”Because we wanted to play heavy metal”. Regardless of which Bullet member you ask, the answer is always the same. There were no secret agendas or philosophical overtones. The reason why singer Dag “Hell” Hofer and guitarist Hampus Klang formed Bullet in Växjö in 2001 is so self-explanatory that it is almost served with a slightly unsympathetic intonation: “Because we wanted to play heavy metal”.
Last year, Bullet presented a new merchandise product. Not a t-shirt, not a pair of thongs, not even a car sticker. They introduced Bullet clogs. Across the clogs glossy, black leather is a solid band of spikes, with the text “Rock around the clogs” underneath the bands crackled logotype. In many ways, this particular product says a lot of where Bullet is at in 2011.It proves that the band, after many years of hard work, is in a position where they can take the liberty to produce such a luxurious and thought through souvenir. The clog also proves that Bullets primary mark will always be the love for their home region, the internal and warm relation to the fans, and last but not least, their true self-distance.
When guitarist Erik Almström, drummer Gustav Hjortsjö and bass player Lenny Blade had teamed up with Dag and Hampus the hard work began. During the first years Bullet released a couple of demos and played on a variety of venues. No stage was too far away and no payment was too low. The band’s spruce coloured mix of AC/DC, Judas Priest, liquor on cans and denim, slowly grew in the underground scene, and in 2006 the debut album “Heading for the Top” was released.
Though it wasn’t until 2008, when Lenny Blade was replaced by Adam Hector, that the band’s breakthrough was a fact with the follow-up “Bite the Bullet”. There are many bands that want just as much as Bullet – but there are extremely few artists who are prepared to go as far, and to put as much time and effort into reaching their goal. When “Bite the Bullet” was released, a release party was arranged in their home town Växjö. 700 people gladly paid the entrance fee, and was in return offered, apart from the phenomenal experience of the concert, to answer a quiz about Hell Hofers max weight and drink specially made Bullet beer.
The labels on the beer bottles had been applied by the band themselves earlier that afternoon. The release party didn’t feel like a regular concert, it felt more like a big family reunion with the Bullet family. It is things like this that makes the band radiate a unique authenticity and which has furthermore made them loved by the people.
They are the way they are, regardless of if they play football in the Swedish Metallsvenskan team or open up for their heroes AC/DC on a sold out Ullevi stadium. They aren’t afraid of being folkly, and they wouldn’t change themselves for anyone. They realize that rock’n’roll is about entertainment, the effort they put into it as if it was a matter of life and death. These facts, combined with having the status of being one of Swedens best rock live acts, has given them a fan following so faithful that one admirer even voted for Bullet in the Swedish national election for parliament in 2010. The bands third album “Highway Pirates” is released in February 2011 and is a rock hard and quality controlled concentrate of all the things that makes Bullet the way they are: razor sharp riffs, rutting vocals and songs that stir up so much party that they could have been bottle openers. Everything has been wrapped in a beautiful oily package by one of Swedens hottest rock producers, Tobias Lindell, who has mixed the album. Welcome to the family.
Almost two long years of relentless touring have passed since they put out their highly acclaimed Nuclear Blast debut »Full Pull« in 2012. Now they are back to take the Heavy Metal universe by storm with their very own »Storm Of Blades«! The cutthroat album and song title results from the bands aim to make the “toughest Bullet song ever. The first impression was the image of knifes falling from the sky and the title »Storm Of Blades« was born. To make this song the title track of our new album became a must, as it is a tale about destruction, apocalypse and horror!”Taking things to a new level of heaviness, yet returning to their own roots, the new creation sees BULLET with much “of the feeling the band had in the beginning, but with a up-to-date sound and craftsmanship. We can now at last truthfully say; this is our best album so far and most likely the rawest since »Heavy Metal Highway«!
Hell Hofer (Vocals)
Hampus Klang (Lead guitar)
Alexander Lyrbo (Lead guitar)
Adam Hector (Bass)
Gustav Hjortsjö (Drums)
