The Band
Bring Me The Horizon (BMTH) is a British rock band formed in 2004.
Their name came from a line in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Band Members
- Oli Sykes – vocals, keyboards, programming, rhythm guitar
- Matt Nicholls – drums
- Lee Malia – lead guitar
- Matt Kean – bass
The Album
To review Post Human: Nex Gen, I had to review Post Human: Survival Horror, the first part of a four-part series called Post Human.
Post Human: Survival Horror
Post Human: Survival Horror is an EP, that the band started writing and recording in March 2020.
It was co-produced by Mick Gordon, an Australian musician, who is mostly known for composing music for video games. You can tell Mick’s influence on this record.
This work was released on October 30, 2020, and it was the last work done with Jordan Fish on keyboards.
This album represents a return for BMTH to a heavier metalcore sound.
Most of the lyrics are about the Covid-19 pandemic and all its consequences, such as lockdowns and isolation.
The album cover art, made by Oli’s wife, Alissa Sykes, references a painting of the Hindu deity Krishna, but with modern elements such as smartphones, drug abuse, COVID-19 face masks, etc.
The Songs
1. Dear Diary. The album’s first song starts heavy and fast, with electronic sounds and a thrash guitar riff resembling a Slayer sound. The video game Resident Evil, zombie apocalypse, and lockdown inspire it.
2. Parasite Eve. In the beginning, some chants like Hindi or another language. Then a beat comes in and Oli starts to sing. It has a Bad Omens vibe. It’s about a virus infection.
3. Teardrops. Some electronic sounds and then drop to the heavier instruments. Nice drum fills. Hopelessness feeling, depression, and anxiety. Also about addiction. Very emotional. My favorite song on this album.
4. Obey (with Yungblud). This song counts with Yungblud, a British singer.
Synth, drop to heavy instruments.
It’s about politicians’ oppression of all of us.
5. Itch for the Cure (When Will We Be Free?). Its name refers to Linkin Park’s song Cure for the Itch.
It’s an interlude, a short song, in which Oli just talks. It serves as a transition to the next song since we hear the next song’s chorus.
6. Kingslayer (featuring Babymetal). Here features Babymetal, who is a Japanese heavy metal band.
The name of the song refers to the video game Call of Duty. The track itself could be a perfect anime opening.
Electronic, heavy, with an epic feeling. Shows the contrast between Oli’s deathcore growls and the Babymetal chorus. They also sing some verses in Japanese and some others in English. Super catchy.
7. 1×1 (featuring Nova Twins). Nova Twins is a British rock duo.
Starts slow, with piano and electronics. More on the pop side. It’s almost a ballad, but heavy.
The lyrics are about humanity’s guilty feelings of destroying other species and harming each other because of our differences.
Very emotional, but catchy at the same time.
8. Ludens. Electronic beats. Happy anthem but in an ironic way. Dystopian lyrics.
9. One Day the Only Butterflies Left Will Be in Your Chest as You March Towards Your Death (featuring Amy Lee).
Amy Lee, Evanescence’s singer, features on this track that deals with the abusive relationship between humans and nature.
She represents Mother Nature.
My Thoughts
BMTH is a band that has transitioned along many music genres. They started as a deathcore band. Then they leaned towards rock, pop, ambient, electronic, and experimental sounds. That’s why their albums are so different from one another.
This is the first album I listened to of them. Most of the themes in this work deal with the pandemic, lockdown, and isolation issues because they began the writing process at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I loved the album. Although most of its songs are introspective and depressive, they are also super catchy and I found myself singing to these lyrics, quite often. Such earworms.
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Tracklist
1. Dear Diary
2. Parasite Eve
3. Teardrops
4. Obey (with Yungblud)
5. Itch for the Cure (When Will We Be Free?)
6. Kingslayer (featuring Babymetal)
7. 1×1 (featuring Nova Twins)
8. Ludens
9. One Day the Only Butterflies Left Will Be in Your Chest as You March Towards Your Death (featuring Amy Lee)
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Post Human: Nex Gen
This is the seventh studio album by BMTH. It was released on 24 May 2024. It’s the second part of the Post Human series.
Although he appears in some songs, this is the first album without the keyboardist and creative genius of Jordan Fish (since Sempiternal). Now he’s working with the British metalcore band, Architects.
