Bullet for My Valentine

The Welsh lads in Bullet for My Valentine give serious props to '80s metal. That becomes instantly apparent after one listen to their sophomore album Scream Aim Fire (Jive). Solos soar higher than hair at a Poison show, while gruff gang vocals ooze cock-rock machismo and Bruce Dickinson-style swagger. Frontman Matt Tuck has confidently taken center stage on the album, crooning, screaming and headbanging an equal amount. He fires off arena-ready hooks on "Waking the Demon" and "Hearts Burst Into Fire." More importantly, the songs become anthemic and infectious, just the way great metal should be.

Bullet for My Valentine channel the spirit of the '80s, without coming off as cheesy. In fact, they pay homage to it, and then update it with a modern attitude. On "Deliver Us from Evil," an aggressive guitar riff skyrockets into a melodic lead, while maintaining the slick 21st century tone. Meanwhile "End of Days" sounds like it flew right off a Metal Massacre mixtape from 1985, combining a fast rhythm and flighty fretwork. With their pristine playing and incredible vocals, the band may very well be the Facebook generation's answer to Iron Maiden. Bullet for My Valentine have enough reverence for the masters of metal that they don't have to re-hash. Rather they re-tool and reinvent the sound, while keeping all of the fun in tact, minus the bad hair and clothes. It's refreshing, because how many bands these days make you want to just pump your fist and rock? Add Bullet for My Valentine to the top of that list.

—Rick Florino
02.01.08

Bullet for My Valentine hits the ground running and maintains a blistering pace throughout most of Scream Aim Fire, not even slowing down for "Hearts Burst Into Fire," the first of two love songs featured on the album. It's definitely harder and more aggressive than the band's debut album, The Poison, which had a sound evenly divided between emo and metal. For Scream Aim Fire, Bullet for My Valentine leans more toward the latter and sounds increasingly self-assured and solid for it. That's not to say that the group has switched genres or completely changed their approach -- Scream Aim Fire isn't an album from a band in transition, but a band in the process of evolving. Having found a formula that works, Bullet for My Valentine expands it and incorporates different influences. (The guitar solos in "Waking the Demon" are comparable to those on Avenged Sevenfold's City of Evil, while Matt Tuck's vocals on "Deliver Us from Evil" bear enough resemblance to Gerard Way that they induce a double take.) But thanks to Scream Aim Fire's pacing, it can be difficult to appreciate the band's growth. The songs breeze by at the beginning, slow down for two or three tracks in the middle, then pick up abruptly toward the end. A more even distribution between fast and slow songs would have done the album a world of good. Fortunately, Bullet for My Valentine ends the album effort with "Forever and Always," an arena-ready power ballad whose unwavering midtempo beat is steadying after the frenetic songs that precede it. Its concert-closer feel isn't coincidence -- not only does the song bring Scream Aim Fire to a satisfying conclusion; it also begs for an encore. ~ Katherine Fulton, All Music Guide