says. “We invited him to the studio where we were working in London, and did a couple light auditions in a room with him. A few other guys were also in the running, but Jamie came out on top. He fits in well and he’s a Welsh lad, which makes the transition seamless on a personal level. He has the same sense of humor and upbringing and knows where we’re from, which was very refreshing.”

Bullet for My Valentine will wrap up the Summer’s Last Stand with Lamb of God and Slipknot on Sept. 5 in Dallas, after almost six weeks on the road. “It has been immense,” enthuses Tuck, who insists being the most overtly melodic band on the bill has been no problem. “If anything, it has worked in our favor,” he says. “Musically and stylistically we’re very, very different, so we really stand out. It has been an absolutely great tour.”