By: Maddelynne Parker
Get ready for one of the most progressive sounds one might ever hear from a favorite teenage angst band.
Bring Me The Horizon released its sixth studio album “Amo” in late January 2019. It consists entirely of upbeat, melodic tracks that throws away its past of heavy-screamo rock. For fans of the “Shadow Moses” era, this album might come as a shock, but hopefully a good one.
Frontman Oli Sykes and keyboardist Jordan Fish are credited as producers of the album, and the band as the writers. So, not only is BMTH evolving as a whole band, but it had full control over the output that “Amo” is. In an NME interview Sykes said, “It’s quite an easy way to write a concept album about love. Everything boils down to love in the end.” The title is Portuguese for love, which he states in the same interview that the album shows the good, the bad and the ugly of it.
BMTH released its leading single “Mantra” in August of 2018. This track perfectly embodies the evolution of sound it’s embracing, while keeping true to some of its deathcore roots. Lyrics like, “I need a purpose, I can't keep surfing // Through this existential misery,” are set alongside heavier pop-rock chords that feed into frontman Oli Sykes’ harsh tones, which creates an amazingly catchy track. A great song to not only head bang to, but one to belt out as it is full of raw emotion.
This track and many others keep the band’s expected loud rock influences, but others like “Medicine” and “Mother Tongue” sound of pure pop rock mixed with a little EDM. The band’s EDM influence was originally featured on older tracks like “Can You Feel My Heart,” but are a main feature on this album. Sykes actually sings, yells only a little and the album is an incredible collaborative record. These new tracks will sound beautiful performed live and will surely rock the upcoming festival season.
This album is not just a risk for BMTH, considering it has alienated some old-school fans, but an all out win for the group. It scored its first UK No. 1 album within the first week of its release. From start to finish, each track progresses into the others creating a work of art. For those not convinced, BMTH claims it has yet to become a sell out. In the song “Heavy Metal,” Sykes sings “‘Cause some kid on the ‘gram said he used to be a fan, but this shit ain’t heavy metal,” showing us all that they know exactly what they are doing.
Even though Bring Me The Horizon has progressed from its deathcore beginnings, it has proven that following the pop route doesn’t always mean one has sold out. Instead, it’s evolving as a band and producing what all members can equally be proud of.
Feature photo credit: MCK-photography [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
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