Revisiting Bands - Bring Me The Horizon

Guess whose back? Back again? Mike is…well you probably guessed it was me. I’m the only one who contributes to this page. Anyhow, this installment of Revisiting Bands takes me to another band I’ve never had much time for, regardless of their change in musical style. Today, I approach a band who will be joining the league of Festival Headliner bands sooner rather than later (starting possibly at Download 2017?) – Bring Me The Horizon.

My Relationship With Bring Me The Horizon – I don’t have one. I’ve never listened to an album in full. I have heard a handful of songs on the radio (more so on their later albums) and not had strong feelings about any of them (I did like the acoustic cover The Hype Theory, now Tigress, did of Can You Feel My Heart from Sempiternal). It looks very much like Bring Me will headline festivals next year and from now on, so I want to give them another shot to see if my opinion can be swayed.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS (2006) – It could be a waste of time me listening to this album as there is very little deathcore I’ve listened to that I like. The first two tracks did very little for me. Braille is an alright song. A Lot Like Vegas is probably one of my favourite songs on the album. Black and Blue didn’t do a lot for me. Slow Dance was over quickly, which was nice. Liquor & Love Lost is really good. (I Used To Make Out With) Medusa was pretty decent. Fifteen Fathoms, Counting is, I assume, an intro track to the final song. Otherwise, it being on the album doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense. Off The Heezay didn’t do a lot for me. That album was better than I thought it would be, but I didn’t have high hopes going in. That’s something I guess.
Album MVP – Liquor & Love Lost
Also Recommended – A Lot Like Vegas, (I Used To Make Out With) Medusa.

SUICIDE SEASON (2008) – So just looking at some of these track names, I already know more of this album going in than I did Count Your Blessings. The Comedown, the opening track, was alright. Chelsea Smile is a song I know and didn’t have much time for before. Having listened again, I still don’t. Had it ended at the 2-minute mark, it would have been a belter. However, it is 5 minutes long and that is a drag. It Was Written In Blood was pretty decent. Death Breath was really good. The football season being over is usually a good thing for me, but the song Football Season Is Over does very little for me. Sleep With One Eye Open is good as is Diamonds Aren’t Forever. The Sadness Will Never End is another decent song. No Need For Introductions, I’ve Read About Girls Like You On The Back Of Toilet Doors was a waste of a minute if I’m being perfectly honest. I’ll never get that minute back. Oh well. The title track was decent I felt but it really could have been 4 minutes long. This album has quite a few decent songs on it actually. I still don’t overly like any of the ones I knew from the album though.
Album MVP – Death Breath
Also Recommended – Diamonds Aren’t Forever, It Was Written In Blood

THERE IS A HELL, BELIEVE ME I’VE SEEN IT. THERE IS A HEAVEN, LET’S KEEP IT A SECRET (2010) – In the spirit of honesty, I sighed when I saw how long the opening track was. There have been a handful of instances where, in my opinion, the band could have ended the song earlier and had a better song as a result. That is not the case with Crucify Me – this song is good. Anthem is alright as is It Never Ends. Fuck is also alright. You can definitely hear the difference from where they started on Count Your Blessings and this. I didn’t think much of Don’t Go. Home Sweet Home is a good song. Alligator Blood didn’t do a lot for me. Neither did Visions really. I do like Blacklist thought. Memorial might mean something to people who know more about the band than I do. To me though, I don’t see why it is there. Same as Fifteen Fathoms, Counting from the first album. I thought Memorial was almost 5 minutes long until I realised Blessed With A Curse has a really long intro. The song didn’t do a lot for me. The Fox And The Wolf was a lively way to end the album. I thought it was alright. Overall I would say the album was fairly decent – my favourite one of the three so far. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it made me a fan of them though.
Album MVP – Crucify Me
Also Recommended – Home Sweet Home, The Fox And The Wolf

SEMPITERNAL (2013) – I will be interested to see how I react to this album, because it was around this album that Bring Me started to become huge. If memory serves me correctly anyway. Can You Feel My Heart is an excellent song. The House Of Wolves and Empire (Let Them Sing) are both very good songs. Sleepwalking is another really good song. This album is off to a very strong start. Go To Hell, for Heaven’s Sake is another strong song.  Shadow Moses is another excellent song. And the Snakes Start to Sing didn’t do much for me. Seen It All Before is alright. Antivist is really good. Crooked Young is decent enough. The album closes out on Hospital For Souls, which is an alright song. On the whole, I really like this album.
Album MVP – Can You Feel My Heart
Also Recommended – Shadow Moses, The House Of Wolves.

THAT’S THE SPIRIT (2015) – Right then. If Sempiternal started Bring Me’s journey to the big leagues, this was the album which got them there. Anyway, the songs. Doomed is an alright start. I don’t think it is as good as Can You Feel My Heart in terms of album openers. Happy Song and Throne are very good songs. True Friends is another very good song. This album is very different to Count Your Blessings. I can’t fault them for that though. Follow You is a fine example of how far the band have come from the CYB days. The song is a good one, but it is very different to old Bring Me. What You Need is a very good song. Avalanche is a good song. Run is a very good song, as is Drown. Drown is the best the album has to offer. Blasphemy is an alright song, as is Oh No. The album on the whole is very good. I can see why, on the back of this, they are doing arena dates later in 2016.
Album MVP - Drown
Also Recommended – Throne, Happy Song, Run

CONCLUSION – I can see why Bring Me The Horizon will be a mainstream festival headliner next year. Have they sold out by doing this? Well, if they have, it has worked. They have definitely changed their sound with each album from a deathcore band to a rock band. It is this reason which is why I would argue they haven’t “sold out” as such – because their sound has changed with each album. If they released That’s The Spirit straight after Count Your Blessings, then that would be different. As for my enjoyment of the band? I didn’t like Count Your Blessings and Suicide Season was a mixed bag for me. I did like There Is a Hell and I thought Sempiternal overall was a very good album. That’s The Spirit is also a very good album but gun to my head, I’d say I prefer Sempiternal. I went into this revisit knowing very little about Bring Me The Horizon – I leave it liking two of their albums and some of their other material as well. I guess you could call me a casual fan? I’m not sure what that will actually entail other than actually listening to their music occasionally but still.  

Next time I write one of these blogs, it will be about a band I love. It will be about Slipknot.