Genre: Melodic Metal/Hardcore/Rock
Label: Sony Music/RCA
Date of Release: February 11, 2013
PEDESTRIAN MELODIC METALCORE
Bullet For My Valentine is a highly famed entity within the
music world, even outside of the metallic hardcore and rock genres. Originating
in 1997 from Bridgend, United Kingdom, initially as Jeff Killed John, this
greatly-revered quartet grew over the years to become one of the most popular,
if not monumental, groups of the melodic metalcore genre. Each one of their
previous records has paved the way for this band to climb even higher into the
realms of musical fame. With albums such as “The Poison” in 2005 and “Scream
Aim Fire” in 2008, Bullet For My Valentine continues to live on as a melodic
metalcore band with an extremely large following. The next step that this band
has taken in 2013 is their fifth full-length record simply known as “Temper
Temper.” Having come so far in the band’s career, the eleven tracks will reveal
whether this album is a huge leap forward or a woeful step backwards for the
band.
The musicianship, especially compared to the band’s
preceding releases, is rather average. Starting with the vocals, the screams are
decently played, letting loose some good fierce energy and adding to the
album’s wilder segments. However, this cannot be said for the clean singing,
which actually sounds somewhat tired. Perhaps it was the sound production, but
even so, they do not fare so well in this album in terms of inspiration or
energy. They simply sound somewhat dreary, even though they are clearly aiming
for an aggressive yet poppy tone. The
guitars are probably the best aspect of the musicianship, with a few nice and
catchy solos and melodies. Sadly, even this is not sufficient to save the rest
of the band’s musicianship in this album, including the drum play, where there
is not much to say other than that, along with the singing, they sound somewhat
exhausted. One of the key characteristics of any music record is the
musicianship and how well the members’ instrumental talents are showcased, and
unfortunately, “Temper Temper” does not hold up very well in this respect.
Sadly, along with the musicianship, the music itself is
simply average, if not flat-out clichéd and uninspired. The majority of “Temper
Temper” is composed of metallic hardcore, and punk rock anthems that, while at
times decent, are generic and quite pedestrian. The verse-chorus structure of
the songs is rather stale and typical of the poppy hardcore-rock genre, and
there is little development and buildup as each song progresses. In fact, a few
of the tracks sound very blendy, with a harsh lack of dynamicity that is
appropriate to make the Most of the melodies and riffs are clichéd and have
surely been heard plenty of times before, and the drums demonstrate little
color, to the point where they sound somewhat brainlessly played throughout the
album, not helping it well in the energy department. The screams are rather
well done, but the clean singing simply lacks the same energy as they had in
the group’s older records, especially from “Scream Aim Fire.” While the music
does flow well, and nothing necessarily sounds choppy, the overall feel of the
music in this album is just somewhat exhausted, preventing it from being a very
satisfying and engaging release.
Along with the music and the musicianship, the lyrics are
not very well crafted, either. The themes that “Temper Temper” follows
lyrically include positivity, defiance against authority figures, harlots, and
internal conflicts and heartbreak. Sadly, they deliver an underwhelming and
generic execution, repeating certain lines consecutively. The anthems are
written in a very typical manner, complete with exclamations such as “wo-oo”
and “whoa” that have been utilized far too many instances before. While there
is not necessarily anything wrong with using these expressions, there should at
least be some distinctive quality to the lyrics that would at least render them
as more intriguing or pleasant to hear the vocalist sing or scream. Overall,
not only do the musicianship and sound of this album appear to be lacking in
inspiration and freshness, but the lyrics do not showcase anything new or
outside of the ordinary, and are simply clichéd and cumbersomely overdone.
“Temper Temper” did not turn out to be a very enjoyable
release, and proved to be quite the step backwards for this band. The musicianship
was dull and was mostly lackluster in terms of showmanship, aside from the
screamed vocals and guitars. Structurally, all of the tracks loaded into this
record seem to be very predictable and clichéd, which may unfortunately also be
claimed for the anthems and sounds themselves. It is fundamentally your
run-of-the-mill poppy fusion of melodic hardcore and rock, and, not only does
it sound almost completely uninspired and generic, with nothing new to offer
for the group’s audience, but it also has a certain scarcity of energy that
could cause the listener to grow tired throughout even one of the songs. There
are a few redeeming qualities, but they are not nearly sufficient enough to
make the album a pleasant stream. Maybe this would appeal to loyal Bullet For
My Valentine fans, but aside from that category, listeners should just pass it by.
Score: 3/10 (Very Poor)
Score: 3/10 (Very Poor)