BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's MATT TUCK: 'For Our Band, I Like To Take Charge Of The Majority Of The Songwriting'

In a new interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE frontman Matt Tuck was asked what keeps him and his bandmates motivated to keep writing new music more than 25 years after the group's formation. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't think there's a secret. Everyone does things their own way, and being in a band, there's so many ways of songwriting and having a dynamic. For our band, I just like to take charge of the majority of the songwriting. It's just so much easier to have one person who's focused and has the style. From [BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's debut album, 2005's] 'The Poison', I was the songwriter of the band, so my songwriting is in the songs and people can hear it. And I think that's what creates an identity of a band, which is super important. So for me it's just about wanting my songwriting to evolve and change, and as long as I'm like excited about writing, I'll keep doing it. If I feel like I'm regurgitating stuff or it's boring or I've done that before, I don't find that challenging enough to do. and I think relying on a formula from the past, it's easy, but it's also quite dangerous to do. I think as a songwriter and a creative person, I like each moment to be as different and as unique and as in the moment as it can be. So I think that that's what keeps me motivated all these years later, is just discovering new things that make me excited as a songwriter and as a musician. But I think diversity for me is a key part of that."

Last month, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM announced the North American dates for "The Poisoned Ascendancy" tour. Support on the trek will come from AUGUST BURNS RED, with SYLOSIS and BLEED FROM WITHIN appearing on select shows.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM will celebrate the 20th anniversary of "The Poison" and "Ascendancy" albums, respectively, by playing them in full.

Produced by Live Nation, the 26-city tour kicks off on March 30 at PNE Forum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, making stops across North America in Las Vegas, Chicago, New York and more before wrapping up in Raleigh, North Carolina at Red Hat Amphitheater on May 18.

"The Poisoned Ascendancy" will launch in the U.K. in late January 2025 for six shows, before the two bands, along with support act ORBIT CULTURE, head over to mainland Europe for 18 more concerts.

Released in 2005, the impact of both albums on the evolution of modern metal is undeniable. For BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, "The Poison" was their debut album, which saw the band propelled to unimaginable heights. That year saw the Welsh metallers graduate from supporting FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND on their U.K. run in the summer, to ending the year headlining the very same venues just months later. Dropping in October 2005, "The Poison" hit number 21 in the U.K. album charts, becoming a late contender in end of year polls, placing at number seven on Kerrang!'s "Albums Of The Year" list, and since achieving gold status.