The Welsh band Bullet For My Valentine
is slowly becoming the new must listen to metal band. I found out about them thru the UK’s Metal Hammer magazine (where’s my UK readers, and why haven’t you told me about these guys?). Although this is a new metal band, in the mold of Avenged Sevenfold, you can hear the strong influences of Testament and Iron Maiden. Bullet For My Valentine has signed a record deal with TrustKill, for the States, but, at the moment they only have the 6 song Hand of Blood mini-album. If you want their full length CD, The Posion, you either have to wait for TrustKill to release it, or get it as a European import.
Bullet’s sound is still pretty raw on the EP, but they have a lot of potential. My main issue is that the band utilizes 2 singers, Matthew Tuck, who actually sings, and Michael Padget, who is the screamer. At times it seems as though Padget is trying to compete with Tuck, instead of trying to compliment him. Songs like Hand of Blood and No Control lose a lot of their feel when the screaming is overdone, but because the riffs are so intense, they can overcome it. A decent metal producer should be able to tone down Padget’s screaming without adversely effecting the intensity of the songs, sort of like what happened on the Avenged Sevenfold’s City of Evil CD. Actually, what would be even better is to have these guys tour the States with AX7. Or better yet, have them open for Judas Priest the next time they tour the States. I little guidence by the masters of UK Metal would do these guys some good. But, if you are looking for some new metal to listen to, I’d recommend picking up Bullet For My Valentine.