Temper Temper (Deluxe Version)

The Welsh thrash group Bullet for My Valentine works with mostly modern metal inventions and is more in touch with screamo bands than Metallica. The studio-tight harmonies and perfectly notched beats have more to do with post-'90s hard rock bands and emo-punk than the ragged-but-right free-for-alls of early thrash metal. Singer/guitarist Matthew Tuck is coming off a time out spent working with his side project Axewound. Here, he heads into Temper Temper determined to catch a looser ensemble in action. The title track bleeds some new tears, with guitars pulling in opposite directions until everything coalesces into a high-end riff fest for the chorus. Producer Don Gilmore (who also handled 2010's Fever) and mixing engineer supreme Chris Lord-Alge keep things slick and assured, ensuring that "P.O.W." plays out like a mini-series in less than four minutes. "Dirty Little Secret" turns in a dynamic performance, as does "Tears Don't Fall, Pt. 2." The deluxe version adds "Not Invincible" and two live cuts from BBC Radio 1, including a cover of AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie."