Bring Me The Horizon - POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR (EP Review)
Bring Me The Horizon - POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR EP
Released: October 30, 2020
Lineup
Oli Sykes // Lead Vocals, Keyboards & Programming
Lee Malia // Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Matt Kean // Bass Guitar
Mat Nicholls // Drums
Jordan Fish // Keyboards, Vocals, Percussion
Online
2020 has been a rough year for most of us and one of the redeeming factors has been our favourite bands having more time to work on and release new music. Bring Me The Horizon I have to say, have been one of the busiest acts on the planet dropping songs, music videos and keeping the momentum of the band's success going by adapting to the pandemic and making it their bitch. Their first (of many) EPs released during COVID comes out on Friday but we were lucky enough to nab an early listen... here's what we thought!
'Dear Diary' kicks it all off and HOLY FUCKING SHIT it is a return to heavy for BMTH! Thrash metal inspired riffs, frontman Oli Sykes SCREAMING like he did on albums like There Is A Hell.../Suicide Season/Sempiternal with additional growls dropping throughout and the soon to be iconic line of "God is a shithead / and we're his rejects" that'll certainly make the band a few bucks if put on a shirt/merch. This track alone is a combination of what Bring Me The Horizon have been working on throughout their career. It shows that, just because they don't make heavy sounding music anymore, doesn't mean they can't. In under 3 minutes, they've produced an absolute fucking banger of an opening track which will please even the oldest of fans and maybe get their newbies heading deep into the back catalogues to hear similar songs like it. Got a metal mate? Show them this but don't say who performs it. See how much they like it then reveal who is behind the sound. Guarantee you'll blow minds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=racmy7Y9P4M
Coronavirus pandemic anthem 'Parasite Eve' is next and this song has not aged at all since the band dropped it back in June. It's still fresh as fuck, sounds perfect amongst the new tracks they've got to offer and will forever remind us of the year 2020 with lyrics about lockdown "I’ve got a fever, don't breathe on me / I'm a believer of nobody / won't let me leave 'cause I've seen something / hope I don't sneeze, I don't [ahchoo]". The band have honed in on that electronic guitars and synth combination, like a revitalised/revisited Hybrid Theory and to be honest with you, they nail it. New single 'Teardrops' is next and speaking about Linkin Park, the band definitely pay homage to LP/Chester Bennington with this nu-metal mad track that's like something lifted off Meteora (without Mr Hahn's DJ scratching). Oli's clean vocals have got so much better (whether produced or natural) he's really shown us he's got more to offer than the growls and screams from the earlier years of the band, which I for one am glad they moved away from. Fight me!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5uV3gmOH9g
Annnnd that breakdown, fuckkkk yessss!!!! Seriously, this alone makes up for the lack of heavy on their last album amo and reminds us why BMTH are at the top of their game and other bands are still constantly following their lead. Arguably the band's biggest risk was doing a song with Yungblud BUT 'Obey' is a fucking absolute tuuuune! Written about societal oppression and how the government is trying to control every little thing we do, it certainly got this writer thinking more about the world around me and how fucked our "leaders" are when it comes to looking after us all. Catchy as fuck chorus' which will have you singing along at the top of your lungs and that growl/yell combo of "YOU MONSTERS ARE PEOPLE" from Oli/Yungblud will ALWAYS have me screaming along with them. The video is perfect too with that good old fashioned gay kiss at the end, Bring Me The Horizon proved they still don't give a fuck what you think about them and will continue to do what pleases them moving forward! 'Itch For The Cure (When Will We Be Free?)' serves as the band's first Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) song with drum & bass sounds/effects that are designed to make the listener feel something throughout their body (like Billie Eilish's songs) and in turn, serves as an interlude to BMTH's song with the one and only BABYMETAL! 'Kingslayer' follows and if you, like me, were disappointed in BABYMETAL's latest album, this song alone will make up for it! It's a fast belter that's part 'core' song, part industrial metal, with a dash of Pendulum-esque drum & bass and BABYMETAL's mind-fucking blended sounds they do so well. There's growls, screams, cute J-Metal singing from Su-metal and Mat Nicholls absolutely bashing away on the kit like a madman! This wasn't the collaboration I was expecting in 2020, but goddamn it works so fucking well. If you wanted amo to be heavier (but with heavier EDM sounds) then this is for you, but I reckon it'll even draw over the band's heavy frothers from way back.
[wordads]
The best way to explain '1x1' is it sounds like a song that was created in the transition from Sempiternal to That's The Spirit. It's rocky, riff-heavy and sounds hard rock like but with a touch of the mainstream in the chorus as the band are joined by Nova Twins. I tried to get into it (and I LOVE BMTH's mainstream stuff) but just feel like this song fell a little flat in comparison to the large anthem sounding songs it is surrounded by. Anyway, onto 'Ludens' which I'm glad they included on this EP. Upon release, it was praised by fans all around the world who appreciated the band's nod to their heavier roots, which showcasing their progression as Grammy Nominated musicians. This song was also the beginning of what would later become this new sound that the boys have honed in on and really proved they've come a long way in their careers, so much so they're more than just a heavy/core band, they're performers with an incredible stage show which could rival that of some of mainstream media's biggest players (Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and even Eminem).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9wvTuDC-H0
The last track on the new EP is 'One Day The Only Butterflies Left Will Be In Your Chest As You March Towards Your Death' featuring Evanescence's Amy Lee and prepare yourself for this, but BMTH have attempted a breakup ballad and goddamn they've made it work with Amy on guest vocals. Her alluring voice draws you in at the beginning and it's so comforting hearing her swear (well, to me it is) then listening to her sing "tell me how's it gonna feel without my arms wrapped around wrapped around you / bet it feels pretty real when your skin starts to peel from the bone / you were dead to the world / now I'm dead to you". Oli jumps in and the two bounce off each other for a later chorus which will be perfect for a couple who have just spilt and are looking for a song to help ease the pain and get them through the bitter end. Let me tell you this kiddo, there's plenty more fish in the sea, but until you're ready to start fishing again, give this a few spins and gain that confidence again, especially with the rising instruments and soft growls towards the climax which give off a "there's more to come" vibe e.g. this isn't the end of this offering, there's more to come, which we may even see in their next EP's opening track.
[wordads]
After years of going softer with their sound, trying new things to prove their worth, Bring Me The Horizon will surprise even the biggest of critic with POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR. It has a touch of everything they've been producing over the past decade and really cements them as one of the world's BEST rock bands getting about today. Anything they try, they nail, and if your head is stuck too far up your arse to agree with that statement, then maybe you should stick to listening to their earlier albums. BMTH are on a completely different level these days and I'll be STOKED when they finally surpass Coldplay as the biggest alternative rock act in the UK... which is now only a mere few years away from happening!
Bring Me The Horizon POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR tracklisting
- Dear Diary,
- Parasite Eve
- Teardrops
- Obey feat. Yungblud
- Itch For The Cure (When Will We Be Free)
- Kingslayer feat BABYMETAL
- 1×1 feat. Nova Twins
- Ludens
- One Day The Only Butterflies Left Will Be In Your Chest As You March Towards Your Death feat. Amy Lee
Rating: 8.5/10
POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR is out Friday, October 30 via Sony Music. Pre-Order here
Review by Paul 'Browny' Brown @brownypaul
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