ALBUM REVIEW: Gravity – Bullet For My Valentine
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE‘s career trajectory over the last few years has been a bumpy one. At one point they were the biggest modern metal band in the UK, filling arenas and looked set to one day headline Download. But then things started to go wrong. Temper Temper is now infamous in how much of a disaster it was for the band and how much it derailed them. It’s follow up saw the band returning to the sound of the first three albums but was met with indifference. Now they are back with their sixth studio album Gravity, with a new line up the band are now headed into unfamiliar territory compared to anything they’ve done before.
Opening track Leap Of Faith replaces the fast paced metallic riffing with subtle electronics and more of a mid-tempo radio rock sound. It’s the sort of thing that would have perhaps been interesting if almost every metalcore band hadn’t attempted this three years ago. Everything about this album feels like BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE are chasing the trends of a few years ago. Everything here has been done better before.
Over It and Letting You Go are both hugely uninspired radio rock tracks with some of the most ham-fisted lyrics Matt Tuck has ever come out with. The riffs and solos that were once a huge part of their sound are absent on almost every track. Simply adding electronics to give a more atmospheric sound might be something new for the band. But when bands like BRING ME THE HORIZON already nailed this sound years ago it just isn’t enough.
The lowest point comes in the form of The Very Last Time. A ballad that relies so heavily on the electronics. It’s such a dull and uninspired moment for the band and with lyrics like “I’m not gonna punish myself when I know that the fault is not mine”, it just sounds something an angsty teenager would write in their diary.
Lyrics have never been BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE‘s strong point. Even on the earlier albums the lyrics weren’t exactly amazing. But the band were younger then, it was more forgivable. There’s just no getting away from how juvenile the lyrics on Gravity sound. There just hasn’t been any growth in the lyrics. With the riffs and solos tacking a backseat the whole album feels really centered around MATT which makes his lyrics stick out even more. Fortunately, his vocal performance fares better even if he’s doing nothing new here. The rest of the band just feels wasted though.
The album really drags as well. At 42 minutes it’s not overly long but so many of the songs sound similar that it all starts to blur together. With the exception of the final two songs there is very little to distinguish most of the albums second half. Don’t Need You is the albums penultimate track and is the one moment where that classic BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE sound returns which does help it stand out somewhat from all the other songs. Finally Breathe Underwater closes the album on an acoustic ballad which is again slightly different to what else the album offers. But sadly it’s just filled with more cliched lyrics and just ends the album on a rather damp note.
It’s hard to blame BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE for trying something different with Gravity. It feels like people were ready to move on from them for good, so they had to do something to try and change things up. But chasing the trends from a few years ago really wasn’t the best move. The album isn’t quite the worst thing they have ever released, Temper Temper still holds that dubious honour. Sadly Gravity is just another misstep from a band who were once one of the most promising heavy bands in the UK.
Rating: 4/10
Gravity is out now via Search and Destroy/Spinefarm Records.
For more information on BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE like their official page on Facebook.