The evening started out with new metallers on the scene, Black Tide. These guys were amazing taking into consideration that their ages range from 15-19. These energetic youngsters only had half an hour on stage, but in this very short time they put on an amazing light show with some good guitar solos and they also got the crowd pumped up for the upcoming acts.

Second on the bill was Orange County’s very own Bleeding Through. From the word go these boys (and girl) were going for it. There was a heavy bass line from the get go which set the pace for their set. Once again the lights worked really well with songs that were screamed down the microphone. To end their set they asked as many people as possible to crowd surf their way to the front, which many proceeded to do keeping security on their toes.

After a short break it was the turn of Italy’s Lacuna Coil. Not to take anything away from these guys, but they were a little bit more subdued than the previous two acts. The semi operatic style worked very well with crowd getting everyone pumped for Bullet. With dual male/female vocalists the band were enjoyable, but in my opinion didn’t quite fit the bill unlike the previous two acts. Never the less the gothic Italians got them involved. The highlight of their set was the cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence” which had every member of the crowd singing along to the chorus.

It all goes dark and then the Top Gun theme kicks in as, one by one, Matt and the Bullet For My Valentine boys take the stage. A huge sheet is removed from the stage and there stands a wall of amps. With a large bang and a flash of pyrotechnics the boys from Wales kick there set off with Scream Aim Fire, the title track form their latest album. From in between the amps lights appeared which worked so well with each song from the set. When crowd favourite Tears Don’t Fall (The Poison) is played the lights appeared to be tears falling from the amps which was very atmospheric.

The tunes kept coming thick and fast, with Eye of the Storm encouraging mobile phones and lighters to be held high! The set ended with the more melodic Hearts Burst Into Fire - one of my personal favourites. The lights go out and a deafening chant of “Bullet! Bullet!” echoes through the Academy. Once again a flash of pyro and the current single Waking The Demon is played out. Towards the end of the song Matt asks the crowd to split in two for the infamous Wall of Death. The song kicks back in and both sides of the crowd suddenly crashes together in the middle as the band let rip on one of their heaviest tracks.

Time for one last song and it was a good one - Forever and Always, which like all the songs of the night has a very memorable guitar solo which the crowd just seem to feed off. Chants of “Bullet! Bullet!” fill the air once again and then the gig was over. These boys never disappoint!

Set List
1. Scream Aim Fire
2. Take It Out On Me
3. The Poison
4. All These Things I Hate
5. 4 Words
6. Hand Of Blood
7. Say Goodnight
8. Eye Of The Storm
9. Tears Don’t Fall
10. Spit You Out
11. Hearts Burst Into Fire
12. Waking The Demon
13. Forever and always

Review - Richard Brake
Photos - Michelle Ballard