Twenty years ago, two young bands broke through and changed the face of 21st century metal - and this month, they're together on our cover for the first time. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Poison and Ascendancy, we speak to Bullet For My Valentine’s Matt Tuck and Trivium’s Matt Heafy about breaking through in 2005 and the legacy of two of modern metal's most important bands.
Ahead of their imminent co-headline tour, we take the Matts back to the year they brought heavy back. Nu metal was dying, the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal was breaking, and Bullet and Trivium were combining traditional metal with modern production to attention-grabbing effect – even if some of that attention was negative.
“We were both so ambitious, fearless and unstoppable in our attitudes to making the bands what we wanted them to become,” says Matt Tuck. “We got shit in the press, we got bullied by some of our peers, but we’ve had the same trajectory. I understand exactly who they are, and I think they feel the same.”
The Matts also reveal the stories behind every song on The Poison and Ascendancy.
“The whole song essentially wrote itself, but we had an entirely different chorus,” admits Matt Heafy of Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr, Trivium's breakout anthem. "We were playing it on that Machine Head Road Rage tour, and Machine Head’s guitar tech, who we didn’t ask, came up to us and was like, ‘I really like that song, but I hate that chorus!’”
Also in the issue, we bring you the 50 albums you need to hear in 2025, featuring Arch Enemy, Cradle Of Filth, Halestorm, Jinjer, Killswitch Engage, Mastodon and many more.
Elsewhere, Alice In Chains mastermind Jerry Cantrell answers your questions on the greatest Seattle record of all time and collaborating with James Hetfield, and System Of A Down’s Daron Malakian remembers striking out with Scars On Broadway.
Testament’s Alex Skolnick takes us inside the early chaos of the Bay Area scene, while Nita Strauss spills the tea on what it’s like to play with Alice Cooper and Demi Lovato.
Heavy Trip director Juuso Laatio explains why fictional Finnish band Impaled Rektum are back for a sequel and, as Nosferatu hits cinemas, we investigate metal’s fascination with vampires.
And if you’re still bummed out about Eddie Munson dying in Stranger Things Season 4, then never fear. He’s back! Well, in our exclusive preview of the new Strangers Things and Dungeons & Dragons prequel comicbook series.
All this, along with Dark Tranquillity, Alt Blk Era, Grand Magus, Sleep Token, Wardruna, Ante-Inferno and much, much more.
Only in the new issue of Metal Hammer, on sale now. Order it online and have it delivered straight to your door
