Bullet For My Valentine has effectively churned out another album that will make mothers everywhere cringe. “Temper Temper” is a fuming, angst-driven album targeted at the band’s specific audience: angry teens.
Lyrically, the album covers a narrow range of topics such as anger at society, misunderstanding and growing frustration.
Opening with a scream, “Breaking Point” starts the album with a heavy-hitting, head-slamming tone, perfect for starting a mosh pit pretty much anywhere. In the usual Bullet For My Valentine fashion, the chorus is sung in a clear, more traditional fashion, while the rest of the song is growled out. “Breaking Point” starts “Temper Temper” off strong and is one of the strongest of the bunch.
“Truth Hurts” is another fast-paced track driven forward by the prominent drums and heavy guitar riffs. The lyrics open with, “One more drink, one more pill / Just one more lie to make me feel / Like I have something left to give.” The song is full of half-rhymes and clichéd metaphors about pain.
The title track “Temper Temper” begins with the crash symbols ringing, until taken over by the screaming guitar. As the album’s lead single, the song does little to stand out among the other tracks and sounds nearly the same as the first two songs that precede it.
“Dead To The World” gives a taste of what Bullet For My Valentine could really be making. A slower opener begins the song, reminiscent of Metallica’s “The Day That Never Comes.” Matthew Tuck’s vocals even take on a Metallica-esque quality.
As a whole, each song is structured nearly the same. Lead guitarist Michael Paget comes racing out with long, heavy metal guitar shreds and is then followed by Tuck’s half-singing, half-screaming generic, and predictably angry, lyricism. Paget shows off his talent, and Tuck shows off his inability to write anything original.
Grade: C+
