Bullet For My Valentine’s “Scream Aim Fire” really makes me question where metal fans are heading nowadays. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 when it was released earlier this year, selling 53,000 copies in its first week out. It is also the second album out of a five-album deal the band made with Sony BMG. So why exactly is this a bad thing? Simply put, this is bad because this album is one of the worst examples of modern metal I have heard so far, and should not be selling at the rate it has.
When there are so many other metalcore bands producing music far superior to that churned out by this group, I am absolutely befuddled as to why Bullet For My Valentine are as popular as they are. As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains and Shadows Fall: these are all bands that get metalcore right. Why listeners would rather listen to the love-soaked, hopeless romantic music of this band is completely beyond me.
This brings me to the vocal work on this album, one of the many things this band does wrong. Instead of indulging the listener in lyrics that have meaning or tell a story, Bullet For My Valentine sing about their usual topic: love. “I live my life in misery/ I’d sacrifice this world to hold you/ No breath left inside of me/ Shattered glass keeps falling/ Say goodnight/ Just sleep tight/ Say goodnight.” This is an example of some of the horrendously shallow lyrics to be found on this album. To make it worse, the vocalist sounds like he is whining most of the time, making him almost impossible to listen to.
But behind the vocals lies something just as awful: the instruments. It is difficult to put into words how dry everything sounds on this album, but I will try. All the instruments on every song sound exactly the same. First, there are the blast beats, then the guitars and bass chugging on the same note, followed by a generic guitar solo and finishing off with some of the worst breakdowns found in metal today. Also, three of the songs on this album are ballads, which is three more ballads than any metal release should have. How is this band supposed to get the respect of true metal fans when more than twenty five percent of their album is ballads and all of the other songs are impossible to differentiate from one another?
Every track mixes itself into one another, making a 57-minute-long song about love, loneliness and emotions. This is exactly the opposite of what a good metal album should sound like, yet it continues to outsell the better albums of other bands being released. This is why I have no respect for Bullet For My Valentine; they are corrupting the metal genre by making shallow music that is more popular than other bands that are talented.
The only slightly positive thing about this album is that the first track, “Scream Aim Fire,” can be catchy at points. This ns no way means it is memorable, only fairly easy to groove to at the time of listening.
In a word, this album is terrible. As one of the first metalcore releases of 2008, this puts the year off to a bad start. If you are a fan of dry, repetitive, love-soaked music in the vein of awful bands the likes of Atreyu, then you probably have already bought this album and boasted to your high school friends about how hardcore it is. If you like good music, then you have not bought this album and will not buy it. Stay away at all costs.
2/10
Abhijeet • Jun 7, 2012 at 2:50 pm
At least this band is much better than other bands of metal genre
tim • Dec 10, 2010 at 12:39 pm
u want to say this album is terrable lets see YOU do better Mr.Its easy to criticize someone and say they suck when YOU prolly couldn’t do better. You were right bout one thing the ballads wernt very good but they meant something. Plus there songs are more thrash then anything like there song waking the demon is thrash death metal. So u have no room to crticize unless you make a album that goes streight to number three and u play a instrament better so think before you speak hipacrit
Justin • Jul 19, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Another person that was metal and sang about love and emotions and had ballads was Ozzy Osborne..
jacob • Sep 28, 2009 at 9:00 pm
bullet for my valentine does not care to sound like all the billion “metal core” bands that all sound the same out there. the reason why that album sold so well is because it was badass and it didnt sound like everything else. they are my favorite band and i have not found a band that sounds nearly as good as them
Rizzo B.F.M.V • Sep 10, 2009 at 2:42 am
No it doesn’t sound like the “Poison” album but its still a great from them. The surgery Matt underwent, I wouldn’t say plays a gigantic part in the way the album sounds because it is still a great album. They really are in a category and sound of their own. They use the sound and same type instrumentals of older metalcore groups such as Metallica and Pantera and then add a mellodramatic sound to it. Clearly something new and on a stage of its own. Yeahs it may seem that its a sound similar to Avenged Sevenfold and All That Remains but its not. Does anyone listen to the lyrics. They put, what I’d like to say, a little more time and effort into what goes onto a record. The music we all can relate too and its worth buying a thousand times in my book. As long as they keep recording albums they way they do and keep putting that effort in there is no stopping them. Metalcore fans, like me, should be happy that they made their mark in the industry because without them there wouldn’t be that gap between metalcore and radio played rock music. Yeah Avenged Sevenfold has done it, nothing against them because I like their music as well, but they put romance, and love story’s into a genre that wouldn’t have been able to handle it 5 years to 10 years ago. They are breaking into new grounds that only they can make it. Chiodos is somewhat breaking, in my opinion, into the same group without the metal sound but falling right into a similar category.
