Singles + EPs

Single Review: Bullet For My Valentine

[Single: Waking The Demon]
[Label: Sony BMG]

The third single from Bullet For My Valentine’s new album “Scream, Aim, Fire”, Waking the Demon, is a mixture of speed metal and straightforward metalcore. The song is mainly comprised of a single guitar riff over a constantly shifting drumbeat and is unequivocally boring. The dynamic is supplied entirely by the percussion section, with the guitar remaining remarkably uneventful throughout. Short of a Scandinavian-sounding shredding solo that is mightily impressive, the meat of the riffery is very sub-par when compared to the Bullet’s older material.

It’s clear that BFMV are trying to shake off “screamo” comparisons by adopting a bludgeoning combination of chugs and pinch harmonics, but the result is a straightforward and frankly bland offering that brings almost nothing in the way of memorable riffs to the table. If anything the drums are the real star of the show here. Matt Tuck’s vocals and guitars blend into the background and offer only a cabaret-style ending (“Waking the demon!” duh-duh-duh-dun! *jazz hands*) by way of a decent hook.

Sadly, the single represents a lack of all the strengths the band displayed on ‘The Poison’ – originality, creativity, diversity and above all infectiousness. If this is your first exposure to the band, you could be forgiven for writing them off as one of the thousand soundalike metalcore acts floating around these days. Disappointing.

For fans of: The Hottness, Every Time I Die, Trivium
Band link = Bullet For My Valentine

“Waking The Demon”

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