A lot of pressure is on the Oli Sykes fronted Sheffield natives, Bring Me the Horizon, especially after the runaway success of the 2010 release ‘There Is A Hell…’. The layout within the band has changed between records with the band moving to RCA to release their fourth studio album, there was also a change in line up as The Worships Jordan Fish was added on keyboards while rhythm guitarist Jona Weinhofen departed the band (its unsure how much involvement he had with the record).
This album, produced by Terry Date (Deftones and Limp Bizkit,) has a more melodic approach, gone are the violent screams and deathcore, instead are choirs (backing vocals provided by Immanu el and The Drop Dead Clothing gang) and electronic influences. The opening songs ‘Can You Feel My Heart’ and ‘The House of Wolves’ are a nice mix of old new with Sykes piercing vocals and heavy guitars being meshed with keyboards and a sweeter melody.
Oli shows off a softer vocal on ‘And The Snakes Start To Sing’ and the epic seven minute ‘Hospitals For Souls’, which will go down as one of their best tracks to date. Debut single ‘Shadow Moses’ and ‘Go To Hell For Heavens Sake’ still have traces of the band who produced ‘Suicide Season’ in 2008 while the expletive filled ‘Antivist’ could easily fit on their debut ‘Count Your Blessings’. There’s something more positive about this album lyrically despite the band describing this as ‘the soundtrack to the end of the world’, it does have a film soundtrack quality much like Marilyn Manson’s earlier stuff.
This is an album from a band who are experiment with their sound. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t, but you feel like you’re in the purgatory before a very good album. You may not enjoy this band for various reasons but you have to admit they are shaking the metal scene on its head.
Bring Me The Horizon is out on April 1st