Bullet For My Valentine

Temper Temper

Matthew Tuck – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar

Michael Paget – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals

Michael “Moose” Thomas – Drums, Percussion

Jason James – Bass, Backing Vocals

            Welsh heavy metal band, Bullet For My Valentine, formed in 1998 as Jeff Killed John. After only 6 tracks the band changed their name and their musical strategy. They released a self-titled EP in 2004 and a second one in 2005.  Their debut full-length album arrived in late 2005 with the title The Poison. After some big tours with Metallica and Guns N’Roses in 2006 as well as the Vans Warp Tour, they headed back into the studio. The new album surfaced in 2008 and peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200. Scream Aim Fire produced three singles and landed them on the Taste of Chaos tour in 2008. 2010 seen the band hit up some huge festivals as well as releasing their next album Fever. They jumped on the UpRoar Tour in 2011 and once finished they began to write for the next album. The band released that new material under the newest album Temper Temper. The album was released in February 2013 and features 11 tracks. They get the release going with “Breaking Point.” The track gets going right off the bat with huge drums and a clean scream. The guitars pick up along with a cowbell before the vocals re-enter the fold. The vocals are clean and clear while they add a scream for some backing. The tunes are hard and heavy, but they do it with ease. The insane guitar solo will blow your mind and get you pumped up at the same time while the drums rip off some heart stopping strikes. It begins the album off on a great note. “Truth Hurts” opens up with a killer intro with awesome guitars and pounding drums. The vibe and tempo changes up slightly when the vocals enter, but they head back again from time to time. It’s an okay track, but it really doesn’t wow you. It marches along with ease and some solid attributes, but nothing really special. “Temper Temper” opens up with fast pace guitars ripping through the same cord while the drums pound in the background. A second guitar comes in and adds some much needed variety. They team up for a killer sound then right before the vocals come to play the second guitar gives way to the first ones and they head back to the opening sound. The verses and the sound are okay, but the chorus is where it’s at. The vibe is great as the tempo picks up. I like the track in sections. There is one section that they repeat a lot and the verses are just a little blah. “P.O.W” slows the track down for the first time with a great sound guitar and steady drums. The vocals and the lyrics make this track however. The touchy subject that the title suggests is well taken care of in a tasteful manner. This one might get a lot of attention and I think most of it will be positive. “Dirty Little Secret” opens with more raging guitars that are mind-blowingly fast. The drums enter the fold with their normal pounding. The track then transitions to the meat of the track. The main part of the track is a bit slower with flair-ups from time to time. I believe that the track isn't bad, but that it will get lost in the shuffle. I didn’t hear enough to propel it into the top tier. “Leech” has some cool sounds to offer up, but the bulk of the track I really couldn’t get into. The lyrics are a little bit of a stretch and the track really didn’t excite me. “Dead To The World” opens up with a great intro. As it rolls along though it slows down for the vocals to enter and maintains that speed for most of the first half. It does speed up slightly for the back half which includes some great guitar work. However, the back half also doesn’t have a lot of lyrics rolling through. “Riot” turns up the energy and intensity some while they include some backing vocals. The track sounds okay and I have a theory that this would sound better live. The album version just seems to be restricted and reserved. They do place in a huge instrumental solo section, but it may not be enough for fans to keep coming back to the song often. The track also seems to have some vocal issues. They just seem to be not into the song, something is just missing from them. “Saints & Sinners” actually seems the same way vocally. They just don't seem to have a character to them. They exist and that’s just about it. There is no enthusiasm to them. The backing vocals add more gusto to the song than the lead. “Tears Don’t Fall (Part 2)” spreads the longest on the album. The track starts off awesome with a slight build to the meat of the track. The guitar picking is simple yet elegant while the vocals are calm and smooth. The backing vocals add some roughness to the track while the drums do their thing. The track as a whole is great. The transitions are smooth and the lyrics are not weird. This is something that I would listen to over and over again. The energy level is low, but the arrangement of the song makes up for that. This is a hidden gem. “Livin’ Life (On The Edge Of A Knife)” wraps up the album with a high intensity tune with huge guitars, drums, and vocals. This track will get old school Bullet fans going crazy; however overall I think the track is missing something. I still enjoyed it, but not to the full potential. Overall I’m a little disappointed by the album. There are still tracks that I adore, but others seem to be phoned in with the lack of enthusiasm they have. The lyrics seem a little lacking while the instrument giving them up seems a bit too relaxed. I do like the music for the most part. The guitar arrangements and solos kill it while the drums control the pace for the most part. The energy level is what is missing I think. There are a few that are up there, but most just miss it. The slower tracks, which are designed to be slower, are very good. I feel most of the tracks are in the second tier while a few are at the lower end of it. There are a few stars including the opening tune “Breaking Point,” the slower number “P.O.W.” as well as the second part of “Tears Don’t Fall.”

Rating: 7 out of 10

Tracks to Watch:

Breaking Point, P.O.W., and Tears Don’t Fall (Part 2)

Track List:

1. Breaking Point
2. Truth Hurts
3. Temper Temper
4. P.O.W
5. Dirty Little Secret
6. Leech
7. Dead To The World
8. Riot
9. Saints & Sinners
10. Tears Don’t Fall (Part 2)
11. Livin’ Life (On The Edge Of A Knife)

Website (s):  www.bulletformyvalentine.com