BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM have announced the continental European dates for “The Poisoned Ascendancy” tour.
“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.
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM will celebrate the 20th anniversary of “The Poison” and “Ascendancy” albums, respectively, by playing them in full, with the newly announced shows kicking off on February 2 in Düsseldorf, Germany and wrapping up at the end of the month in Madrid, Spain.
“I honestly can’t believe it’s been 20 years since the release of ‘The Poison’, and what an incredible 20 years it’s been”, said BFMV frontman Matt Tuck. “I feel so proud of what we’ve achieved as a band in the last two decades and it all started with that debut album. ‘The Poison’ is such an important part of our lives musically and personally and we know the massive impact it had on the metal world on a global level. This tour will be made even more special as our brothers in TRIVIUM are also joining us on the road to celebrate and play in its entirety their stunning album ‘Ascendancy’.”
“BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE‘s ‘The Poison’ and TRIVIUM‘s ‘Ascendancy’ are two records whose influence can be heard to this day — in the DNA of modern metal,” declared TRIVIUM frontman Matt Heafy. “It’s incredible to think of the impact the albums had when they came out in 2005. They were both like bolts of lightning. Both bands grew up independently of each other in different countries and separately from any movement or scene but both shared a common love of melodic heavy metal at the core; and both had similar meteoric rises right out of the gate.”
He continued: “TRIVIUM and BFMV were in such whirlwinds when our respective albums came out that we each never truly got to play together or sit back and celebrate during the maelstrom of constant touring, recording and globetrotting. But that’s what this anniversary tour is. It’s a celebration by the bands to the fans of an important era, and most importantly it’s an invitation to fans come and have an epic night with us and sing and rage and celebrate the awesome power of the music.”
“This is going to be the metal tour of 2025,” concluded Tuck. “BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM‘The Poisoned Ascendancy’ world tour 2025. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of both albums and playing them in their entirety. Get excited people, it’s going to be special and we can’t wait to celebrate with you all.”
Speaking to NME, Tuck described the tour as a “well-deserved victory lap” and said both bands “deserved” the chance to celebrate their legacies. “We never had the chance to really take in what was happening at the time,” he explained.
Tuck continued: “This tour almost didn’t happen because we were so focused on making a new album and touring that. That’s how we’re wired, that’s what we’ve always done. But after talking about it, we realized that if we didn’t take this opportunity, we’d always regret it. 20 years is a long time to be making an impact. A 20th anniversary is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but to celebrate that alongside TRIVIUM just makes it more special.”
“The Poisoned Ascendancy” 2025 European tour dates:
Jan. 26 – Cardiff, UK @ Utilita Arena
Jan. 27 – Cardiff, UK @ Utilita Arena
Jan. 28 – Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro
Jan. 30 – Manchester, UK @ Co-op Live
Jan. 31 – Birmingham, UK @ Utilita Arena
Feb. 01 – London, UK @ The O2
Feb. 02 – Düsseldorf, Germany @ Mitsubishi Electric Hall
Feb. 04 – Stuttgart, Germany @ Scheleyer-Halle
Feb. 05 – Zurich, Switzerland @ The Hall
Feb. 07 – Paris, France @ Le Zenith
Feb. 09 – Antwerp, Netherlands @ Lotto Arena
Feb. 10 – Hannover, Germany @ Swiss Life Hall
Feb. 11 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
Feb. 13 – Hamburg, Germany @ Sporthalle
Feb. 14 – Berlin, Germany @ Max-Schmeling-Halle
Feb. 15 – Frankfurt, Germany @ Jahrhunderthalle
Feb. 17 – Milan, Italy @ Alcatraz
Feb. 18 – Munich, Germany @ Zenith
Feb. 19 – Vienna, Austria @ Stadthalle
Feb. 21 – Gliwice, Poland @ Arena
Feb. 22 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Forum Karlin
Feb. 23 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg @ Rockhal
Feb. 26 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Campo Pequeno
Feb. 27 – Madrid, Spain @ Vistalegre
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.
Released in March of 2005, TRIVIUM crafted a classic in the form of “Ascendancy”. It concluded 2005 as Kerrang!‘s “Album Of The Year,” went gold in the U.K., and has since surpassed global sales of 500,000 copies. Opening the main stage of Download festival that year, the Floridian four piece — barely out of their teens — delivered a set that left all who witnessed it in no doubt that they were looking at future legends, with Kerrang! readers later voting it as the tenth best gig of all time.
A testament to the staying power of both albums, Metal Hammer listed both albums in the Top 25 of their “The Greatest Metal Albums Of The Century.” The opportunity to see these classic albums performed in full by two bands at the top of their game in some of the U.K.’s most prestigious arenas is not one to be missed.
Photo credit: Ryan Chang