Live Review: Bullet For My Valentine x Trivium - Utilitia Arena, Birmingham
Support: Orbit Culture
31st January 2025
Words: Matt Noble
Photos: Tim Finch
Just shy of a year ago, the UK leg of 'The Poisoned Ascendancy Tour' was announced to great excitement from a certain generation of British metalheads. Bullet For My Valentine's 'The Poison' and Trivium's 'Ascendancy' have long been etched into metal lore, introducing both bands to the world twenty years ago. With Bullet having come from these shores, enjoying the peak of their popularity especially from their UK diehards, and with Trivium earning their first proper recognition in the UK, particularly after an iconic Download Festival performance shortly after Ascendancy's release, it feels right that we had the first bite of the apple, the first announcement, and this week, the first leg of shows.
For Bullet and Trivium's biggest ever UK headline dates, Swedish metallers Orbit Culture are enlisted to get the audience warmed up. With a strong of high profile support slots already under their belts, they're well known by many here already and warmly received. Showing a deep gratitude for the size of the stage they're on and for the gravity of opening a celebration of two landmark albums, they start the night well, with good stage presence and their drummer Christopher operating like a workhorse at the back. Most of their set draws from 2023's 'Descent', with a hard hitting 'Vultures of North' closing out a performance that shows them in fine form. They make the big stage their own, rising well to the occasion.
After Metallica's 'Hit the Lights' plays over the speakers, the lights dim and the gentle, moody chords of 'The End of Everything' ring out, leading into a bombastic opening one-two of 'Rain' and 'Pull Harder', raising the atmosphere straight up to eleven as Trivium make their grand entrance. They make full use of the arena stage, with Matt Heafy spending plenty of time in front of the snake pit, only a couple of metres away from the rabid mosh pits that break out.
Seamlessly switching between half time grooves and double time thrashing, Alex Bent is a revelation on the kit, delivering a monstrous drum solo after the title track. The only bandmember not on the studio version of Ascendancy, he is a vital reason why Trivium and their cuts sound better live today than ever before.
Matt Heafy is at ease frontmanning to the arena crowd, whether encouraging his audience to lose their minds, or taking a minute to explain the personal message behind 'Departure'. Having spent time over the last year working on an aggressive clean vocal style that defined Trivium's live sound in the noughties, but without the risk of damaging his voice - as eventually happened a decade ago, after years of improper technique - he hits a sensational balance of raw and refined that pushes his game even further.
Then again, the crowd participation and singalongs to the likes of 'Dying In Your Arms' or the joyful encore of 'In Waves' has us more than playing our own part. It's particularly striking when the two mosh pits near the front merge into one mega-pit.
Bullet For My Valentine, in turn, come onto the intro track of The Poison, launching straight into the intense 'Her Voice Resides' and '4 Words' to kick off their headline set. The band look thrilled, clearly enjoying their moment, their night, celebrating their legacy. As the anthemic 'Tears Don't Fall' rolls around, the crowd joining in singing to its iconic chorus really shows the magnitude of what Bullet achieved on this album.
If music is about bringing people together, then it's felt in full effect here. Their balance of aggression and melody, often within the same song, is what resonated so strongly when they broke out. The movement in the pits at the front is just as powerful as the sea of voices singing back their lyrics.
Matt Tuck really is in excellent form at the front, knowing how to get his huge crowd to respond as he wants them to, but meaning that his musicianship potentially goes under the radar. His voice has matured well, and his guitar partnership with Padge, who evokes a bona fide metal god when ripping through solos, is formidable. There's a carefree, youthful energy to the tracks as the setlist goes to the deeper cuts from the album, but Bullet deliver it with a high polish that makes them more than worthy playing them on such a big stage.
Metalcore has evolved since 2005, with the thrash/melodeath elements in these two classic albums often eschewed for electronic influences these days. Bullet's first encore choice of 'Knives' reflects this shift to an extent, but the final, frenzied pits to the double bass-heavy 'Waking The Demon' that ends the night proves that old school metalcore isn't dead yet.
Trivium and Bullet have plenty of similarities that explain why they rose at the same time, and are a great match today. They share the thrashy riffs, huge melodic hooks, lead guitar shredding and intense drumming - perhaps not quite as modern sounding as when the albums first came out. Both Matts are commanding, fierce frontmen. Both bands sound just as exciting tonight as two decades ago, but with a more polished end result that puts them in their best live form we've ever seen them. More than ever, they embody the youthful sound of a certain time - though the bands are all grown up and seasoned acts now.
There are subtle differences. Trivium have a slightly more technical edge, while Bullet's emotive approach to songwriting really made them megastars back in the day. Bullet have a modern stage show, heavy on the lighting and futuristic visuals, while the inflatable demon from the Ascendancy artwork that makes Trivium's backdrop feels more like a classic metal gig. It's enough to keep the night interesting, but cohesive.
Overall, it's a little more than just a fun throwback for metalheads of a certain generation. Both bands prove that there's plenty of life left in them yet tonight. Long may they go on!
Photo Credits: Tim Finch Photography
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