On September 11, 2015, "Bring Me The Horizon's" fifth album was released, the album name "That’s the Spirit" is another step in the direction of the band's development and the change it underwent from the previous albums.
There is a very good chance that the very early fans of the band do not like this change that the band went through, and this album for them marks the end. The band's two leaders Oliver Sykes (singer) and keyboardist Jordan Fish take the reins, as they will on the band's next albums, and continue their journey of experience in the world of electronics.
If in the previous album, there were a few electronic elements and we still heard the roars or rather the screams of Sykes, here already the electronics occupy a larger volume, and the screams of Sykes become more measured and moderate roars. In the band's first albums, chaos, screams, and frenzy reigned supreme. Gloomy and heavy lyrics with relentless sounds from the world of death metal that do not leave a single piece of unburned earth.
In our personal opinion, in this album, the balance between the electronics, melody, and clean sections and the mowing guitars, drums, and roars is a perfect balance. There is a balanced combination here that in each song gives you something different, like a new gift. So let's listen and read what we're talking about...
(Photo: unraveled. eu)
The first song that opens the album "Doomed", puts you in the mood. Starts pleasant and soft with rolling drums that pull you slowly with the sounds of drug inhalation in the background and then the chorus explodes, we are lost !! Quiet again... a winning formula!
Move on to one of the strongest songs on the album "Happy Song", with strong lyrics that give you a kick in the stomach. It is impossible not to jump in the air with the drums and guitars, and sing with Sykes together !! A funny story related to this song... at the NME Awards ceremony held in England, BMTH was invited to perform. During the performance, Sykes felt an inexplicable urge to jump off the stage and he began jumping on the guest's tables. The guest's tables are not of enthusiastic fans but of artists and bands who attended the event. Sykes decides to stop at "Coldplay's" table and simply destroy everything on it, finishing with a jump that breaks the table in two. Kind of a statement? The event created a lot of media noise around the two bands, which contributed to the promotion of the album, see for yourself:
We'll move on to another great song "Throne", the second single from the album. One of the more positive and optimistic songs on the album should be noted. Fish said that right from the start they felt this song would be a single, his writing and work flowed very well among the band members and it felt to them just right. In general, in this album, there are choruses, verses, and hymns that can be used to create slogans for life.
“So you can throw me to the wolves
Tomorrow I will come back, leader of the whole pack
Beat me black and blue
Every wound will shape me, every scar will build my throne!”
In the next song "True Friends", Sykes simply settles the score with all of those who have harmed him during his life. He tells them he is hurt by them, he is aware of it, looks them straight in the eye, and does not forget, he forgives but does not forget and he will always look at them in that light.
If we talked about the musical change, in the band's previous albums there was not a single moment of rest. Ignite the engine, press the pedal all the way down, and burn the tires. There's already a slight pause here, "Follow You." One of the band's few romantic songs, was written as a love letter to the women of the band members. I'm sure the band's veteran fans grab their head and click the X at the top of the screen. But we will continue ...
If the previous song was different, the song "What You Need" presents a different melody and style from what we knew of BMTH, especially in the sections of the verses and c-parts. Here Sykes critiques the people who are mentally stuck in what they have been taught at home or at school and do not open up or adopt new things.
Here you are served with another bomb, what a beautiful opening, just like the name of the song "Avalanche". One of our favorite songs on the album, listen to the beauty of the drums, what an amazing rhythm, and what a crazy sound Matt Nicholls has on the drums. In this song, Sykes talks about the discovery that he has ADHD, the understanding that he has a short circuit in his brain and his addiction to drugs and other substances is in order to make up for this lack. This process was his first step on the road to recovery from the severe drug addictions he had.
"I need a cure for me, 'cause a square doesn't fit the circle
Give me a remedy, 'cause my head wasn't wired for this world"
The song "Run" opens with sampling and a rhythm inspired by the dance music of the 90s and develops into a rhythm with drumming reminiscent of rhythms of tribes and rituals. This is one of the most varied and surprising songs on the album. Here the bunch goes out of the regular formula and stretches the boundaries.
The next song "Drown" was written by Sykes for stadiums shows. He was looking for a song that could lift an audience of tens of thousands of people. A song that will sound thick, strong, big with power, and will be a kind of stamp of the band ahead of the move to the Giants League.
Hot recommendation, turn up the volume !!
In the next song, "Blasphemy", you feel really strongly the step that the band made, with the combination of electronic sampling, effects, and sounds. An amazing purposeful display of how this combination gives volume and gives the music a different dimension. we love it!!
The song "Oh No" that seals the album is a kind of parody of dance songs, both in terms of its melody and in terms of lyrics. Sykes said he wrote this song about people who are his age, around 30, and still hang out and try to live like 18 years old.
This album has conquered the top of the various Billboard charts and is without a doubt another step in the band's musical change, which has completely abandoned the tough and stingy style from the first albums and continues the musical exploration and lyrics diversity, and we love it !! (Have we already emphasized this?)
Listen to the album on: Spotify, Apple Music