“It’s a bitter pill to swallow.”
I have a difficult relationship with Bullet For My Valentine. Being one of my gateways to metal with 2008’s Scream Aim Fire (shoutout to Guitar Hero: World Tour), I’ve found that since that sophomore effort, the group’s material started to become increasingly stagnant to me, even back in my teen years. This was no better exemplified than with 2018’s Gravity; a watered down, lifeless metalcore record that represented very little of what I enjoyed from the band when I first discovered them. That said, there were always hints of greatness strewn throughout these records. 2015’s Venom had some fun songwriting, and admittedly Gravity had “Don’t Need You” that, while instrumentally felt like a retread of Bring Me The Horizon’s “Shadow Moses”, was a fun, heavy tune.
Despite those moments though, I felt that Bullet’s glory days were behind them, and that’s not something I particularly enjoy thinking. I’m all for bands moving in different directions and trying new things, but when Bullet did it, it never felt quite honest, quite them. So here we are, three years on from Gravity with the band’s brand new self-titled record, Bullet For My Valentine. The question remains though — will this record define what Bullet For My Valentine stand for, or see them continue to tread water?
Opener “Parasite”, overzealous intro aside, starts off the record with an absolute bang. Jason Bowld’s pacey, pick-up-your-feet drumming and Matt Tuck’s piercing screams set the stage and set a precedent out of the gate: Bullet For My Valentine are back, and this time they aren’t playing around. The track’s classic 2000s metalcore chorus evokes some decent nostalgic senses, and while it doesn’t particularly push the envelope creatively, it’s a more than serviceable effort. The track’s breakdown, ushered in by Tuck screaming “I hope you choke!” in a beautifully angst-ridden flurry of rage, closes out “Parasite” strongly, with some truly crushing riffs and drum work.
While the momentum of “Parasite” is carried well throughout second track “Knives”, following cut “My Reverie” feels a tad underwhelming in comparison. More subdued alt-metal verses and far less involved drum and guitar work leave “My Reverie” feeling quite painfully standard. It’s by no means a bad song, but the track pales in comparison to the incredibly strong openers.
Thankfully, BFMV pick up the pace again, as mid-album cuts “No Happy Ever After” and “Can’t Escape The Waves” stand as my absolute favourites across this record. The former of the two’s two-step energy throughout its verses, followed by its genuinely fantastic chorus make for a track that demands to be experienced live. The drumming yet again becomes a highlight here, with some welcome double-kick action appearing across this track, adding a true sense of weight to “No Happy Ever After”. Latter track “Can’t Escape The Waves” is a relatively more melodic cut; but its frenetic main riff, slick bass licks and planet-sized chorus prove to be some of my favourite moments this band have ever penned.
While its preceding cuts continue to hold the momentum decently well, late-album track “Shatter”, much like “My Reverie”, just doesn’t quite have the it factor that many of the other tracks here do. Instrumentally leaning more into a latter-day Parkway Drive edge than any of the energetic metalcore found previously on Bullet For My Valentine, on a writing level this one falls fairly flat. Luckily, following track “Paralyzed” brings back the pacey drumming and classic 2000s metalcore energy for a quick injection of energy before the album’s closer. I’m admittedly not enthralled with the track’s chorus, but the remainder of the track is so ridiculously fun (and stupidly heavy) that I would be hard pressed to find any true complaints with “Paralyzed” outside of that.
Closer “Death By A Thousand Cuts” stands strong next to “No Happy Ever After” and “Can’t Escape The Waves” as one of the best tracks not only on display here, but of the band’s career. Replete with brutal riffs from Tuck and Michael Paget, typically stellar drumming from Bowld and yet another gargantuan chorus; “Death By A Thousand Cuts” closes out Bullet For My Valentine even stronger than it starts, with a classic metalcore masterclass in one of the best tracks Bullet have ever crafted.
Bullet For My Valentine is, without a doubt, the absolute strongest this band has sounded in well over a decade. While it doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, this is a complete reinvigoration of BFMV’s own brand of riffy metalcore, and it’s an absolute treat end-to-end. While I’ve been quite unimpressed with most of the band’s output since 2013’s Temper Temper, this is an unprecedented return to form that eclipses even some of the best material of their early years. For all intents and purposes, it’s absolutely still a metalcore record, and if that’s not your thing this absolutely won’t change your mind, but any fan of standard fare, heavy, riffy metalcore will find something to love here. From its great vocal performances, to its ridiculously fun riffs, and absolute star of the show in Jason Bowld’s drumming; Bullet For My Valentine is a great foray into classic 2000s metalcore.
Bullet For My Valentine will be available this Friday, November 5th via Spinefarm, and you can pre-order the record here.
8/10