Review Summary: Generic? Tick. Uninspired? Tick. Annoying? Tick. The Poison manages to cross these boxes and many more. Track after track of what could aptly be described as lamexcore. Whilst some of it's good; it's mostly poor.
Mediocrity in music can come in many evil, wicked forms. Maybe your favourite band have hyped up their forthcoming release to be the next Master of Puppets (Trivium's The Crusade really does come to mind here). Even better, maybe that deathcore band you think are "really cool" are coming into the limelight with a newer, heavier and more brutal record that seemingly falls flat on it's face (the finger points to Job For A Cowboy). In any case, what I'm getting at here, is that British based metal quartet Bullet For My Valentine are most definitely, a mediocre band at best. Back a couple of years ago, they released a somewhat promising EP which won the hearts of hundreds of scene kids across Britain. Not long later, their pug Welsh faces seemed to adorn every cover of Kerrang! and Total Guitar, with the media hailing them as UK metal saviours. Oh, how wrong the media can be sometimes.
The Poison was the band's debut album. It showcases a number of generic songs with very little redeeming qualities and also introduces you to the annoying vocals of one Matt Tuck. Throughout the album, his timid little half shout/snarl penetrates your eardrums, his wonderfully cliche and uninspired lyrics tearing their way into your brain. After the pseudo-epic introduction piece (which is one of the only good features about the album and it wasn't even written/arranged by the band, Apocalyptica did it), The Poison kicks off with Her Voice Resides. Metalcore fans will embrace the predictable drop C riffathon ahead with open arms and beaming faces. Put short, almost every riff on the album goes like this; combine open C chugging with short bursts of melody. Oh, for good measure, add in some legato or the odd pinch harmonic. That's pretty much it...
By the time Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow has blasted it's way into my ears, I'm beginning to feel nauseous. The lame, macho-man lyrical themes of 4 Words (To Choke Upon) have begun to affect my mental stability. The "power ballad" of the album in the form of Tears Don't Fall has made me reminisce about...well bugger all really, that's how much I can connect with Matt's lyrics. And then this. Well, the riff was cool once upon a time, but after being subjected to it for far too long a period, I'm beginning to really dislike it. Hey, the worst hasn't even come yet - if you're looking for a contender for the most derivative piece of crap in musical form going, wait until you hear All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me). Good god, that familiar power chord progression with the added colour note really gives me the chills...*shudders*
The album doesn't really get any better. More generic metalcore riffs and even more lame vocals. The screams are also quite bad - they sound weak and forced. I think the bassist handles them, which is probably good because I don't hear him actually playing his instrument much. The drums are okay; nothing flashy or intricate in any way whatsoever. But he does his job I suppose. Probably the best song on the album comes in the form of the title track. The opening tapping riff is probably the most creative riff present on the album and the solo isn't all too bad. Pity the rest of the guitarwork is so bland and predictable.
And so we come to the end. Unfortunately, I'm referencing track thirteen on this disc. The clean tone on the guitar screams "been there, done that, heard a thousand times before". Matt's immortal words still ring in my ears to this today...
"There's no love, everybody;s crying, there's no truth, everyone's misguided..."
Yes, the lyrics really are that abysmal. You've seen it with your own eyes. Yet, in conclusion, I'll say this album does have some perks. That is, the opening track which wasn't even written by the band. And the slightly cool tapping intro to the title track. Other than that, I'd advise leaving this album to rot on the shelf of your local Best Buy whatever. As far as I'm concerned, I'm much happier without any poison thanks...
Recommended Tracks
Intro
The Poison
The rest is rather lame but I'm sure everyone has heard the singles by now. If you haven't, then you're very lucky.
