Performers: Atreyu, Jinjer, Bullet For My Valentine
Venue: Zagreb / Tvornica kulture / Croatia
Date: Saturday, 11 February 2023
Four years ago — April 1st, 2019, believe it or not, when nobody had a clue what the world’s lifestyle gurus had in store for planet Earth (lifestyle from a human standpoint, that is) — Bullet For My Valentine blew the roof off Ljubljana’s CUK Kino Šiška. They were touring behind the album “Gravity” (2018).
Then it happened. Tours got postponed. Then postponed again. And we waited. For a package that finally, right around Valentine’s Day, brought a proper little festival spectacle to Zagreb — one that had something for everyone who follows the modern pulse of metal. The Bullet For My Valentine, Jinjer, and Atreyu lineup pulls in different kinds of decibel junkies from multiple angles. Atreyu are today considered a cult act who, in their own way, co-plowed the field for the metalcore genre; Jinjer, considerably younger, blazed onto the scene like a meteor — a complete one-of-a-kind when it comes to delivering high standards of modern sonic aesthetics: technical virtuosity, cunning cross-genre flirtation, and the cutting edge of what metal(core) demands; while Bullet For My Valentine are widely regarded as one of the key bands that, especially in the first post-millennial decade, drove the genre’s explosion in popularity. The proud Welsh lads, active since 1998, quickly grew into one of the biggest bands in modern metal. In a career spanning almost 25 years, they’ve sold over 3 million studio albums and have three gold-certified records to their name. Critics place them among the pioneers of British modern metalcore — a sound that Bullet For My Valentine essentially defined with the classic album “The Poison”. The new self-titled studio album is almost certainly the strongest and heaviest achievement in their entire discography — something the band had already hinted at with the excellent single Knives. The new album, then, is BFMV going back to basics.
But let’s take it from the top. It’s seven in the evening. The doors of Tvornica kulture swing open and the place starts filling up steadily. Why? Because Atreyu hit the stage in just thirty minutes. And the crowd hadn’t forgotten them. By half past seven the venue was two-thirds full, which meant you could already tell Atreyu were going to deliver a proper opening salvo. And that’s exactly what happened. Before making this European trip, though, the band had been through some reshuffling. In 2020, founding member and vocalist Alex Varkatzas left the band — the guy responsible for the screamed vocals. Brandon Saller, who had been handling the clean vocals alongside Varkatzas, had to step away from the drum kit to fill the frontman gap. Saller stepped into the role of the guy who owns the crowd during shows. Screaming duties were handed over to bassist Marc “Porter” McKnight. What was still missing? A drummer, of course. Atreyu recorded their latest and eighth studio album “Baptize” (2021) with newly added drummer Kyle Rosa. He warmed the drum stool in Zagreb too, while Saller stepped fully into the frontman role — 110%.
Bathed in blinding light beams, the band opened with an a cappella intro to the new Strange Powers Of Prophecy, which didn’t flow into Save Us as the latest album would suggest, but instead the band immediately tested the crowd with the single Becoming The Bull from the golden era of “Lead Sails Paper Anchor” (2007). Guitarists Travis Miguel and one of the band’s main men, the charismatic, playful, and ever-present Dan Jacobs — without whom Atreyu simply wouldn’t be Atreyu — were flying all over the stage. The band made use of extra risers, which ramped up the atmosphere of their scorching stampede. Saller stepped off the stage during The Time Is Now (“In Our Wake”, 2018) and walked through the photo pit to the far left of the “big room”, singing among the crowd and lifting them up in the process. The band didn’t have much time. Half an hour. And they had to make every second count. Atreyu are brilliant entertainers. Just looking at Jacobs is like looking at one of The Exploited’s album covers. And that’s before you get to the tricks they used to seriously fire up the crowd. You can feel it — not just routine, but genuine mastery. Atreyu are veterans. And Saller loves it when the crowd eats out of his hand. Atreyu got a decent mix in the room. Maybe you’d have nudged the bass up just a touch. The band is tight, brilliantly drilled, and incredibly theatrical and fun. They lift you. With positivity and a dash of tongue-in-cheek mischief that runs through everything they do on stage. Jacobs also showed off his solo chops — in the arguably cult-classic Ex’s And Oh’s from “A Death-Grip on Yesterday” (2006), where the crowd was already boiling over. Then came Save Us. A new track with a hook that grabs you — and it did exactly what it needed to. The band also unveiled the brand new single Drowning — infectiously catchy (this is where bassist Porter really shone with his screaming). The band said their goodbyes with a cheeky intro, launching into I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) — originally by the late Whitney Houston — reminding everyone that Valentine’s season was upon us, which set off a wave of charming crowd moments, and then sent everything sky-high one final time with Blow, circling back to the cult album “Lead Sails Paper Anchor”. Atreyu are in great shape. The vibe in the camp is clearly excellent, new material is on the way, Saller has made the switch to frontman work brilliantly, and the reshuffled energies are now very well distributed. More than an excellent warm-up act for ….
… the arrival of Jinjer. It has to be said that a lot of people came to Tvornica kulture primarily for Jinjer. Needless to say, Tvornica kulture was sold out. Because of Jinjer and Bullet For My Valentine — and of course because it’s a club-sized (smaller) venue. The place was bursting at the seams before Jinjer even took the stage. Expectations were sky-high. The band has strung together real artistic growth across five albums. The album “Macro” in particular underlined that Jinjer are a band that doesn’t hold back when it comes to experimentation. The new album, “Wildflower”, maintains that level, that direction, that boldness. You already know that Jinjer are Ukrainians from Donetsk. And no. The band stuck to strict professionalism. Tatiana spoke little, sang a lot, and the other three bandmates went straight for the music. Scanning the crowd you could spot exactly one person wrapped in a Ukrainian flag. We’ll skip the rest. That belongs in a different debate.
