Live Review: Bullet For My Valentine, TesseracT and Bleed From Within | Eventim Apollo, London | 05/11/21
Anger and resentment runs through the veins of these unruly adults, misjudged teens and wayward children. Standing shoulder to shoulder under the angelic lights of London’s Eventim Apollo though, the unity is unanimous under the guidance of Welsh metalcore quartet, Bullet For My Valentine. Playing London on the release day of their seventh studio album, their self-titled release was subjected to trial by fire, scorching the high ceilings and burning the fibres of all who heard.
Bleed From Within
Fresh off the back of their blazing Bloodstock set though, openers Bleed From Within commanded the stage with breakdown after head-splitting breakdown with a performance that closed in the walls and shrunk the room. The spellbinding immersion from the Scottish metallers sparked a concordant urge for circle pits, mosh pits, wall of deaths and crowd surfers throughout the duration of ‘Into Nothing’, ‘Ascend’, and ‘The End of All We Know’, with a singular slower track in the midst that culminated in the perfect setlist sandwich.
Photo Credit: Georgia Brittain
Score: 8/10
TesseracT
Subjecting ravenous and frenzied metalcore fans to progressive metal act TesseracT will surely cause glazed and lobotomised confusion from a crowd who were promised, merely minutes before, anarchy and chaos. Off-beat time signatures stirred up betrayal in not knowing when to headbang to the beat, but let it be known that the lack of crowd participation was not a reflection on TesseracT’s skills and capabilities that have earned them their place in pioneering the djent movement. A darkened stage meant the sense of sight was snatched away, aurally transporting you to a sensual universe of prog metal, as frontman Daniel Tompkins weaponised the stage props and became a Jedi with a lightsaber for a brief moment.
Photo Credit: Georgia Brttain
Score: 7/10
Bullet For My Valentine
Like a naughty child who’s been given back their favourite toy after having it previously taken away from them for bad behaviour, Bullet For My Valentine detonated the room with new album opener ‘Parasite’, frontman Matt Tuck’s nightmarish scream awakening something dark and sinister in the air. Guitarist Michael ‘Padge’ Paget paced to and fro, taunting and teasing the crowd like a wind-up toy during ‘Over It’ before the riled-up awaited release of ‘Your Betrayal’.
New track ‘Rainbow Veins’ had the power of uniting everyone in their shared sense of depression, anxiety, and mental health, the lyrics “and let reality float away” quite literally discarding the prospect of an outside world away from the safety and understanding of these four walls. Dedicating the track ‘Under Again’ to “anybody that’s ever felt lost”, the band reaffirmed just how vital it is to look out for one another, and more importantly, ourselves. ‘4 Words (To Choke Upon)’ and ‘Worthless’ saw Tuck utilise the microphone in his hands as he and his guitar moved out from behind the mic stand for one of the only times that night, the brief movement arousing extra excitement and energy from the spectators.
“Let the madness begin” encapsulates the revitalised and resurrected power in Bullet 2.0, with the ferocity of ‘Knives’ and ‘Scream, Aim, Fire’ doing exactly what they say on the tin as bassist Jamie Mathias’ guttural growls and drummer Jason Bowld’s double kick drums came from a place of unprecedented hate from deep down within.
One of life’s million wonders of the world and natural highs is hearing a crowd sing in unison, with ‘You Want A Battle? (Here’s A War)’ and ‘The Last Fight’s a cappella delivery, the out-of-body experience will never get old or outdated. Encore track ‘Shatter’ exploited the skull-shaped screens in the band’s stage production which only heightened the monumental sound of one of Bullet For My Valentine’s standout tracks.
Ending the night on ‘Tears Don’t Fall’ and ‘Waking the Demon’, the band’s fifth show on their UK tour meant the setlist had been trialled and tested, and ultimately perfected. Tracks old and new melded together to create a hyperventilating beast roused from it’s hibernation with a newfound energy and purpose. The release of Bullet For My Valentine saw the band reclaim their name in mind, spirit, and soul, and have made sure that fact is known and proved.
You can check out our full gallery from the evening here.
Score: 8/10