I have to say, I’ve been thinking about this music review for quite a while. The guys in this band are so intriguing and so interesting on a level that it sort of reminds me of myself and my complex brain.
I’ve analyzed lyrics, interviews, songs, patterns and so on, to get a real grip on what they’re about.
Again, I want to remind anyone that reads the music reviews that I post… These reviews have NOTHING to do with the musical content. They have everything to do with the mental state or reason any artists decides to write anything, just like I do!
I want to start 15 years ago when BMTH first starting seeing some success. They were a typical Warped Tour band (in my opinion) that was playing on a different stage all summer long on different days. It’s like having your iPod on shuffle if you’re touring on Warped Tour. Cool, have different bands play different time-slots each day for excitement, but honestly, it never made sense to me. Anyway…
This band has come a LONG way from these days. I remember running into their album Sempiternal in 2013. I was completely blown away! How have I not known about them before this album?!
Here’s the reason…
You don’t have to watch and or listen to the entire video to understand what I mean. Look, I’m a metal kid at heart, but I can’t understand any of this. This type of talent and music places you in a corner for a very small audience. So, this is the starting point for these guys and we all have to start somewhere…
What I’ve learned about this band and the lead singer Oli Sykes is pretty cliche. It all comes down to drugs and the rest of the baggage that come with that stuff…
I feel like we all can relate in some way, but not in a way when you’re this deep. It turns out that Oli was addicted to K-Amphetamine for years and during this time, he was apparently a huge pain in the ass to all people in his life. His band mates, family and so on. So, imagine being in a band or a business with someone high on Special K all of the time, not fun! Well, he realized at some point he needed to be done with that life and all of the drugs. He took himself to rehab and did what he needed to do and guess what, it was more than likely the biggest move in his career for himself and the rest of the band.
Here’s a clip of him speaking about it while accepting an reward for album of the year! An award he expressed would not be possible if he didn’t get clean and sing to the fans…
If you’re still following me and reading all of this, I hope you start to see what point I’m trying to make. This band and lead singer came from a very strange past and they all have demons like the rest of us, but for an artist to switch up his or her style after they are clear of demons such as drugs, is a very cool and incredible thing to watch happen.
This leads me to one of the songs of the album that won them album of the year. It’s titled ‘Can You Feel My Heart.’ This song has a personal connection to me and what I feel sometimes, but so do all of the others.
My favorite line in this song is… ‘The higher I get, the lower I sink. I can’t drown my demons, they know how swim.’ Also I loan for that feeling to not feel at all… THIS is someone pouring their emotions out into this song.
The point is, the band can be as heavy as they want to be or as charming and the message is still the same. We all still feel the anger, frustration, emptiness and distress.
Here is a song I think they did very well with this video that is left up to your own interpretation. I know what it means to me for sure, but it’s so broad, it should touch all.
It’s like this to me… Every single day can be the same and almost seem like Groundhog Day. Life seems to be on repeat and you’re obviously unhappy, but you continue to give in and move forward with the day as you should, almost as if you’re SLEEPWALKING!
So, now that we have a new direction from an extreamly talented band, here come all the haters…
I truly hate this part, because it happens with every band. No joke, every single band out there get this treatment at some point. The two songs above were a drastic change from what BMTH used to do and it caused a few critics, fine! However, the band drew more success out of it than hate.
If this band could survive this change, they can do whatever, right?
I’m going to skip one album because it was similar to the above, but it was still good and I have to give it credit, but nothing in this entire post amounts up to the latest release of amo 2019…
Bring Me The Horizon is in a tough spot when it becomes about the space their music belongs. After watching many interviews, they know that as well. However it never stopped them from doing what they wanted to do creatively. The latest album amo is one of the most influencial album’s I’ve had the chance to listen to and identify with in a very long time.
Here is where we do a 180!
The “drug addicted screamO Kid” somehow fell in love and the band produced this song. Oli fell in love and left drugs and became a differnent person and man. This is something that cannot go unnocticed, it’s an achievment on a level to be proud of…
It seems the band has many struggles with their fans and I get it, but this is an evolution of talent. Either you’re with these guys or you’re not.
The new music on this album is brilliant in so many ways. It’s personal, angry, subjective and so much more…
I think my favorite song on the album is ‘Medicine’ for a multitude of reasons, but I won’t elaborate… Here’s the video…
I will close this enormous review, or whatever you want to call it with not just a single phrase, but many!
This band pushed their comfort zone on many occasions. They are currently in a competitive space that’s not forgiving whatsoever. They’re known for being a heavy Warped Tour band, but their talent is SO MUCH MORE!! amo, in my opinion is only a glimpse of what’s to come with these guys. Keep it up!