chris pinson • Aug 25, 2009 at 6:45 pm
What youre saying is pretty much dumb…..if youre a metalcore band,you don have to write depressing lyrics all the time……they write abt love and stuff to relate to ppl..i mean isnt that what life is abt?the only negative thing i can say abt bullet is his vocals were not as good on the new album,but he had reasons,which was his surgery!
Courtney • Aug 12, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I respect the fact that every person has their own right to their opinion and all of that, but people labeling Bullet as metalcore and anything related annoy me. These guys have their own style of music that they are introducing to the world, which is all the more reason to respect them. That’s how music progresses over the years. I wasn’t as pleased with this album as The Poison or Hand of Blood, but like some other’s have pointed out, Matt’s vocals were off because the guy had just had operations on his throat. Give the guys a break. There is no band out there that is anything like Bullet. Sure there are some pretty amazing metal bands that are to be appreciated too, but Bullet’s music stands out. They don’t sound like every other metal band you hear. Who is to say that they do anything wrong at all? Music is a matter of preference, and to be so bold as to say that they are doing this and that wrong, or any band for that matter, shows that you really don’t get around much. It shows that you’re so set in one style of music that you aren’t being open. And another thing. Why does it matter to you so much if the guys want to sing about love and heart break? If you have a problem with it, then stop buying their albums and listening to their music. As for me, I’d say they did an awesome job and I’m proud of what they accomplished even with Matt’s medical issues. Now if they would just announce the release of their next album…
Caylum • Jul 1, 2009 at 4:46 am
Bullet creates their own style of music, they do not sound even the slightest bit like any of the other bands that are out, their sound is so unique that you would recognise them anywhere, and the only reason the vocals arent up to scratch on this album is because of Matts throat operation, so you cant really blame him. There are one or two songs on the album that could use a bit more work, but otherwise this album is great, Bullet do want to re-record the entire album as Matts voice has become stronger and he can sing properly again, I look forward to it as the difference in vocal performance is going to be HUGE…..
damon • Dec 31, 2008 at 10:06 am
Bullet is its own style of music. They are not to hard and not to soft. They have a great mix of both. I thought their new album was amazing. I don’t think you really have the right to call any type of music out there not good at all. Everyone likes a different style of music. Bullet did a great job, and im hoping for a new album in the near future
Joseph from Tacoma • Dec 24, 2008 at 5:03 am
You did hit it right on only one point. Bullet is not a metalcore band. It outsells metalcore because it reaches over to mainstream rock with its ballads. “Forever and Always” is a massive hit in terms of breaking in. YOu also have to remember that Bullet is a huge fan of Metallica so you are going to get long plays on the CDs. As for the vocals, They do it better than nearly all metalcore bands save Killswitch since they don’t have to destroy thier voices like a lot of metalcore bands do. If you taqlk to Killswitch they have massive respect for Bullet for broadening metalcore’s chances with the mainstream. Trust me I asked them at the 2007 Warped Tour. They love Bullet and oddy enough Fall Out Boy???
John • Nov 17, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Dude, it seems that you put alot of thought into your review. Although i completely disagree with what you said, I at least have to respect that. Bullet is not fully metal, it is established. They release a good mix of songs that can be enjoyed by listeners of all genres of rock, like Avenged Sevenfold or Metallica. Sure, you are right in saying that bands like Killswitch Engage and All That Remains succeed more in the metalcore style, but that is not what Bullet is. They are more along the lines of bands like Metallica and Nirvana. I respect your opinion and to a point you have valid points (i stress to a point) because all full blown metalcore heads like you WOULD be disappointed in this album.