It’s crazy to think that Bridgend based Bullet For My Valentine are getting close to being two decades together in their current form. Some fans have criticised their last couple of outputs for lacking that same bite and energy that grabbed them back in the early days. They arrive again with a self-titled album and perhaps with a reinvention of themselves?
Opening track Parasite would seem to demonstrate that as it begins with a radio tuning and a brief recap of their discography so far; all building up to Matt Tuck screaming the first words “You fucking parasite!”. It’s a statement of intent from the off with the guitars up front and centre. This carries on to the next single Knives, that brutally chugs along, despite some clunky lyrics in build up. They’ve never been known for their deep lyrics when it comes to their song writing, but let’s be honest that’s not what we are here for. We are here for riffs and on this one, we are treated to a plethora of them throughout.
Shatter is the kind of track that you will find thousands of fans banging their heads together in unison in its breakdowns. Despite the heaviness throughout, everything does fall into fairly familiar territory at times. No Happy Ever After could easily fit somewhere into their second effort “Scream Aim Fire” and Paralysed feels like an emo anthem from “The Poison. That’s not to say that it isn’t enjoyable, every track on the record has real merit, from the groove on Bastards to the final rallying call on Death By A Thousand Cuts.
This is certainly going to please fans of old who have been wanting a return to form so to speak. It’s the most vital that the band have heard for over a decade and it’s great to have them back.