Band's List Deathcore Bring Me The Horizon Sempiternal

Bring Me the Horizon was once a Deathcore band from the United Kingdom that got the attention of listeners everywhere with their first two releases. However, with their third full length album "There is a Hell..." they portrayed a complete turn around with their music. They went from great Deathcore to an average Metalcore band. Change is always good for a band when its minor, but when its a complete 180 degress from the original sound, it ruins the music for previous die hard fans. This brings us to the most recent release, "Sempiternal".

"Sempiternal" is a little different from their last release in that there is a hell of a lot more electronic influences. The elctronics are a cool addition in my opinion. In tracks such as "Empire (Let Them Sing)", the electronics are a sort of ominous and symphonic attribute to the music in general. Another big difference is that in many tracks such as "Can You Feel My Heart" and "Sleepwalking", vocalist Oli Sykes does not scream as often but uses a lot of actual singing but with a lot of rasp and grit. This also takes away from the original Bring Me the Horizon that the world has come to love.

An aspect of this record that i loathed is that the instruments arent special or showing any of their actual talent that they have shown in the past. I understand that they have had some lineup changes from their first couple of releases but the guitars and bass the entire time are nothing but chord progressions and every now and then a riff or a background arpeggio. There is one solo in "Go to Hell, for Heaven's Sake" but other than that i heard no other impressive or interesting lick. The drums are nothing but a rhythm for the bland guitars to stand upon. The instruments completely disappointed me on this record.

The only reason i put five points towards this record is because the song structure and the melodies are actually catchy and pleasing. In songs like "Shadow Moses" and "Empire (Let Them Sing)", the songs are decent and the listener can maybe band his or her head a little bit or maybe mosh. These songs show some emotion that Oliver Sykes is feeling. Other than minor parts in some other songs, i felt no impression being left on me by the music.

This world renowned Deathcore band has completely changed their style and their music. Ultimately, its the band's decision and i respect that. However, i wish they kept doing what they had. The first two records were so good but they ruined it with "There is a Hell..." and this album is just a continuation of that monstrosity. Bring Me The Horizon has a lot more talent and a lot more strength as a band that they did not portray on "Sempiternal". Due to this, this album receives a dismal 5/20.

Okay, so Bring Me The Horizon might have been one of the worst trendcore bands in recent memory, but Sempiternal is a surprisingly decent affair. Sure, the band still suffers from major song writing problems and they need to get a new vocalist, but for what it is, it’s the bands best release so far.

I heard that the bands goal was to pool in more influences than they have done before, a choice that I strongly agree with. Right from the opening track Can You Feel My Heart it becomes clear that Bring Me The Horizon have left their former partying aesthetic behind and have started to take themselves and their music more seriously. Opening with kooky electronic samples reminiscent of glitch before moving into the band’s standard metalcore sound, Bring Me The Horizon have succeeded in crafting an interesting meld of stuff. Along with the electronic elements, there also seems to be elements of ambient and post rock, most poignantly exemplified in the closing track Hospital for Souls. Whilst the post rock elements may not be as accomplished as an artist such as Neurosis, the band works well with a rather diluted and radio friendly form of the genre. Tracks such as Seen it all Before show some effective post rock melodies whilst the famous track Sleepwalking present a very soft and mellow side to the band with rather beautiful keyboard work. Vocally, Oly Sykes still sounds like shit but the musical aspect of the band has been increased dramatically.

However, even though the band appears to be adopting a more experimental, and I dare say unique edge, there are still elements of the bands sound that are bogged down by ideas that are just so low bro. Shadow Moses is a useless and frankly annoying song that repeats the same riffs and vocal patterns throughout even though the introduction hints at something more. Some of the riffs try to be heavy but are never really heavy, they’re always fairly melodic, lacking any sort of atonality and dissonance that really heavy music embodies. Unfortunately, the post rock elements are really diluted as well, hints of crescendos and twinkly guitars don’t necessarily make for an effective post rock performance even if pulled off reasonably well.

Thankfully though, despite the relative shortcomings of the music on display here, the album remains surprisingly consistent as a whole and actually succeeds in keeping me rather entertained. Sure, the music is unbearably one dimensional and the lyrics are ridiculous, but it’s hard to argue with music that remains so catchy. Heck, it’s even suitably atmospheric at times, with Sleepwalking, And The Snakes Start to Sing and Seen it all Before creating some pretty powerful ambient overtones. Hospital for Souls adopts the post rock and ambient elements to the bands fullest potential and results in the bands most atmospherically poignant track. The ambient overtones mixed with clean and sparkling guitars are surprisingly effective. Lyrics are still shit though, with a poignant title such as Hospital for Souls I was expecting something more introspective and abstract rather than the self pitying ramblings we get for much of the album. Eh, fuck it, if this album was purely instrumental, or better yet, get a vocalist who would actually suit this style such as Aaron Turner of Isis fame I would enjoy this album a whole lot more. As it stands though, Sempiternal is an album aiming for high grounds yet never quite reaching it.

All the elements of Sempiternal result in a rather entertaining yet ultimately frustrating listen that just can’t seem to find it’s footing. Take Sleepwalking, this track opens up really well and would actually be effective if not for the useless breakdown and the fucking atrocious vocals of Oly Sykes. If Bring Me The Horizon want to get better then they need to lose the vocalist and work some of the new elements into their sound more effectively. As it stands though, I like it, it’s not something I spin frequently but it’s good for the occasional listen even if it comes across as rather one dimensional and desperate. If you can stomach the vocals of Oly Sykes then this may be something really good for you, but for me, this album only just skims over the pit of mediocrity. It needs more work guys.