I have to admit, this was my very first exposure to UK metalcore exports Bullet For My Valentine. It is not that I had not heard of them. It is that I made a conscious decision not to listen to them. There, I said it. Go ahead and let me have it.

Wait, let me try to explain myself first. First impressions are everything, and names count for a lot in music. Bullet For My Valentine just sounded like another emo/screamo band, and not being into that style (with some exceptions), I chose to skip over them and focus on bands that were. With all of the music, movies, and television that I am into, I often have to make snap decisions as to whether to spend the time on a given title/band. These guys started out on the losing end. So, I have not yet heard their debut, Poison, but I can now say I have listened to them.

When the band's sophomore release, Scream Aim Fire, arrived in my mailbox I still had my doubts. Was I in for another Escape the Fate or Till We Die? I could only hope not. I honestly did not now what they sounded like and I approached my initial listen with trepidation.

I took the disk from its slipcase, taking a moment to admire the cover art. It isn't the best I have seen, but there is definitely something appealing about the image. It is a low-angle image of an old theater, the blank marquee is cracked, and there is a menacing sky overhead filled with circling birds. It gives off a "something bad happened here" vibe that is worthy of a first rate horror film. Okay, that gives a little bit of hope for what is captured on the shiny metallic disk.

With the CD finally in my computer's CD player, I was almost ready to give it a listen. First, I gave it a rip so I could put it on my music player of choice, the ubiquitous iPod. With that out of the way, my trembling mouse pointer clicked play, and I sat back believing I was ready for what was to come.

The title track opened up a speedy tom roll before a galloping guitar riff kicked in, so far, so good. Then the vocals and the song kicked into full gear. To my surprise there was no emo/screamo feel, rather I got the distinct impression of Iron Maiden crossed with Killswitch Engage, and while it wasn't nearly as good as either of the apparent inspirations, it is not bad at all. This is very much a metalcore band, and a skilled one at that.

The heavy/thrashy elements continued to drive forward into the second track, "Eye of the Storm." If anything, this song ramped up the speed and intensity, the guitars sped through chugging riffs, while the drums provided a constant speedy stream to keep everything surging forward. If anything, the vocals were the weakest element. Not to say he was bad, far from it, but they just stood out during the faster moments.