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The Poison
2005 studio album by Bullet for My Valentine

The Poison is the debut studio album by Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine. The album was released on 3 October 2005 through Visible Noise Records in the UK, and on 14 February 2006 in the United States, through Trustkill Records. The album included 11 new songs and two previously heard songs, "Cries in Vain", which was previously heard from the band's self-titled UK EP and from their US EP, Hand of Blood, as well as from "4 Words (To Choke Upon)" was previously included on the same US release. Different editions of the album contain the song "Hand of Blood", previously heard from these EPs, replacing "Spit You Out".

The album debuted at number 128 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the Heatseekers Chart, and as of 30 January 2018, the album has sold 1,600,000 copies worldwide and 500,000 copies in the US. It is the band's most commercially successful effort internationally, earning a both gold certification by both the RIAA in the United States and the band's native BPI in the United Kingdom, and a platinum certification by Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) in Germany.

For the 20th anniversary of the album, the band released a 20th anniversary edition of the album and announced 'The Poisoned Ascendancy' Tour with Trivium that will take place in 2025 with Trivium celebrating the 20th anniversary of their successful album Ascendancy.

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Musical style

At the time of the album's release, Corey Apar of Allmusic compared the sound on The Poison to the likes of Atreyu, Funeral for a Friend and Alexisonfire, stating that the band utilize "the glossy, melodic metal-meets-emo aesthetic, utilizing darkly romanticized lyrics that are smoothly sung and growled side-by-side".7 Raziq Rauf of Drowned in Sound also compared the album's sound to the early work of Atreyu.8

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic9
Big Cheese
Drowned in Sound9/1010
Kerrang!
Metal Hammer
Q
Total Guitar
PunkNews.org11
Blabbermouth6/1012
Ultimate Guitar Archive(9.1/10)13
Sputnikmusic14

Corey Apar of AllMusic awarded the album 3 stars out of 5, commenting that the album showed a "melodic metal-meets-emo aesthetic" peppered with "powerful riffs and classic metal".15 Sputnikmusic gave the album a 3.5 out of 5, saying the group offers "differing levels of hope for the metalcore genre."16 Music Emissions complimented the album's guitar work and hooks, but believed only fans of the metalcore genre would enjoy the album.17

Stylus Magazine gave the album a C− (below average) and said that The Poison album appeared to be "made for provincial 15-year-olds to get violent with each other", citing "The Poison" and "Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)" as the album's strongest songs.18 Punknews.org wrote that the album was "drab", criticizing the album's pace, vocal delivery, and dynamics.19

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Matthew Tuck; all music is composed by Bullet for My Valentine

No.TitleLength
1."Intro" (featuring Apocalyptica)2:22
2."Her Voice Resides"4:17
3."4 Words (To Choke Upon)"3:43
4."Tears Don't Fall"5:48
5."Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)"3:35
6."Hit the Floor"3:30
7."All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)"3:45
8."Room 409"4:01
9."The Poison"3:39
10."10 Years Today"3:55
11."Cries in Vain"3:56
12."Spit You Out"4:08
13."The End"6:48
Total length:53:28
Limited digipack edition (alternate track listing)20
No.TitleLength
1."Intro" (featuring Apocalyptica)2:22
2."Her Voice Resides"4:17
3."4 Words (To Choke Upon)"3:43
4."Tears Don't Fall"5:48
5."Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)"3:35
6."Hit the Floor"3:30
7."All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)"3:45
8."Hand of Blood"3:35
9."Room 409"4:01
10."The Poison"3:39
11."10 Years Today"3:55
12."Cries in Vain"3:56
13."Spit You Out"4:07
14."The End"6:48
Total length:57:01
Limited digipack edition enhanced material
No.TitleLength
1."Hand of Blood" (music video)3:34
2."4 Words (To Choke Upon)" (music video)3:51
3."Behind the scene" (video) 
4."Wallpaper" 
Japanese bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."Room 409" (live)4:00
15."Spit You Out" (live)4:03
Total length:61:31
UK deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."7 Days"3:24
15."My Fist, Your Mouth, Her Scars"3:52
16."Spit You Out" (live at the Brixton Academy)4:16
17."All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)" (live at the Brixton Academy)4:03
Total length:68:33
UK deluxe edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Hand of Blood" (music video)3:34
2."4 Words (To Choke Upon)" (music video)3:51
3."Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)" (music video)3:26
4."4 Words (To Choke Upon)" (live at Club Quattro, Shibuya, Tokyo)3:47
5."Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)" (live at Club Quattro, Shibuya, Tokyo)3:41
6."Cries in Vain" (live at Club Quattro, Shibuya, Tokyo)4:17
Total length:22:36
US deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."7 Days"3:24
15."My Fist, Your Mouth, Her Scars"3:52
16."Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Metallica cover)6:13
17."Tears Don't Fall" (acoustic version)4:37
Total length:71:34
US deluxe edition bonus DVD
No.TitleLength
1."4 Words (To Choke Upon)" (live at Club Quattro, Shibuya, Tokyo)3:47
2."Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)" (live at Club Quattro, Shibuya, Tokyo)3:41
3."Cries in Vain" (live at Club Quattro, Shibuya, Tokyo)4:17
4."All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)" (live at Brixton Academy, London, England)3:53
5."Her Voice Resides" (live at Brixton Academy, London, England)4:26
6."Hand of Blood" (music video)3:34
7."4 Words (To Choke Upon)" (music video)3:51
8."Tears Don't Fall" (music video)4:40
9."All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)" (music video)3:58
Total length:36:06

