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... and the generation clash goes into the third round after Alter Bridge and Heaven Shall Burn - who have recently played here. Because with this shootingstar (in the truest sense of the word) we've got another one of these enthusiastic,busy new rockbands, who worked themselves up from a small clubband to a decent middleclass act in a very short time. I do remember very well, when Bullte For My Valentine played within the Free & Easy Festival here in Munich at the Backstage Club in front of only aprox. 200 people  with no entree fee. And this my friends, ain't too long ago.....

I presume, this band has truly been discovered, most of all by lots of girls, who found a new sexsymbol in singer Matthew Tuck. So it is no surprise, the half of the audiance tonight here at the tonhalle consists more or less of pretty girls with an avarage age of 18 - 25 years young. In generell, I think, I belong once again to the oldest visiters again. Same like the at the other two concerts, mentioned above. Indeed it is a curious thing.  Bullet For My Valentine and their supportact Still Remains don't play anything new. They just beat the hell outta the house here, sometimes more, sometimes less melodic. But they've got one big bonus - they are young and they look good. And fans do feel more connected to a band, who is about their age, then one, who's members count 50 or even more years, though they follow the same strategy and this for some more years then the youngsters.  
Long talk short sense - the generatione exchange is becoming more and more obvious, and there is a complete nuew fanbase growing up. This is a fanbase, who is not that stable, as we used to be in the past and partly still are. But nor surprise again, - because those new heroes of our youth are pretty much the same. They come and go, and not many will stick around for a decade or longer. I did explained this in my last review already. (& I'll write an extra story about this topic soon)


However, we are here tonight at the Tonhalle. The audiance is very very young, and that's why we got a very very early showtime. Starting off at 7 p.m. Still Remains from Grand Rapids,Michigan/USA come on stage and rock the house off...


It's not the first time, that this lot is visiting Europe and present us their individual mixture of Hardcore and keyboardsounds with christian dominated lyrics in their songs. Still Remains started off as a band named Shades Of Amber. But there ain't nonone left from the original line up. Therefore T.J. Miller is holding the vocal microphone together with Mike Church, who's also playing one guitar. The other one is handled by Jordan Whelan, while Steve Hatland is doing the 4 strings. On keyboards - Ben Schauland and on drums - Adrian 'Bone'Green. - The current release is named 'The Serpent'. And yes, they have toured with Bullet For My Valentine before. So it's nothing new for them to open up again. You can easily make out, that these americans do very well here in front of the munich audiance. although the screaming of the girls ain't that loud yet, but they are getting there sooner or later with their Hardcore Metal Sound, I'm pretty sure....
  http://www.stillremains.com/ 


They do make it very interesting after the break with a curtain and an extended intro, which lifts the noiselevel even higher then it is anyway. If you take a glimpse at the first two or three rows, you could get the impression, we are here at one of those typical boyband concerts. Only the musical direction here does go in a very different direction. 

One thing is for sure. Bullet For My Valentine is another example, that there can be something more interesting than the actual music. But I don't tell you anything new, do I? Like mentioned before, also this band ain't innovative, but they look good and the act well and they go well down mostly at all the girls. So what?!
And if there stood a fat bold singer aged 50 up there, then I presume, the case would look a bit different, though these boys here ain't that bad in what they play.
However, Bullet For My Valentine have to be most grateful to their female fans, who are carrying them th heaven and beyond, that's for sure 
Founded in 1999 as a Nirvana- Metallica Coverband and still named 'Jeff Killed John' they soon developed their own strategy, renamed themselves and started to conquer the rest of the world. It's still the original line up despite the bassist. Michael Paget (Git./Voc), Nick Crandle (Bass since 2003) Michael Thomas (Drums) and most of all Frontman and Joker MatthewTuck. Two albums, six EP's and five singles and some videoclips is the backcatalogue so far of Bullet For My Valentine. 






Anyway, - the band is working themselves through a programm full of contrasts. And yes, the music has got it's moments, where you've got this melodic touch in it's structure. The foursome get hyped from their fans and I can't help the feeling, that all the girls confuse our Matthew-Superstar a bit up there. Also the little too long breaks between the songs sometimes irritate a bit. But I'm sure, this band just needs a few more years to get this 100% routine to get rid of these little weak spots. But nobody is perfect, and the fans don't catch that anyway. Apart from that, there is not much more to say and complain according to the circumstances. And I bet, next time, they'll be there, the venue is even bigger - Hope Bullet For My Valentine will still be around then...

  http://www.bulletformyvalentine1.com/