Bullet For My Valentine at Sound Academy – May 7, 2013

Last Tuesday night, Bullet For My Valentine was back in Toronto to impress their many Torontonian fans, and right from the start, it was quite obvious that Toronto is indeed one of BFMV’s favorite stops. Promoting their recently-released 4th album, Temper Temper, BFMV stepped on the stage of Sound Academy around 10:10pm to share with their fans an already successful catalog of award-winning music. With the classic epic opening of Carl Orff’s O Fortuna, BFMV carried on with Breaking Point, the opening track of Temper Temper. Continuing by Your Betrayal from their 3rd album, Fever, BFMV demonstrated the fundamental elements that have labeled the band as Best British Band by Metal Hammer and Kerrang! Magazines back in 2010, the elements that are, in a way, the conclusion of what’s been wonderfully done by the number of legendary bands in the world of Metal music since the beginning of the 80’s, all the way to the middle of the first decade of the 21st century. What made BFMV, along with number of other bands with similar approach to the sound and music, also popular among the female population of the Metalheads-land, however, has been their approach to softer, more melodic bridges and choruses, which as the result has created a combination of heavy sounding, thanks to the walls of guitar cabinets and the ESP’s Seymour Duncan Humbuckers, with no dynamic, yet a lot of not exactly creative but memorable enough melodies to guarantee packed venues, filled with the fans who wouldn’t miss a chance to sing every single words along with the band.

I basically never got into BFMV and therefore had no idea about any of the songs, but the reaction from the audience assured me that they played pretty much all the songs, including Walking the Demon, Riot, Temper Temper, The Last Fight and P.O.W., that the fans wanted to hear, and that was good to know. After a guitar solo by Michael Paget, BFMV was joined by Izzy Hale, kind of a hot Metal-chick if that’s what you’re into, from Halestorm to perform Dirty Little Secret, once again from Temper Temper. They continued with Scream Aim Fire, followed by 2 encores, Pleasure and Pain, and Tears Don’t Fall.

Overall, although there’s absolutely nothing new and unique about BFMV’s music, I would recommend their pristine live performance, which by the way received a Kerrang! Magazine award for in 2010.