The quartet had 40 minutes at their disposal and filled them with a tight setlist and a standout performance. Tatiana is unreal. She draws you into soul and R&B territory with her lush, beautiful voice, then transforms in an instant into an absolute theatrical demon with a growl that could hold its own against death metal. But as said — Jinjer don’t accept many limits, and genre-hopping is no surprise from them. A huge chunk of the credit goes to the phenomenal bassist Eugene Abdukhanov, whose potent presence puts an omnipresent vibrational stamp on the music itself. He carries a blazing groove. With massively down-tuned guitar phrasing stacked in heavy layers, the chemical effect is a known quantity. But even in moments where the guitar retreats into acoustic territory — even jazz-inflected flirtation — the bass carves out an all the more piercing note of funk volume. The band immediately sent the crowd over the edge, opening with Who’s Gonna Be the One from their debut studio album “Cloud Factory”, confirming its status as a fan anthem. The response was extraordinary.
Given the band’s evolution, it came as no surprise that Jinjer mostly played material from their last two albums — which clearly signals that the band is capable of more artistic surprises ahead. The crowd really woke up towards the end when the band launched into Pisces from the second album “King of Everything” (2016), actively singing along with every word.
The fans definitely got their money’s worth. Jinjer’s eclectic musical craft doesn’t just place them among the standouts of modern metal — it makes them a band that, through their challenging and curious artistry, sets the tone for new benchmarks. The band is excellent, and charismatic Tatiana once again stole the lion’s share of the spotlight. As it should be.
Bullet For My Valentine walked into what we can already call a triumphant show with total confidence and strict professionalism. You can feel that this band has played everything — the biggest and the smallest stages alike. Bullet For My Valentine arranged their setlist shrewdly. The new self-titled album took the lead, but the band knows exactly what lights the fans up — so from “The Poison” came the mandatory ignition points: 4 Words (to Choke Upon), All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me), Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do), and Tears Don’t Fall, plus three fan favorites from “Scream Aim Fire”: the title track, Hearts Burst Into Fire, and Waking the Demon.
Nothing could go wrong. The band delivered an excellent sound and excellent energy on the night. Riding the wave of fan favorites, between which the material from the latest album and its predecessor “The Gravity” was expertly distributed, they simply couldn’t put a foot wrong. The band’s chemistry is phenomenal — Matthew Tuck’s vocals were eagerly matched by bassist Jason James’s screaming interventions, while Michael Paget impressed with his intense commitment to phrasing, delivered through hair-splittingly precise soloing. Musical depth is especially pronounced in Bullet For My Valentine, which is why the dynamism and inventive transitions brought in by the excellent drummer Michael Thomas — finding creative solutions in the seemingly most “trivial” moments — stands out all the more.
As said. Excellent sound, the right mix of evergreens from an ironclad repertoire and new material, virtuoso chemistry, and hair-splitting perfectionism. Basically the optimum. Bullet For My Valentine were in outstanding form that evening in Zagreb. And the crowd? In a trance. Circle pits on Tuck’s command? Anytime he asked. And the energy in Tvornica? Absolutely insane. Their show in Ljubljana less than four years ago had brought similar feelings, but this time those feelings were even more intense. Simply down to the type of venue and the added sense of being packed in. People were crammed in like sardines, yet singing the lyrics as one. In a trance. The feeling was even more overwhelming and unforgettable.
And then came the encore. Out of nowhere. Your Betrayal from the third album “Fever” sent the whole room skyward again — almost drowning out Tuck. And then the unstoppable Tears Don’t Fall! With the acoustic intro… The crowd’s devotion lifted the mood in the hall — and every feeling with it — to the highest possible point. That’s what you come to a concert for. Passionate fans who know every word, and on the other side a band in brilliant form. Everyone’s having the time of their life. Everyone feeding off everyone else. Wherever you look. The band handed the chorus of Tears Don’t Fall over to the crowd! Unbelievable. The band returned for the grand finale with Waking the Demon (“Scream Aim Fire”) and, with that “final bullet” and an hour-and-a-half set, conjured up a true concert triumph in Tvornica kulture. One last circle pit, and near-cannon-fire drumming providing a contrasting backbone to the front line, executing a flawless finish.
Bullet For My Valentine proved once again that evening that very few can match them for intensity of live performance. Very few come close. Riding such powerful fan favorites from an ironclad repertoire, with new material that slots seamlessly alongside the classics without losing an edge, performative triumph is virtually guaranteed. These are the kind of gig moments you can only dream of — and exactly what you come for. Triumphant!
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik & Edita Klemen
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Atreyu setlist:
1. Strange Powers of Prophecy
2. Becoming the Bull
3. The Time Is Now
4. Ex’s and Oh’s
5. Save Us
6. Drowning
7. Battle Drums
8. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) (orig. Whitney Houston) / Blow
Jinjer setlist:
1. Who’s Gonna Be the One
2. Copycat
3. Home Back
4. Judgement (& Punishment)
5. Pit of Consciousness
6. Perennial
7. Dead Hands Feel No Pain
8. Pisces
9. Call Me a Symbol
Bullet For My Valentine setlist:
1. Knives
2. Over It
3. Piece of Me
4. Words (to Choke Upon)
5. You Want a Battle? (Here’s a War)
6. Hearts Burst Into Fire
7. The Last Fight
8. Shatter
9. All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)
10. Scream Aim Fire
11. Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)
12. Rainbow Veins
13. Don’t Need You
14. Death By A Thousand Cuts
—encore—
15. Your Betrayal
16. Tears Don’t Fall (with acoustic intro)
17. Waking the Demon