Personnel

Bullet for My Valentine
  • Matthew Tuck – lead vocals, guitar, bass (uncredited)
  • Michael "Moose" Thomas – drums
  • Michael "Padge" Paget – guitar, backing vocals
  • Jay James – bass (credited but did not perform),2122 vocals
Additional musicians		Production details
  • All lyrics by Matt Tuck
  • All music by Bullet for My Valentine
    • Except "Intro" cellos by Apocalyptica, arrangement by Eicca Toppinen
    • Except "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" by Metallica
  • Published by Harmageddon Publishing Ltd / Universal Music Publishing SAS
  • All tracks produced & mixed by Colin Richardson
    • Except "Hit the Floor" produced & mixed by Colin Richardson & Andy Sneap
  • All tracks mixed at The Chapel, Lincolnshire
    • Except "4 Words (To Choke Upon)" mixed at The Sonic Ranch, El Paso, Texas
    • Except "Hit the Floor" mixed at Backstage Studios, Derbyshire
  • Engineered by Dan Turner
  • Engineering assistance by Will Bartle, Matt Hyde & Justin Leigh
  • Recorded at The Chapel (Lincolnshire), Backstage Studios (Derbyshire), Notting Pill Studios (Newport) & SUSI Studios (Finland)
  • A&R – Martin Dodd
  • A&R UK – Julie Weir
  • Worldwide management – Paul Craig at Supervision Management Ltd
  • Agent – Paul Ryan at The Agency Group (excluding US)
  • Artwork by S2 at laboca.co.uk
  • Video footage filmed and edited by Dan Fernbach at Static Films
  • Band photographs by Patrick Ford

Charts

Album

Chart (2005–2013)Peakposition
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)2343
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)2425
Japanese Albums (Oricon)2537
Scottish Albums (OCC)2625
UK Albums (OCC)2721
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)281
UK Independent Albums (OCC)293
US Billboard 20030128
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)312
US Independent Albums (Billboard)329
Chart (2024)Peakposition
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)3344
UK Albums (OCC)3466
Scottish Albums (OCC)3519
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)362

Certifications

RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)37Platinum200,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)38Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA)39Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. "The Poison by Bullet for My Valentine". iTunes. 3 October 2005. https://music.apple.com/gb/album/the-poison/262616083 ↩

  2. "The Poison - Charts & Awards (Billboard Albums)". Allmusic. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r807324/charts-awards ↩

  3. "The Poison - Charts & Awards (Billboard Albums)". Allmusic. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r807324/charts-awards ↩

  4. McAlpine, Fraser (19 January 2008). "Bullet For My Valentine- 'Scream Aim Fire'". BBC. Retrieved 26 May 2019. https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/chartblog/2008/01/bullet_for_my_valentine_scream.shtml ↩

  5. "Biography". Facebook. 14 April 2011. https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/BulletForMyValentine?sk=info ↩

  6. "BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE And TRIVIUM Announce North American Dates For 'The Poisoned Ascendancy' Tour". Blabbermouth. 17 September 2024. https://blabbermouth.net/news/bullet-for-my-valentine-and-trivium-announce-north-american-dates-for-the-poisoned-ascendancy-tour ↩

  7. "The Poison - Bullet for My Valentine | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-poison-mw0000346598 ↩

