Bullet For My Valentine

Temper Temper, Sony **

Bullet for My Valentine are a phenomenon. It is rare enough for any band to sell millions of records nowadays, rarer still for it be a contemporary heavy metal band. BFMV’s straddling of the mainstream and extreme elements of metal have made these Welsh hard rockers a transatlantic success – and with it has come the enmity of metal purists who regard such success as a sellout. BFMV’s fourth album is unlikely to change any minds one way or the other. There are enough fist-pumping anthems to please the Valentine army, and the band have not lost the knack for a memorable chorus. Both the title track and the staccato opening single, Riot are tailor-made for more adventurous radio stations, yet there is little original or inspired in this album. The only thing exceptional about this band, it seems, is their success.

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Download: Riot, Breaking Point, Temper Temper