Waking the Demon
| "Waking the Demon" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bullet for My Valentine | ||||
| from the album Scream Aim Fire | ||||
| B-side | "Say Goodnight" (acoustic) | |||
| Released | 25 April 2008[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Genre | Metalcore | |||
| Length | 4:08 | |||
| Label | Jive[2] | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Colin Richardson[1] | |||
| Bullet for My Valentine singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Waking the Demon" is a song by Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine. The song is released as the third and final single from their second album Scream Aim Fire. The video for the song was written and directed by Max Nichols (son of Academy Award-winning director Mike Nichols).[3]
Song concept
The meaning of this song is all about revenge. Matt Tuck, the band's lead singer and rhythm guitarist, said:
"Waking the Demon" is about finding someone's inner demon. Most of us in the band got pushed around in school so the song is about getting tormented, day in and day out for years, and then one day – 'snap!' – fight back![3][4]
The video was released on 16 April 2008 as the band's MySpace video.[3] On 7 April 2009, "Waking the Demon" was released as a downloadable song for Rock Band.[5]
Music video
 |
The video is about a teenage heavy metal fan which is portrayed by Cohlie Brocato who is bullied in high school by a jock played by Noah Fleiss. The leader of the group is dating a girl who seems sympathetic for the boy, but is not brave enough to stand up for him. There are numerous shots of the band playing in a moonlit forest. Throughout the video, the jock repeatedly attacks the boy, including spraying warm showers on him in the locker room and dumping a Strawberry shake on him in class, tripping him, pushing him into walls, smacking him with a towel, splashing bathroom water on his face, etc. Meanwhile, the teenager crosses off dates on a calendar in his locker. He circles the last date, the 28th, which is labeled, "Full Moon". That night, he watches the jocks' leader who bullied him, waiting by the forest for his girlfriend who lured him to the forest by asking to meet him there so that the teenage boy could get revenge on him. The teenager throws a balloon filled with cottage cheese at the jock's car to provoke him to chase him deeper into the forest. The song prepares for the solo as the jock chases the boy through the forest. As the guitar solo starts, the teenager falls down on his knees and the full moon comes out of the clouds, turning him into a werewolf. The bully approaches the now changed boy. Once the jock sees the teenage victim's face, the jock is horrified and tries to run, and is presumably killed by the werewolf. Blood drips from the werewolf's mouth and hands, and the next day at school, there is a new sign displaying the original bully as missing. Now another jock tries to show his anger towards the victim and tries to harass him a little bit. The girl from the old bully runs up and hugs him, hinting that now she's going out with him after news that the leader went missing. As the other jock walks off with the girl, she looks at the teenager, giving him a look of "I'm on your side" and he sees her eyes glow red (revealing that she also is a werewolf like himself). He smiles knowing that her new "boyfriend" will be the next victim, and crosses out the first day of the next month waiting for the full moon to come again, implying that the new jock won't be able to harass him so easily.[1]
As of May 2020, the song has 70 million views on YouTube.
Track listing
- iTunes Single[6]
- "Waking the Demon" – 4:07
- "Say Goodnight" (acoustic version) – 3:14
Personnel
Bullet for My Valentine
- Matthew "Matt" Tuck – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Jason "Jay" James – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Michael "Padge" Paget – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Michael "Moose" Thomas – drums, percussion
Production
- Produced by Colin Richardson
- Music video directed by Max Nicols
Release history
| Country | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 21 April 2008 | CD single |
| United Kingdom | 16 June 2008 | iTunes |
| Japan | EP | |
| South Korea |
Charts
| Chart | Peak Chart Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks | 39[7] |
References
- ^ a b Waking the Demon - Bullet for My Valentine | Credits | AllMusic
- ^ Bullet For My Valentine - Waking The Demon (CD) at Discogs
- ^ a b c "BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE: 'Waking The Demon' Video Trailer Available". BlabberMouth.
- ^ cudear.com - cudear Resources and Information
- ^ Waking the Demon by Bullet For My Valentine // Songs // Rock Band®
- ^ "iTunes Store: Waking The Demon - Single". Apple Inc. 26 April 2008. Retrieved 16 March 2010.
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/music/bullet-for-my-valentine/chart-history/RTT
