Klatzke
01/04/09, 10:07 PM
Bring Me the Horizon - Suicide Season
Record Label: Visible Noise
Release Date: September 29, 2008
I have something I need to get off my chest: I couldn't stand Bring Me the Horizon's old material. With that said, I think I can honestly assess their latest attempt, Suicide Season. To be perfectly honest, when I heard about their newest album being released, and with a name like Suicide Season, I thought that I was going to be faced with the same "how heavy can we get this?!?!" crap that made up the first album. However, I went out on a limb and checked out their new tracks, and was very pleasantly surprised. Pushing my contempt for their old material aside, I approached their latest release with a wary but very interested ear.
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. They moved from their heavier, so-called "deathcore" sound to a much more mainstream metalcore sound - and it works well for them. Oli Sykes' vocals have gone through a heavy makeover, going from the constant thrashy screams to a raspy yell that fits the bands' style better. There are still plenty of places where you'll hear the old vocals kick in, but the album is dominated by Sykes' "new" sound. They've also gotten rid of the constant chug-chug guitar work that frankly, bored me the first time around. The guitar style may not be extremely exciting, but it has developed into something that can at least keep my attention and keep the tracks moving along nicely. The drummer does deserve a mention though, since his fast and powerful bass kicks and frenetic style keep them close and heavy.
Bring Me the Horizon has also rid themselves of the constant "heavier than thou" aspect. You'll still hear some breakdowns, but they're few and far between, and in most cases, it doesn't seem like a conscious attempt at a "breakdown" as much as it just seems like a more interesting or heavier part in the song.
There are some really standout tracks on this album. "Chelsea Smile" starts out with a catchy vocal hook, and then navigates it's way through some quick guitar work and screaming until it hits the chorus, a breakdown, and then continues on for another three minutes. Even at five minutes long, the track is interesting enough that it kept my attention the whole way through - a big feat for a metalcore song. "It Was Written In Blood" starts out with a strong bass line, and works it's magic in much the same way as "Chelsea Smile" does. It relies heavily on the vocal hooks in the pseudo-chorus ("It was written in blood!") and Sykes adequately shows off why he's one of the most-mentioned frontmen in this scene.
"Football Season Is Over" will be embraced by older fans since it's one of the heaviest from the album. The obscenely juvenile lyrics in this song kind of detract from it's appeal though. I mean, who really writes lines like "Why the fuck can't I hail a taxi? Got my arm out like a Nazi, all these cunts are driving past me." This isn't a sole occurrence either; many of the tracks sport fairly immature or underdeveloped lyrics.
The album really hits it's stride with "Diamonds Aren't Forever," which is arguably the best track from the album. Once again, the vocals dominate the structure, and it's Sykes' hooks that really keep my interest throughout the track. Probably the most diverse song they've ever written, "The Sadness Will Never End," is another cut that's definitely worth noting. Believe it or not, they've actually incorporated singing into one of their songs. Paired with Sykes' obvious talent for the harsher side of the spectrum, the clean vocals add another level to this song and put it on a completely different level than most of the others from this album. This is something I'd love to see expanded on come time for their next album.
Despite the length of this review, there are a few main points you should walk away with. Is this better than their older works? I think so, but that's entirely my opinion. However, if you ask whether or not it has a more mature, cohesive, and diverse sound, then I can once again answer yes, but this time it will be factual. Suicide Season is a definite improvement for Bring Me the Horizon, and I'd love to see it expanded on and taken to the next level in their works to come. It's still going to get the same scene label, and there are a few tracks from this album that have the same kind of sound as their older works, but overall, it's a definite step forward.
Warship; metalcore; a bit of progression
myspace.com/bmth (http://www.myspace.com/bmth)
Record Label: Visible Noise
Release Date: September 29, 2008
I have something I need to get off my chest: I couldn't stand Bring Me the Horizon's old material. With that said, I think I can honestly assess their latest attempt, Suicide Season. To be perfectly honest, when I heard about their newest album being released, and with a name like Suicide Season, I thought that I was going to be faced with the same "how heavy can we get this?!?!" crap that made up the first album. However, I went out on a limb and checked out their new tracks, and was very pleasantly surprised. Pushing my contempt for their old material aside, I approached their latest release with a wary but very interested ear.
I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. They moved from their heavier, so-called "deathcore" sound to a much more mainstream metalcore sound - and it works well for them. Oli Sykes' vocals have gone through a heavy makeover, going from the constant thrashy screams to a raspy yell that fits the bands' style better. There are still plenty of places where you'll hear the old vocals kick in, but the album is dominated by Sykes' "new" sound. They've also gotten rid of the constant chug-chug guitar work that frankly, bored me the first time around. The guitar style may not be extremely exciting, but it has developed into something that can at least keep my attention and keep the tracks moving along nicely. The drummer does deserve a mention though, since his fast and powerful bass kicks and frenetic style keep them close and heavy.
Bring Me the Horizon has also rid themselves of the constant "heavier than thou" aspect. You'll still hear some breakdowns, but they're few and far between, and in most cases, it doesn't seem like a conscious attempt at a "breakdown" as much as it just seems like a more interesting or heavier part in the song.
There are some really standout tracks on this album. "Chelsea Smile" starts out with a catchy vocal hook, and then navigates it's way through some quick guitar work and screaming until it hits the chorus, a breakdown, and then continues on for another three minutes. Even at five minutes long, the track is interesting enough that it kept my attention the whole way through - a big feat for a metalcore song. "It Was Written In Blood" starts out with a strong bass line, and works it's magic in much the same way as "Chelsea Smile" does. It relies heavily on the vocal hooks in the pseudo-chorus ("It was written in blood!") and Sykes adequately shows off why he's one of the most-mentioned frontmen in this scene.
"Football Season Is Over" will be embraced by older fans since it's one of the heaviest from the album. The obscenely juvenile lyrics in this song kind of detract from it's appeal though. I mean, who really writes lines like "Why the fuck can't I hail a taxi? Got my arm out like a Nazi, all these cunts are driving past me." This isn't a sole occurrence either; many of the tracks sport fairly immature or underdeveloped lyrics.
The album really hits it's stride with "Diamonds Aren't Forever," which is arguably the best track from the album. Once again, the vocals dominate the structure, and it's Sykes' hooks that really keep my interest throughout the track. Probably the most diverse song they've ever written, "The Sadness Will Never End," is another cut that's definitely worth noting. Believe it or not, they've actually incorporated singing into one of their songs. Paired with Sykes' obvious talent for the harsher side of the spectrum, the clean vocals add another level to this song and put it on a completely different level than most of the others from this album. This is something I'd love to see expanded on come time for their next album.
Despite the length of this review, there are a few main points you should walk away with. Is this better than their older works? I think so, but that's entirely my opinion. However, if you ask whether or not it has a more mature, cohesive, and diverse sound, then I can once again answer yes, but this time it will be factual. Suicide Season is a definite improvement for Bring Me the Horizon, and I'd love to see it expanded on and taken to the next level in their works to come. It's still going to get the same scene label, and there are a few tracks from this album that have the same kind of sound as their older works, but overall, it's a definite step forward.
Warship; metalcore; a bit of progression
myspace.com/bmth (http://www.myspace.com/bmth)