Every now and again but not often enough, a tour line-up comes along which genuinely excites you. The tour in question this time, is Bullet for My Valentine’s ’10 years of The Poison’ tour which celebrates a decade since the release of arguably their greatest and most important record. With them as the support acts were US metalcore giants Killswitch
Up first was of course Cane Hill who drew a decent sized crowd but for the entire set the audience was pretty standstill. That being said, the band’s performance itself was really good. If you like 90s industrial/gothic stuff like Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails and even bands like Korn, give Cane Hill a go. Chances are you’ll dig them.
Now, this is where the show really began. Killswitch Engage being booked as the direct support act for Bullet for My Valentine’s tour was nothing short of brilliant. Opening with “My Curse”, the crowd, which had grown substantially between bands, was again quite standstill. That is until “Rose of Sharyn”. From that point on until the end of their set the audience was genuine chaos and the aches from it are still with me as I write this. “My Last Serenade” is one of the best live songs in metal, ever. Genuinely, Killswitch Engage
Of course, headliners Bullet for My Valentine would be playing their classic debut album ‘The Poison’ in its entirety, as a means of celebrating a decade since its initial release. Before the show, I figured that this gig would be mostly attended by teenagers (just like the first time I saw them back in December 2013). I couldn’t have been more wrong. Seeing so many guys in their 20s and 30s reliving their childhoods and adolescences was so great to see. The pit exploded from the opening “Angel of Death” like scream of “Her Voice Resides” and did not stop for the entire set, even into the encore of “Your Betrayal”, “No Way Out” and “Don’t Need You”. Seeing that album in full and live seven years after I first discovered it was one of the best things I have ever seen in my time of going to shows.
Playing their debut album in full from start to finish while being supported by a band you’ve waited years to see, when you go to a show that is this unbelievably good it not only reminds you why you love metal, but rock music and live music in general. Yeah, this was that good. If you’re seeing Bullet for My Valentine on the remaining dates of this tour, get ready. If it’s anywhere near as good as this gig was, you will be blown away.