We all know Bring Me the Horizon for their hardcore breakdowns and heavy instrumentals, so it goes without saying that their new album, “That’s the Spirit,” makes us question where they are headed in the future.
It seems that they have traded in their membership card to the world of metalcore/scream for that of an emo-pop culture filled with techno beats and lightcore melodies. While that may not be a bad thing in the opinion of newcomers, it upsets the loyal fans that BMTH has accumulated over the past eleven years. Their new album, “That’s the Spirit,” released Sept. 11, has proven to the world that “Sempiternal” might have been the last we will hear of the BMTH we supported so long ago.
Like their last album, BMTH incorporates many electronic sounds alongside their solid guitar riffs. Ollie Sykes is still the same vocalist he has always been, delivering a raspy yet colorful sound to match the now-heavy electronics. If he decided to pull a Danny Worsnop on us, the whole hardcore world might revolt.
They decided on a lighter sound for the new album, many of the songs having slower melodies and higher vocals such as “Follow You.” The new album is a more modern, poppy version of the metalcore scene, souding similar, yet still metalcore, to bands such as 3Oh!3 and Cobra Starship. The new album sounds close to their last album “Sempiternal” with a few tweaks that give it that new-age pop sound.
While “That’s the Spirit” follows similarly in the footsteps of its predecessor “Sempiternal,” it fails to meet the standards and expectations of Bring Me the Horizon’s fan base. Not saying “Hospital for Souls” (“Sempiternal,” 2013) is anything close to “Diamonds Aren’t Forever” (“Suicide Season,” 2008), but it still seems to hit closer to home than “True Friends” (“That’s the Spirit,” 2015). The new album is a mix of their new upbeat techno sound, with a little of their “Sempiternal” sound.
Songs from the new album like “Throne” and “Happy Song” could have easily been on the 2013 album and seem a tad out of place on the new album. Yet having songs that remain in the pre-established genre make the album bearable. One can only take so much shock, and having a little bit of a “break” every so often can relieve some of the effects this new album may have.
After a few songs, if you begin to tell yourself that this is how Bring Me the Horizon has always sounded, don’t listen to yourself. 2015 BMTH is a far cry from 2008 and even farther from 2006. As the years progress, their sound has changed in response. That is to be expected. Still, we can’t help but miss the old days.
Rating: 3 out of 5
