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BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE

Support : Cane Hill & Killswitch Engage 02 Academy , Birmingham 6th December 2016

With nearly 20 years of worldwide experience , Welsh metal giants ‘ Bullet For My Valentine ’ are arguable one of the greatest bands to come out of the UK not just in the Metal genre , but across all musical spectrums . After touring for nearly 2 years , Bullet were finishing their marathon of dates in the UK , and also playing their highly acclaimed ‘ The Poison ’ album on a few very special nights across the country . With 2 monumental support acts in ‘ Cane Hill ’ and ‘ Killswitch Engage ’ onboard , this was set to be one of the box office tours of the year in the musical calendar !
Arriving to the scene in 2011 , American heavy metal outfit ‘ Cane Hill ’ have rapidly established themselves as one of the most defining metal bands in the 21st century . Formed in New Orleans , Louisiana , Cane Hill deliver old school riffs and rhythms which have enticed metal heads and music fans around the globe in a big way . After releasing their debut studio album ‘ Smile ’ back in July , the band had the perfect opportunity to show off their new material to fans . Fans were treated to an 8-track set list including ‘ True Love ’, ‘ St . Veronica ’ and ‘ Time Bomb ’, and every member of the Birmingham audience was left screaming for more by the end of this tremendous set !
It was now time for the main support act , and it could be no other but ‘ Killswitch Engage ’; the American metal core favourites from Westfield , Massachusetts have had a very bouncy ride over the last few years with various members coming and going , but with the original vocalist Jesse Leach returning to the band in 2012 replacing Howard Jones , this was the first outing in the UK that the band had since . Like Bullet For My Valentine , Killswitch Engage have a very old-school approach when it comes to their songs and albums , and this is why they have such a cult fan base . From the outset , the spellbinding vocals from Jesse combined with the majestic guitar riffs and drum rhythms pitched a perfect combination for an accomplished set of new and old Killswitch hits . Fans got to enjoy a nice 12-track set list including ‘ Rose Of Sharyn ’, ‘ My Last Serenade ’ and ‘ My Curse ’, and this had definitely warmed every member of the audience up if it hadn ’ t already !
After a lengthy break , the Welsh metal veterans ‘ Bullet For My Valentine ’ took to the stage after an opening of the Motorhead classic ‘ Ace Of Spades ’ to a huge reception from the audience . There was high anticipation leading to the bands ’ return to the UK , especially as it was nearly 3 years since the band had last headlined in the UK with ‘ Young Guns ’ and ‘ Asking Alexandria ’. As Michael ‘ Moose ’ Thomas is taking a break to look after his newborn baby , AxeWound drummer Jason Bowld was filling in on the whole tour .
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