Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Bullet for My Valentine - Bullet for My Valentine (2004)
I had a bit of trouble deciding whether to review this EP or the Hand of Blood EP, as both EPs have the same tracklisting except for one track added to the latter. That's why I didn't review this release as early as the other BFMV albums a few years back. Ultimately, I decided to review their 2004 self-titled EP, which marks the beginning of their tenure (not including when the band was originally named Jeff Killed John), and I consider of Hand of Blood to just be this EP's release with an extra track. So here we are...
The style of this album is basically the emo-metalcore of From Autumn to Ashes often put down by metal purist b****rds, blended together with the band's more metallic influences such as Iron Maiden and Metallica for the melodic metalcore sound Bullet for My Valentine would have the potential to cement in The Poison. With some guitar soloing added to the mix, the guitarists can easily show their metallic side from those earlier bands without ripping off. The audible bass sounds great, as does the fantastic drumming. Frontman Matthew Tuck sounds amazing with his vocals ranging from clean singing to hardcore screaming, all while impressively playing his riffs.
"Hand of Blood" has the usual hardcore guitar riffing that stands out in the metal instrumentation. It's so great hearing the cleans and screams alternating between each other in the verses. "Cries in Vain" (re-recorded in The Poison) is way better! After a phaser intro, the distortion hits you hard. There's also a harmonic ending solo. That's a great song! A soft clean intro starts "Curses". That song is OK, but the instrumentation sounds a bit drowned out here. There seems to be a further loss of quality in "No Control". It almost comes out as awful when there's barely anything to get you hooked. "Just Another Star" greatly makes up for that! The multi-vocal choruses are nice and while they sound a little too much when you listen to this song on your own, the greatness of it decimates the poorness of the previous track. The guitars there are so good.
In retrospect, maybe reviewing the Hand of Blood EP would've been better, since the addition of The Poison track "4 Words (to Choke Upon)" is what made me give it a 4.5-star rating, as opposed to the 4-star self-titled EP. Nonetheless, any fan of emo-metalcore should explore its more melodic side with the solid start of this band's career....
Favorites: "Hand of Blood", "Cries in Vain", "Just Another Star"