Bullet For My Valentine unleashes intricate heavy metal in Pittsburgh concert

Bullet For My Valentine singer/rhythm guitarist Matthew Tuck wasn’t 100% for Tuesday night’s concert at Stage AE in Pittsburgh. But that didn’t stop the veteran Welsh band from delivering a crowd-pleasing night of melodic metalcore.

“So I woke up this morning not feeling too good — not going to lie — but I feel way (expletive) better now seeing you,” Tuck said after five songs. “If my vocals sound a little bit more like Lemmy (Kilmister of Motorhead) than Matt tonight, I do apologize, but I’m going to power through this (crap). We’re going to do this together and we’re going to have the (expletive) best time. Is that cool?”

It apparently was cool, with bassist Jamie Mathias lightening some of Tuck’s vocal load and the crowd helping out on several of the band’s anthems too. The metalcore band, which formed in 1998, put on a clinic of intricate thrash, propelled by catchy riffs, big choruses and pummeling drums for 85 minutes Tuesday. A relatively spartan stage setup backed by a giant Bullet For My Valentine banner, with strobing lights and a little bit of fog, allowed the music be the focus of the night.

After opening with relatively new songs “Knives” (from 2021) — totally appropriate to start their set with the first line of “Let the madness begin” — and “Over It” (from 2018), a punishing drum intro by Jason Bowld led to one of Bullet For My Valentine’s biggest songs, “Your Betrayal.”

Although Tuck’s voice was not at full strength, his guitar playing showed no issues, with blazing solos on songs like “4 Words (to Choke Upon) and “Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do).” Lead guitarist Michael Paget was locked in all night, with intricate solos on songs like “The Last Fight,” “Shatter” and “Scream Aim Fire.”

Tuck later noted that the band, which hadn’t played Pittsburgh since 2018, wouldn’t be back on the road for a few years. That’s because they’ll be working on a new album as well as preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 2005 debut album, “The Poison.”

“It’s scary, it’s gone by so (expletive) quick,” Tuck said. “But my point being, it’s very hard to be in a band and tour the world and do records and all that (crap) for two years, never mind 20 (expletive) years. It’s insane.”

He then credited the fans for the band’s longevity before launching into another of their biggest hits, “All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me).” Mathias took over the first verse, while Tuck had a look of appreciation later as the crowd assisted with vocal duties.

Another highlight of the night was “Tears Don’t Fall,” with Tuck opening just on guitar on the first verse, with major help from the crowd, before the rest of the band returned. Tuck and Paget were both going off on guitar before a late pause to allow the mosh pit to build back up before ending the song with a bang.

A full night of metal left many on the floor sweaty, whether it was from banging around in the mosh pit, surfing atop the crowd or singing along cathartically.

Related

• The Eagles' 'Long Goodbye' concert delivers nostalgia, classic hits for fans
• Nicotine Dolls singer Sam Cieri discusses 'America's Got Talent,' the band's name and Indiana Jones
• Canadian pop-punker LØLØ finds love hurts, but it inspires songs

Of Mice & Men delivered 45 minutes of metalcore mixed with nu metal, expertly blending melodic and heavy music. The California rockers visited all corners of their discography, from 2010’s “Of Mice & Men,” to three songs off their latest album, “Tether,” which just released Oct. 6. Their highlights include nu metal stomper “Would You Still Be There” as well as their closing “Second & Sebring,” with crowd surfers riding on outstretched arms for most of their set.

Vended didn’t let the fact they were the opening band stop them from pouring everything into their 25 minutes, with whiplash-inducing headbanging on stage. The band from Des Moines, Iowa, is fronted by Griffin Taylor, son of Slipknot/Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor, and also features drummer Simon Crahan, son of Slipknot percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan. Vended inspired an early mosh pit and had the crowd jumping.