BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE needs no introduction for most: one of the upcoming new Metal bands seemingly only a whisker away from the major league audiences world-wide lapped up their last outing FEVER. We catch up with Padge shortly after hearing the latest offering TEMPER TEMPER for the first time hot off the press from the label.
Mark: Hi, how are you? We’ve just got a copy of the album this morning, so I’ve only listened to it a couple of times, but, it’s amazing! Are you pleased with the new album?
Padge: Yes, I think we all are, it’s been received pretty well around the globe, so hopefully it’s going to do well.
Mark: I see it as a sister album to “Fever”, it’s got that similar sound and intensity, a bit like your first two albums that were similar sonically, but I believe you recorded it in a different way to the usual?
Padge: Yes, it was more spontaneously recorded. As soon as it was written we thought let’s just record it and see what happens. So, we did, then put it away and came back to it, started again, for another session, and after about five studio sessions, we finished the album.
Mark: Did you enjoy that process; is it something you will consider again as a band?
Padge: Personally, I didn’t enjoy it! I like to work on things and get them absolutely right, if it’s not, you have to live with that for the rest of your life!! That’s just the way I am.
Mark; I suppose it is a high risk way of doing things, but at the end of the day, I think the result speaks for itself, it sounds great. I love the riff to “Riot”, the video that’s up at the moment, it’s something a bit different for you, but getting thousands of hits and going down very well over here.
Padge: Yeah, that’s definitely something different to what we’ve done in the past, along with “Temper, Temper”, they’re a lot more stripped down, and a lot more “rock”.
Mark: I think it suits you, and it works, and it’s not too far away to put off the fans, and what it might do is bring in a new audience for you.
Padge: Yes, that’s exactly what we were going for.
Mark: It’s great that you are heading back to Australia for Soundwave, and also that you keep coming back. Do you like Australia?
Padge: For me, I think Australia is one of my favourite countries to tour, and I think I can speak for the other guys when I say that. It’s a really beautiful country and we have some great fans. The food is awesome too!!
Mark: You were a stand out band for me at Soundwave, a couple of years ago; can we expect a lot of tracks from the new album this time?
Padge; Yes, we are in rehearsal at the moment and we are doing every single song, which we haven’t done with previous albums. These songs are well constructed, and we will play through them, and there will be a few gigs where we play through the whole thing.
Mark: That would be great. Tell us a little bit about the guitars, they sound huge! I don’t know if I was playing it too loud, but there is a lovely sound on this album, are you doing anything different?
Padge: Well, no, as opposed to screaming fire and poison, the only difference is there is not an extra two guitars, left to right, there’s only one either side. But, it’s pretty much the same set up as “Fever”. There’s a Les Paul, which gives more power, and we used a different amp for the leads, which was the only difference.
Mark: Some of the songs on the new album are fantastic, “Truth Hurts”, a tale of excess, is a great song, what are your thoughts?
Padge: That’s one of my songs, I’d been writing at home in my studio, and the guys asked if I’d got anything, and I showed them some stuff, and they chose the music for the entire song. As for the tale of excess, I’m sure every band has a good story about that!
Mark: We just got the listening link through, and that was my favourite when I first heard it. “Breaking Point” is another favourite, and then you’ve got the real rockers, “Leech” and “Saints & Sinners”. The closing track, “Livin’ Life (On the Edge of a Knife)”, has a great title and is also a great song, can you tell us a little bit about that one?
Padge: Again, I think it’s one of those excess songs, in this game, travelling around the world, you have temptation put in your way, every day, every week, it makes for great lyrical content, and when you can get a song title with that good a name, it’s definitely worth a go.
Mark: You have a pretty hectic touring schedule set up, after you leave here, you go to Europe, and then there’s a huge US tour, and then back to the European festivals. It’s pretty full on!
Padge: Yeah, as always! Fortunately, it’s good to have the work, but going around the world in one month is pretty hard core! But, it has to be done at the end of the day; other bands would kill for tours like this, so we are accepting and happy that we’ve got it.
Mark: You have some big festivals, like Download, what’s it like to play on a stage like that? Is that something you’ve dreamed of from the early days?
Padge: Definitely, yes. There’s nothing better than that dream of standing up on stage, and there’s thousands of people in front of you, screaming. That’s the ultimate dream, and to be actually doing it is amazing. There have been a lot of festivals this year; people just want to get up on stage and rock, and I think the festivals tend to be more fun.
Mark: They are, but I guess the only down side for the fans is that you don’t get to play a full set. What do you miss most when you are out on the road?
Padge: Just mostly home and family, and friends, it does get hard after about three or four months, but it’s all worth it in the end. Last year we had a year off from recording; it gave us some down time.
Mark: What’s the best thing about being out there, because you don’t get a lot of time off between shows?
Padge: I think just getting up on stage and playing guitar for people, and seeing other places and countries, and being given the opportunity to do all that. It’s pretty much a dream come true.
Mark: It’s strange too when you travel around how much the crowds vary from place to place. Do you find that?
Padge: Definitely, yeah. We did South America, at the end of 2011, and that was a very good indication of how different the crowds are! That was a big change, wow, it was like, we are on Mars here, and it’s really weird!!
Mark: Do you tend to do a lot of writing when you’re out on the road?
Padge: There are riffs that come on the road, especially on the first two albums, a lot of those were written on the road and in rehearsal time. They stay in the ‘riff bank’ until we hit the studio! Not so much this album, we were so busy at the end of 2011, we didn’t really have chance to write anything, so we just have a break for a bit and then go straight to the studio.
Mark: We are coming to the end now, so, if you could have been a fly on the wall for the recording of any album or piece of music in rock history, what would it have been and why?
Padge: Good question! The first one that springs to mind is” The Black Album”, that’s probably an obvious one. ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ would have been a good one, Megadeth “Countdown to Extinction” or maybe the one with “Hangar 18” on (‘Rust in Peace’).
Mark: What is the meaning of life?
Padge: Don’t be a dick!!! (Laughs)
Mark: That’s my favourite answer so far!!!
Padge: I think if you can wake up every day and not be a dick, then you are doing something good!
Mark: Nice and to the point! Thanks for your time and see you soon.
THE NEW ALBUM IS AVAILABLE IN FEBRUARY
Deluxe –
https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/temper-temper-deluxe-version/id591241153
Standard –
https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/temper-temper/id591248551
It’s also avail on JB Hi Fi with a competition ‘Wanna meet BFMV? Click here
to find out how’
