Bullet For My Valentine

The Best UK Band at this year's Metal Hammer awards are still wiping off the sweat, mud and smiles from a Download performance that boasted one of the best crowds of the weekend; "It was absolutely amazing, we've dreamed of that since we were kids and it was Monsters Of Rock. To tell the truth, deep down inside we were shitting ourselves" guitarist Padge (AKA Michael Pagent) admits.

For the few people left who haven't heard the name, Bullet For My Valentine have had a busy year establishing themselves as front-runners in the UK's metal scene. The term 'UK Metal Scene' is gradually taking hold, as the line-up at Download this year can testify, although BFMV were still the obvious favourites for the Metal Hammer award, "Well, who else would they give it to?" Padge asks The Skinny with a chuckle. "No, really, it's great and we're totally honoured." In comparison to the US though, "We could be doing a lot better, there is a scene here but we need more bands to push it harder to break through."

A nine year struggle to 'break through' has left BFMV proficient at what they do and with no illusions of how hard they have to work to establish themselves. Although the band's look and lyrics fit in with the contemporary emo-led approach, the music adheres to the no-nonsense loudity of thrash and metal for metal's sake sound of NWOBHM heroes such as Judas Priest. Last year's debut album 'The Poison' mixed personal lyrics with enough whiplash-inducing riffage to make it clear where this band take their cues from.

Welcoming comparisons to their idols is endearing, here are Maiden fans who never 'grew out' of it. Athough it's hard to say what the point of ventures like Kerrang's tribute to the peerless 'Master Of Puppets' is, with their faithful cover of Sanitarium BFMV managed to win the praise of Lars Ulrich himself, "he said he loved our version, which was amazing" enthuses Padge. Celebrating a bygone era of solo extravaganzas is clearly part of the reason BFMV are here in the first place; "We weren't nervous, cos we've been playing that song for years."

With eleven new songs ready to go into the studio with at the end of the year, the second album "Won't be a departure for us, it'll just be more elaborate in terms of vocals and solos and should hopefully be even better than the first."

Supporting Guns n' Roses on their UK dates before heading to the states for the Vans Warped tour, this summer should see BFMV on a trajectory to the top; "We'd like to headline more, if our success continues to build that is. We want to be the biggest band we can possibly be."