Bullet For My Valentine & Trivium

Back in May of 2006 I saw Bullet For My Valentine for the first time. I had no idea who they were, but most people didn’t that night. So there I was, in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom about to see Guns n Roses. They were doing four warm-up shows before heading overseas for a tour. This was post-Buckethead but pre-reunion GNR and somehow, Bullet For My Valentine (BFMV going forward) landing the opening act gig. I liked them a lot, thought they had a cool sound even though I knew none of the songs they played off their debut album The Poison which had come out in the fall of 2005. But they were memorable. I saw them twice that weekend.

Fast forward 19 years later to May 2, 2025 and I was seeing BFMV for the 3rd time (this time in Boston), on their tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Poison. This is a co-headlining tour with Trivium who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album Ascendancy. Spoiler alert, they play the albums in their entirety for this tour so if you want the setlist just get the albums.

Bleed From Within opened the show and I wasn’t expecting a lot. Figured it’d be screaming vocals, repetitive drums, and no actual melodies. But I was wrong and enjoyed these dudes quite a bit. They had a good sound, good energy, and can engage a crowd. I had listened to some of their stuff prior and wasn’t a huge fan. But I guess they’re more of a live band because I liked it. These boys from Scotland put me in a good mode. During their final song the singer just said screw it and dove into the crowd where they propped him up while he sang. No other band interacted with the crowd like this.

Next up was August Burns Red. I had pre-listened to some of their stuff and also wasn’t a big fan. But…they opened with the intro to System of a Down’s Chop Suey blasting so I was pleased. They then came out, and as the recording ended they picked up playing where the recording stopped and opened with a solid cover of Chop Suey. This was the highlight of their set. After that it was just repetitive to me. Now wow factor. But it was great for moshing and crowd surfing if you’re into that.

Trivium played next this night. I do believe they alternate headlining each night between them and BFMV. Now, 20 years ago when this album came out, my friend Dan and I had already been playing Trivium on our “The Metal Show” radio show (heard all across RI, parts of CT, MA, and NY) since their debut album. These dudes have always been heavy. But they have some great melodies and he can go back and forth between screaming/growling vocals and rock vocals. Tonight was definitely heavy on the screaming/growling. Much heavier than the album in my opinion. But still good tunes, high energy, lots of talking to the crowd, though Matthew Heafy (singer) sticks his tongue out too much. It’s weird dude. Lol. Though somehow I didn’t get a picture of it so maybe it wasn’t too much and I’m the weirdo. They did the whole album and then In Waves (from 2011 album) for the encore.

BFMV closed the show as you’ve figured out by now. 20 years ago they were skinny dudes with baby faces and long hair. Now they’re older, with shorter hair, beards, and they put on some muscle to lose the skinny emo kid look. The Poison is a great album with some cool tunes and of course they played them all. I like how they took the time to acknowledge that this album and the fans changed their lives. And without their fans, they wouldn’t have the lives they have today. BFMV came out at a time when people were still buying albums, though downloading music was already becoming prominent, and managed to sell 5 million albums or so. Not a bad haul.

Tears Don’t Fall, according to them, was the song that really put them in the spotlight. It’s a good one so I’m not surprised. Of course they played it because it’s on the album and this what that tour is all about!

After they finish playing the album, they did a 2 song encore featuring Knives from their 2011 album and Waking the Demon from their “Scream Aim Fire” album (2008).

Overall, it was a good night for metal heads. Heavy, loud, fun. Of course I’d be missing out if I didn’t thank the 7 foot tall, 3 foot wide beast of a man for standing in front of me all night. The best was him standing when the people in front of him were not. I’m short dude, I chose elevated seats so I can see. You don’t have this issue but chose to stand all night…perhaps consider the floor next time.