The Poison
Encyclopedia
The Poison is the debut album by Welsh
heavy metal
band Bullet for My Valentine
. The album was released on October 3, 2005 through Visible Noise Records
in the UK, and on February 14
, 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 their 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 No. 128 on the Billboard 200
and No. 2 on the Heatseekers Chart, and as of January 30, 2009, the album has sold 1,200,000 copies worldwide and 500,000 copies in the US. It's the first album released through Trustkill Records
to be officially certified gold by the RIAA.
The Poison
Additional musicians
Production details
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Bullet for My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is composed of Matt Tuck , Michael Paget , Jason James , and Michael Thomas . They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana...
. The album was released on October 3, 2005 through Visible Noise Records
Visible Noise
Visible Noise is a British independent record label that focuses solely on British bands.-History:Founded in 1998 by ex-Cacophonous Records manager Julie Weir, the label was created with the goal of fostering and breaking new UK rock music...
in the UK, and on February 14
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
, 2006 in the United States through Trustkill Records
Trustkill Records
Trustkill Records was an American record label that started as a hardcore punk fanzine in April 1993. It started releasing hardcore, metal and rock records and merchandise in 1994...
. The album included 11 new songs and two previously heard songs, "Cries in Vain", which was previously heard from their self-titled UK EP
Bullet For My Valentine (EP)
Bullet for My Valentine is the first release by Welsh metal band Bullet for My Valentine. It was released on 15 November 2004 through Visible Noise in the UK. The song "Hand of Blood" was released as a music video to promote the EP. The song "Cries in Vain" would later appear on the band's...
and from their US EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Hand of Blood
Hand Of Blood
Hand of Blood is the second EP by Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine. The EP is almost the same as the previous. It was released on August 22, 2005 through Trustkill Records, with completely different artwork and slightly altered tracklisting . Strangely, this EP is not available in the...
, as well as from "4 Words (To Choke Upon)
4 Words (To Choke Upon)
"4 Words " is a song by Welsh heavy metal quartet Bullet for My Valentine, the song is released as the second single from their second EP Hand of Blood and later their debut album The Poison. The song is about what the band went through as "Jeff Killed John", how people's claims were that they...
" 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 No. 128 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and No. 2 on the Heatseekers Chart, and as of January 30, 2009, the album has sold 1,200,000 copies worldwide and 500,000 copies in the US. It's the first album released through Trustkill Records
Trustkill Records
Trustkill Records was an American record label that started as a hardcore punk fanzine in April 1993. It started releasing hardcore, metal and rock records and merchandise in 1994...
to be officially certified gold by the RIAA.
Reception
The album has received generally many favorable reviews from the critics. Corey Apar of Allmusic awarded the album 3 stars out of 5, stating "Overall, The Poison is a well-produced, solid effort — but seeing as they're now trying to take over American hearts, it would be nice to see future attempts to distinguish themselves more from the new-school pack."The Poison
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Billboard 200 | 128 |
| 2006 | Top Heatseekers | 2 |
| 2006 | Top Independent Albums | 2 |
Track listing
Limited Edition Multimedia Content
- Hand Of Blood - Video Clip
- 4 Words (To Choke Upon) - Video Clip
- Behind The Scenes - Video Clips
- Wallpaper
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | Hot Modern Rock Tracks | ||
| 2005 | "4 Words (To Choke Upon) 4 Words (To Choke Upon) "4 Words " is a song by Welsh heavy metal quartet Bullet for My Valentine, the song is released as the second single from their second EP Hand of Blood and later their debut album The Poison. The song is about what the band went through as "Jeff Killed John", how people's claims were that they... " |
— | — |
| 2005 | "Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do) Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do) "Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow " is the second single from Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine, on their debut album, The Poison. It was released on 19 September 2005 through Visible Noise Records in the United Kingdom... " |
— | — |
| 2006 | "All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me) All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me) "All These Things I Hate " is a song by Welsh heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine, the song is released as the third single from their debut album The Poison. It was released through Sony BMG Recordings on 3 February 2006... " |
13 | 30 |
| 2006 | "Tears Don't Fall Tears Don't Fall "Tears Don't Fall" is a song by Bullet for My Valentine. It is the band's fourth single from their first full-length studio album, The Poison. The single was released on June 23, 2006 through Trustkill Records in the US.- Track listings :... " |
24 | 32 |
Personnel
Bullet for My Valentine- Matthew Tuck – lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, guitar solo on "4 Words (To Choke Upon)" & "Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)", first half of the solo in "Hand of Blood" and second half of the solos in "Her Voice Resides" and "Tears Don't Fall" - Michael "Padge" Paget – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Jason James – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Michael "Moose" Thomas – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Additional musicians
- Eicca ToppinenEicca ToppinenEino Matti "Eicca" Toppinen is a Finnish cellist, songwriter, producer, arranger, and drummer. In 1993 he formed the quartet Apocalyptica.- Biography :...
– arrangement (on "Intro") - ApocalypticaApocalypticaApocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
- celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s (on "Intro")
Production details
- All lyrics by Matt Tuck
- All music by Bullet for My Valentine
- Except "Intro" cellos by ApocalypticaApocalypticaApocalyptica is a band from Helsinki, Finland, formed in 1993. The band is composed of classically trained cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, and Perttu Kivilaakso and drummer Mikko Sirén...
, arrangement by Eicca Toppinen - Except "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" by MetallicaMetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
- Except "Intro" cellos by Apocalyptica
- 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, TexasEl Paso, TexasEl Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
- Except "Hit the Floor" mixed at Backstage Studios, Derbyshire
- Except "4 Words (To Choke Upon)" mixed at The Sonic Ranch, El Paso, Texas
- Engineered by Dan Turner
- Engineering assistance by Will Bartle, Matt Hyde & Justin Leigh
- Recorded at The Chapel (Lincolnshire), Backstage Studios (Derbyshire), Notting Pill Studios (NewportNewportNewport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
) & SUSI Studios (FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) - (p) & (c) 2005 20-20 Entertainment, LLC released under exclusive license to Visible NoiseVisible NoiseVisible Noise is a British independent record label that focuses solely on British bands.-History:Founded in 1998 by ex-Cacophonous Records manager Julie Weir, the label was created with the goal of fostering and breaking new UK rock music...
in the UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - A&R - Martin Dodd
- A&R UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Julie Weir (www.VisibleNoise.com) - Worldwide Management - Paul Craig at Supervision Management Ltd (info@supervisionmgt.com)
- Agent - Paul Ryan at The Agency Group (excluding USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) - Artwork by S2 at www.LaBoca.co.uk
- Video footage filmed and edited by Dan Fernbach at Static Films
- Band photographs by Patrick Ford
Release history
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
3 October 2005 |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
30 January 2006 |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
14 February 2006 |