I knew they had it in them. Bullet for My Valentine’s debut full-length release, The Poison (2006), was brimming with potential, but the band seemed torn between which direction it wanted to pursue. Serious metal band or sensitive rock radio favorite? At some point during the last two years, which saw The Poison become a bonafide worldwide success, these young men from Wales reconciled those two sides without abandoning either one. The result is Scream Aim Fire, a superb sophomore effort that seems destined to find a spot on my eventual best-of-2008 list.

The tone is in place the moment the title track kicks off the disc. Songs like “Scream Aim Fire,” “Eye of the Storm,” “Waking the Demon” and “Last to Know” are faster and heavier than what we’ve heard from these guys before but, at the same time, more accessible. There is an increased emphasis on frontman Matt Tuck’s melodic singing and less on the harsh screams, a reflection of the band’s maturing songwriting. Before, it seemed like they were following a metalcore handbook. Now they’ve found their own way, which includes a healthy classic metal influence but not so much that they sound like a different band; in other words, Scream Aim Fire is not to Bullet for My Valentine as The Crusade is to Trivium, though I expect many will make that comparison. The musicianship, already impressive on The Poison, has been stepped up even further here. Guitarists Tuck and Padge, bassist Jay James and drummer Moose Thomas are all rising stars on their weapons of choice.

The heavy songs jump out first, but as any metal band with commercial aspirations (and there’s nothing wrong with having those aspirations, by the way), Bullet for My Valentine includes a couple ballads, as well. If you go to a live show, make sure your lighters and cell phones are ready if they play “Hearts Burst into Fire” or “Say Goodnight.” The album-closing “Forever and Always” also leans to the sentimental side, though I’m not sure it justifies its nearly seven-minute length.

The album has the slick, professional production befitting a major-label release, but producer Colin Richardson (Machine Head, DevilDriver) infuses it with a bite and aggressive tone that wasn’t quite there on The Poison. Scream Aim Fire does everything a second album should do for a band, expanding and refining their sound. Fans should be overjoyed with this effort and those on the fence easily could find themselves converted—I did.