BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, Halestorm, Miss May I @Academy Birmingham 12/3/13

The crowd is already packed by the time Ohio five piece Miss May I take the stage. Their cheery brand of metalcore goes over well, although the rather relentless positivity in the bands songs can get a trifle wearing. That said, there is a decent crunch to tracks like “Forgive and Forget” and “Hey Mister” and their profile can only rise with slots on bills such as this.

When last we saw Halestorm they were opening for Shinedown just over a year ago. That they were better than Shinedown says much for the latter’s use of backing tapes and rather over-earnest stage patter. Instantly they became the sort of band that we shouldn't like at RTM towers, but actually do – their overtly US Radio Rock sound reminds us of bands like Skid Row from the late 1980s.

Since that day a year ago, Lzzy and the boys have embarked on their own sell-out UK tour and their profile continues to rise. Within the first 30 seconds of their opening number “Love Bites (And So Do I)" it is easy to see why. It’s catchy, heavy and – lets be honest about this – sexy. There aren't many teenage boys in the audience who aren't blushing when Lzzy Hale sings the line about “having a thousand ways to make you forget about her.” Hale, actually is a fine frontwoman and posses a fine voice – witness her singing on Adrenaline Mob’s “Come Undone” for proof – and by the time they have caused not one, but two, moshpits it is very much mission accomplished.

This is an interesting time for Bullet For My Valentine. Very much on the rise a few years ago, this is a comeback that could have gone either way. What actually happened was that they stuck out the “Temper Temper” album a few weeks ago and gigs all around the country –including this one – sold out.

If they were a little nervous about the way it was going to go then it takes about a second of “Breaking Point” to ease the nerves. The crowd can only be described as rabid and the band are almost on a victory lap from the off.

“Your Betrayal” soon follows and proves the older songs fit in with the new ones with no problem at all. It is however, the title track of the album that really takes the eye, “Temper Temper” has a hook and a chorus to die for as does “Dirty Little Secret” which sees Lzzy Hale take it as a type of duet, while “Last Fight” has a riff borrowed straight from Maiden’s mid-paced chugger repertoire. By the time “Scream Aim Fire” has finished off the main set it is clear that this is a group that really is ready to cross over into the mainstream.

A few years ago BFMV embarked on an arena tour. In doing so they became the first British metal group born since Iron Maiden’s seminal debut album came out to do so. That they have to take so much flak says more about the mentality of the British public than anything else. Instead of being happy that one of “our” bands had become big they were subjected to bitterness and sniping.

Face facts though people, someone from the new breed of metal bands has to fill arenas as Maiden and Metallica won’t be around forever. They have the hooks, the looks and the catchy choruses, so it might as well be Bullet as anyone else. At RTM we say good luck to them.