The Songs
1. [OST] Dreamseeker. An intro of 19 seconds, where we listen to someone going through a hallway, and at the end, they say: “Let’s begin”.
2. Youtopia. Calm. Nostalgic vibes. A desolating feeling.
3. Kool-Aid. Starts with guitars, heavy. The chorus is super catchy. Build up and then a breakdown, followed by a guitar solo. Ends funnily. It’s the heavier track of the album and also my favorite track of this work.
The lyrics tell the dangers of following cult leaders since it’s about the Jonestown Massacre, in the USA in 1978, in which 900 people were killed by drinking Kool-Aid mixed with cyanide just as their leader asked them.
4. Top 10 Statues That Cried Blood. Blink-182 style. About self-love. No one is coming to rescue you. You have to keep going, for yourself.
5. Limousine (featuring Aurora). Features the Norwegian singer, Aurora.
The song has a Deftones, Nu-metal, shoegaze, and industrial vibe. Relationship problems.
6. Darkside. Ballad, but I liked it. The dark side of dealing with your battles. Nice melody.
7. A Bullet W/ My Name On (featuring Underoath). Features the American metalcore/post-hardcore band Underoath.
Breaking up song. Nostalgic and catchy.
8. [OST] (Spi)ritual. Almost 2 minutes of an instrumental interlude.
9. N/A. Pop punk song with disturbing, deep dark lyrics. It addresses Oli’s struggles with his inner demons, mental health, and addiction. It’s like an addicts meeting.
10. Lost. Pop punk. Fighting against your brain. Mental health.
11. Strangers. Ballad, but heavy. Catchy chorus. I liked this song.
Mental health and the feeling of being with strangers, around us, who are dealing with the same issues we do.
The video is super creepy.
12. R.I.P. (Duskcore Remix). Blink-182 kind of style.
Here sings Oli’s wife, Alissa. It’s about relationship problems.
13. Amen! (featuring Lil Uzi Vert and Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw). Features Lil Uzi Vert, an American rapper, and Daryl Palumbo, an American singer of the post-hardcore band Glassjaw.
At last something heavier. Catchy chorus. It’s about religious manipulation.
14. [OST] Puss-e. Weird, electronic beats, distorted voices. It’s too techno for me.
It seems to be about a drug for mind control.
15. Die4U. This is the song that I dislike the most about this album because Oli’s voice has the loop effects that some pop or reggaeton singers use.
It’s about toxic obsessions and addiction.
16. Dig It. Another ballad. Self-loathing, addiction.
My Thoughts
This album has a nostalgic tone, expressed through pop punk songs and other styles that reminiscence Linkin Park, Blink-182, and Deftones, among other bands.
The lyrics also deal with mental health and addiction, the same as their previous album, even though that album was mostly about pandemic-related topics.
Many of the songs on this album speak as well about religious cults and mind control and the dangers of following people like these.
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Tracklist
1. [OST] Dreamseeker
2. Youtopia
3. Kool-Aid
4. Top 10 Statues That Cried Blood
5. Limousine (featuring Aurora)
6. Darkside
7. A Bullet W/ My Name On (featuring Underoath)
8. [OST] (Spi)ritual
9. N/A
10. Lost
11. Strangers
12. R.I.P. (Duskcore Remix)
13. Amen! (featuring Lil Uzi Vert and Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw)
14. [OST] Puss-e
15. Die4U
16. Dig It
Final Thoughts. Post Human: Survival Horror vs. Nex Gen
After listening to both albums, I prefer the first one, Survival Horror, because it’s heavier, it’s more my taste. I expected Nex Gen to be on the same path, but it has too many ballads, except a few songs. It’s not bad, but you have to be in a very particular mood that matches the vibe of the album to connect with it.
The lyrics on these two records are similar, mental struggles, and depression, but the first one is about the pandemic and the second one adds religious manipulation.
Both albums are good, but since I’m not a long-time fan of BMTH I prefer the first one, just because it’s more my style of music, and it’s what I expected these guys sounded like. Even though they have released albums with different music styles throughout their career, I will always prefer the heavier ones (in general, with any band).
We have to wait for the rest of this Post Human series. Two more albums to go. But for now, I’ll keep on enjoying Survival Horror.