BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE & BAD OMENS In Maplewood, Minnesota! [Review & Gallery]

Bullet For My Valentine

Bullet For My Valentine is currently making a run through the United States in support of the new release “Gravity”. This Tour was billed with We Came As Romans and Bad Omens. It was just announced that We Came As Romans will join this tour as planned, despite the passing of singer Kyle Pavone, but they did not appear at this show. Bad Omens, from Los Angeles, moved up a slot in the bill and provided direct support.

Bad Omens

Bad Omens had an amazing introduction to the stage as each member entered the stage at a time first drummer Nick Folio follower by Joakim Karlsson (guitar) and bassist Nickolas Ruffilo. The music kicked in beginning with some cymbal crashes and just as the vocals kicked in singer Noah Sebastian made his grand entrance. The crowd roared in applause now that the entire band had made it to the stage and their performance was underway. This was my first encounter with Bad Omens. I had heard the name but hadn’t heard the music until they started playing. The first realization you make during the opening song is that this band moves around a lot. They have a ton of energy and it helps create an amazing stage show to go with their sound. Bad Omens released their debut self-titled album in 2016 via Sumerian Records. They also released a single and video last month titled “Careful What You Wish For”.  The band have a massive sound that consumes everything in its path. Noah pulled off his vocals impressively. He showed a wide range with his voice and catered to songs that had a lot of layers to them. The band was tight and sounded great. Bad Omens is a band I’ll definitely be checking out and learning more about.

The headliner, Bullet For My Valentine, took the stage with the ‘Gravity’ album cover draped behind them as the backdrop. They opened with “Don’t Need You” and then “Over It”. The set consisted of fifteen songs, five of which were from the new record.

Bullet For My Valentine

The band consists of Matt Tuck (guitars and lead vocals), Michael Paget (guitar and vocals), Jamie Mathias (bass and vocals), and Jason Bowld on drums. What drew me to this band was the way they crafted their sound. Starting with ‘The Poison’ back in 2005, they have been able to intertwine heavy chaotic sections with clean soaring choruses and hooks. I loved the balance between the screaming and clean vocals. The newest record saw them further evolve into a more rock radio friendly realm. Along with the two opening songs we got “Not Dead Yet”, “Letting You Go”, and “Piece Of Me” from ‘Gravity’. In the live settings the power of these songs really shine. The polish is stripped away and the real essence of these new songs really cuts through.

With only ten songs to play with, the rest of set was scattered with tracks throughout their catalog. Three songs from the 2015 release, ‘Venom’, made the list with “Worthless”, “You Want A Battle (Here’s A War)”, and “No Way Out”. Only two from 2010’s ‘Fever’ album with “Your Betrayal” and “The Last Fight” which went over huge with the crowd.

Bullet For My Valentine

The two highlights before the encore were definitely “4 Words (To Choke Upon)”, and “Scream Aim Fire”. The intensity and sheer force of those songs took our venue; The Myth captive and people were fully engaged into the show. That energy returned during the encores with “Suffocating Under Words Of Sorry (What Can I Do)” and the sing-along and fan favorite “Tears Don’t Fall”. The show came to a close with the bruising “Waking The Demon”.

Overall both bands put on a good show. Bad Omens is an impressive band I will check out more in the future, as I liked what they did on stage. Bullet For My Valentine sounded good and forming a set-list to please everybody is impossible. How much you enjoy the set may depend on your entry point into the band. I saw a lot people like me that really dig the early stuff and a ton people that have jumped into the discography on the last few records and loved the new stuff. Overall, if you’re a Bullet For My Valentine fan get to the show and get there early to check out Bad Omens.