Hand of Blood

Hand of Blood is the second EP by Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine, released on 22 August 2005 through Trustkill Records. The EP is almost the same as the previous, but with completely different artwork and slightly altered track listing ("4 Words (To Choke Upon)" was track 6 on the Japan version of the self-titled EP). Hand of Blood included the single "4 Words (To Choke Upon)", accompanied by a music video, along with "Hand of Blood". The songs "4 Words (To Choke Upon)" and "Cries in Vain" were later included on the band's full-length debut, The Poison. The title track also appears on the limited edition of the same album.

Hand of Blood
EP by
Bullet for My Valentine
Released22 August 2005
Recorded
  • The Chapel
  • Backstage Studios
  • Notting Pill Studios
GenreMetalcore
Length21:46
LabelTrustkill
ProducerColin Richardson
Bullet for My Valentine chronology
Bullet for My Valentine
(2004)		 Hand of Blood
(2005)		 The Poison
(2005)
Singles from Hand of Blood
  1. "Hand of Blood"
    Released: 2004

AllMusic asserted that the EP is "essentially a deluxe version" of the band's self-titled 2004 EP.[1]

Appearances in other media

The song "Hand of Blood" is featured in the video game Burnout Revenge in the in-game soundtrack, as well as in Need for Speed: Most Wanted. "4 Words (To Choke Upon)" is featured in the soundtrack for NHL 06 and Madden NFL 06.

Critical reception

Daniel Lukes of Decibel Magazine believed that, although the music itself wasn't bad for what it was, it was, in his opinion, not original enough. He compared the EP to Avenged Sevenfold and Atreyu, stating that he thought they wanted to steal their fanbases. He went on to sum up his entire review by stating, "The worst part is that the music itself isn’t all that bad, for the genre." He went on to comment that the band should be "embarrassed" about the release.[2] Zeromag's Josh Joyce complimented the band on "how technical they can get without confusing the kids".[3]

"Damrod" of Sputnikmusic gave the EP a solid 4/5 stars, stating that "the songs are played well and show a lot of potential for the future". He continues to say that the guitar work shows obvious influences such as Iron Maiden and Metallica, without sounding "like a rip-off of these bands". Damrod wrote that the singing style was a successful blend of screams and clean vocals, citing "Hand of Blood" and the chorus of "Just Another Star" as great examples.[4]

Singles
2008 weekly chart performance for Hand of Blood (Song)
Chart (2008) Peak
positions
Germany (Official German Charts)[5] 65
Scotland (OCC)[6] 43
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[7] 58
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[8] 1

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bullet for My Valentine

No.TitleLength
1."4 Words (To Choke Upon)"3:44
2."Hand of Blood"3:36
3."Cries in Vain"3:59
4."Curses"3:59
5."No Control"3:34
6."Just Another Star"2:54
Total length:21:46
Enhanced materials
No.TitleLength
1."4 Words (To Choke Upon)" (Music Video)3:44
2."Hand of Blood" (Music Video)3:36

Personnel

Bullet for My Valentine

  • Matthew Tuck – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass guitar (uncredited), guitar solo on track 1 and 5
  • Michael "Padge" Paget – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Jason "Jay" James – bass guitar (credited but doesn't perform), backing vocals[9][10]
  • Michael "Moose" Thomas – drums

Production

References
  1. "Bullet for My Valentine Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  2. "Decibel Magazine". decibelmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 6 May 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 September 2009. Retrieved 5 March 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Bullet for My Valentine – Bullet for My Valentine EP (Album review ) | Sputnikmusic".
  5. "Bullet for My Valentine – Hand of Blood" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  6. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  7. "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  8. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  9. Bullet for My Valentine – Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  10. "BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE Drummer: Former Bassist JASON 'JAY' JAMES 'Never Really Contributed Anyway'". 30 July 2015.
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