Album Details

• Artist: Bullet For My Valentine
• Album: The Poison
• Label: Visible Noise/Trustkill
• Year of Release: 2005
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: sinist3r-punk on 2011-02-20

At first glance, The Poison may seem like a gimmicky album, what with the cover featuring blood and titties, but it's what's on the inside that counts. The Poison may have some of the catchiest songs outside of mainstream pop music. The guitars sound crisp and fast, but there's this undertone of pop that blends with the percussion. It's fascinating once you notice that the rhythm guitar and drums carry the tempo perfectly on every track. Fans will instantly notice concert staples such as "Tears Don't Fall" and "Hit the Floor". These and many other songs are great in their own way, but they don't help BFMV stand out from the crowd. The highlight of The Poison for me has to be "All These Things I Hate (Revolve around Me)." Matthew Tuck's (lead singer) voice harmonizes so well with an acoustic guitar during the intro. "All These Things I Hate" is one of those rare songs that make everything as pulse-pounding and memorable as the chorus. All of the guitar solos weaving in and out between the vocals and percussion create a sensory overload that gives me a better rush than dropping acid on a rollercoaster.

Sadly, The Poison won't make a fan out of anyone that doesn't already like the genre. I'll admit that it does sound a little too poppy sometimes, and that the screaming does feel out of place during some songs. But neither of those things detracts from a great debut album and a fitting continuation of the metal saga.

User Reviews and Comments

Review:

on 2010-10-10 gutterseed Said:

While I disagree with the categorization of this band on this website (emo, when they should be metal) I'll ignore that for now. I hate emo (see my blog about the used).
This album doesn't have one bad song on it. The drums are amazing. The guitar has a very rough gutteral sound. The singers voice sounds nothing like an emotionally charged teenager. I thought I was going to digress about the categorization of this album, but apparently I was wrong. Everything about it is wrong. This might be one of the only bands I've listened to that have been current (aside from some of the downbeat stuff) that I truely enjoy. It's a great mix of acoustical, electric, dirty rock n roll.
Some of my favorites: Hit the floor, Cries in Vain, Her voice resides, 4 words to choke upon, and Hand of Blood.
Bullet for my Valentine, The Poison has been etched into the screen of my ipod due to excessive pay.
Rating: 10/10

Review:

on 2008-10-16 Sinist3r Punk Said:

BFMV may sound like any other typical metalcore band, but when you look past the heavy riffs and screaming, you see a caged beast just ready to break free and induce havoc wherever its found. Formed in 1998 under the name Jeff Killed John, BFMV has climbed up the charts in just 3 years into one of the staples of the metalcore genre. Their debut album "The Poison" is a staggering feat for any band. Every one of the singles released for this album is a near perfect blend of chaotic melodies that blow through the stratosphere. It's very rare for music videos to have any kind of positive effect on an album, but the videos released (Tears Dont Fall, Hand of Blood) are so powerful that it only reflects how powerful and intense the band is. I have never seen a more passionate live band. BFMV have toured all around the world and they always put on a good show. There are some weak points in the album, but their amazingly strong songs are what pull it together to make it one of the best debut albums of the new millennium.
Rating: 8/10