  8. "Album Review: Bullet for My Valentine - the Poison". 3 October 2005. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180627034645/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/6760/reviews/477160- ↩

  9. "The Poison - Overview". Allmusic. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r807324 ↩

  10. Rauf, Raziq (3 November 2005). "Album Review: Bullet For My Valentine - The Poison". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180627034645/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/6760/reviews/477160- ↩

  11. "Bullet for My Valentine - The Poison". Punknews.org. 14 February 2006. https://www.punknews.org/review/5024/bullet-for-my-valentine-the-poison ↩

  12. "The Poison". Blabbermouth.net. 6 February 2006. Retrieved 14 February 2025. https://blabbermouth.net/reviews/the-poison ↩

  13. "Bullet For My Valentine: The Poison | Reviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.com". Ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved 14 February 2025. https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/compact_discs/bullet_for_my_valentine/the_poison/ ↩

  14. "Bullet for My Valentine The Poison". Sputnikmusic. 18 March 2011. https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/42484/Bullet-for-My-Valentine-The-Poison/ ↩

  15. "The Poison - Overview". Allmusic. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r807324 ↩

  16. "Bullet For My Valentine - The Poison". Sputnikmusic.com. https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/42484/Bullet-for-My-Valentine-The-Poison/ ↩

  17. "Bullet For My Valentine - The Poison Review from Music Emissions". Musicemissions.com. http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/albums/index.php?album_id=9582 ↩

  18. "Bullet For My Valentine - The Poison - Review - Stylus Magazine". Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20120510115107/http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/bullet-for-my-valentine/the-poison.htm ↩

  19. "Bullet for My Valentine - The Poison". Punknews.org. 14 February 2006. https://www.punknews.org/review/5024/bullet-for-my-valentine-the-poison ↩

  20. "Digipack". SCM Soundcrave Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. https://archive.today/20140811204502/http://soundcravemagazine.com/bullet-for-my-valentines-the-poison-retro-reviewed/ ↩

  21. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Bullet for My Valentine - Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?". YouTube. 25 July 2018. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/bAWrGjS48Xk ↩

  22. "BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE Drummer: Former Bassist JASON 'JAY' JAMES 'Never Really Contributed Anyway'". Blabbermouth.net. 30 July 2015. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bullet-for-my-valentine-drummer-former-bassist-jason-jay-james-never-really-contributed-anyway/ ↩

  23. "Austriancharts.at – Bullet for My Valentine – The Poison" (in German). Hung Medien. https://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Bullet+for+My+Valentine&titel=The+Poison&cat=a ↩

  24. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bullet for My Valentine – The Poison" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. https://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-23746 ↩

  25. "Oricon – Bullet for My Valentine – The Poison". oricn ME inc. http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/369320/products/619633/1/ ↩

  26. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-albums-chart/20051009/40/ ↩

  27. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20051009/7502/ ↩

  28. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/rock-and-metal-albums-chart/20051009/112/ ↩

  29. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/independent-albums-chart/20051009/131/ ↩

  30. "Bullet for My Valentine Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/artist/Bullet-for-My-Valentine/chart-history/TLP ↩

  31. "Bullet for My Valentine Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/artist/Bullet-for-My-Valentine/chart-history/TLN ↩

  32. "Bullet for My Valentine Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/artist/Bullet-for-My-Valentine/chart-history/IND ↩

  33. "Offiziellecharts.de – Bullet for My Valentine – The Poison" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. https://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-23746 ↩

  34. "Bullet for My Valentine | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 6 December 2024. https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/Bullet%20for%20My%20Valentine/ ↩

  35. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-albums-chart/20241206/40/ ↩

  36. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/rock-and-metal-albums-chart/20241206/112/ ↩

  37. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bullet for My Valentine; 'The Poison')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 9 December 2022. https://www.musikindustrie.de/wie-musik-zur-karriere-werden-kann/markt-bestseller/gold-/platin-und-diamond-auszeichnung/datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=The+Poison&strInterpret=Bullet+for+My+Valentine&strTtArt=2&strAwards=checked ↩

  38. "British album certifications – Bullet for My Valentine – The Poison". British Phonographic Industry. https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/7216-714-2 ↩

  39. "American album certifications – Bullet for My Valentine – The Poison". Recording Industry Association of America. https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Bullet+for+My+Valentine&ti=The+Poison&format=Album&type=#search_section ↩