Review Summary: So boring...
It's sad to see how steadily Bullet for My Valentine has declined in quality over the years. 2005's The Poison was metalcore, maybe not at its best, but it was still really good. Scream Aim Fire definitely had it's moments, but suffered from the tracks blending together too much. 2010's Fever contained a lot solid tunes, but overall the album was way over-produced and sounded way too generic and boring after a while. And now we have Temper Temper...
Before we start talking about the music itself, let's talk about the production. Don Gilmore returns as producer, and all the issues with Fever's sound carry over to Temper Temper. Gilmore's production isn't bad per say, but everything sounds way too polished and the guitars have no guts to them. This feels like the modern equivalent to all the badly produced 80's rock records. Simply put: it has no balls. Playing-wise there's nothing really wrong with the album. The playing is solid throughout, but we never get anything that really impresses or surprises us. Matt Tuck does a decent job on the vocals, even though there's no doubt that some studio wizardry was used to keep mr. Tuck in tune. Bullet has never been that great in the lyrical department, so let's not dwell on that too much. Thankfully though none of the lyrics on Temper Temper are cringe-worthy at least.
Now the music. Overall Temper Temper does feel like a natural progression from Fever, but why is it that this album just doesn't work? Well it could be that Bullet have nearly abandoned everything that made them interesting in the first place. Bullet knew how to deliver badass riffs but they still had a sense of melody, which made them both heavy and very accessible. But now all that was "heavy" about them seems to have disappeared, and all we're left with are boring and mind numbing songs, that are so accessible that they could almost pass as easy-listening music. Well okay maybe it's not that bad, but you get my point. For example, take the opening track "Breaking Point": it's entertaining sure, but it has no staying power and is thoroughly forgettable. And the same applies to the rest of the album. Well, maybe not quite. Even though the Temper Temper has very little to offer, there are a few tracks that rise above the others (which admittedly doesn't require a lot). "Riot", while incredibly simple and forgettable, does have a certain punch to it that does earn a few replays. "Tears Don't Fall Part 2" is worthy successor to its predecessor off The Poison, however I don't how generous I can be to a song that's basically copying the band's most popular song. "Dead to the World" and "Truth Hurts" (which admittedly is a complete rehash of "Your Betrayal") are some other halfway decent songs off the album.
Overall Temper Temper is extremely forgettable. I doubt any of the songs will have much staying power beyond the supporting tour for the album. And while Temper Temper isn't complete garbage, I think it's safe to say you're better off without it.
