Bullet For My Valentine do little to win anyone but the die-hard fan over with this new track
After the success of ‘The Poison’, Bullet For My Valentine are soon to be back with more. It’s been said by both the band and fans alike that this album is the culmination of lessons learned from ‘The Poison’. BFMV have taken it up a notch, with more screams, grunts and squealing guitar solos; the extent of which remains to be seen when the album is released, but from this first track it seems that BFMV have kept to their original sound and increased its intensity.
‘Scream Aim Fire’ is a rapid-fire assault on the senses, with its immensely fast drumming sequences and grinding bass, along with the compelling guitar work and gruff vocals that BFMV are known for. This style has previously produced songs that have gained the band recognition, but BFMV do sound similar to various others. Some people compare them to Metallica, and while I wouldn’t agree with this completely, in this case there certainly are some similarities…‘Disposable Heroes’, anyone? The chorus’ bellows of ‘Over the top, over the top’ immediately reflect ‘Back to the front, back to the front’ in the chorus of Metallica’s classic. The difference is, ‘Disposable Heroes’ is a better song. Lyrically, its war content seems a little coincidentally familiar too. When influences can be heard so evidently in a band’s music, it’s clear that they need to take more time to further develop their own sound and stop trying to emulate someone else’s.
The B-side ‘Forever and Always’ takes a relatively good song and reworks it well, the slow, acoustic melody being such a contrast to ‘Scream Aim Fire’. The Welsh singer has a strangely American accent, but it’s quite a sweet song that has a raw and intimate quality to it thanks to its acoustic setting. It doesn’t save the single, though, and I remain decidedly unimpressed.