If That’s The Spirit does anything for Bring Me The Horizon, it would be that it solidifies the band’s placement among next year’s arena rock acts. These songs are no longer meant for small clubs or theaters; maybe not even Warped Tour. That’s The Spirit proves that the band are no longer the near-deathcore quintet from Britain that scene kids came to know and love. While they may have wandered from their roots, they have proving their anthemic songwriting capabilities will make them stand out for years to come. This could be the rock record of the year.
What I admire so much about this album is the fact that everyone knew their sound change was inevitably going to occur, but it wasn’t forced upon the fan base. Little by little, album by album, the band began to introduce a taste of what could come in the future, starting with their third album There Is A Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven Let’s Keep It A Secret. They didn’t completely abandon the sounds heard on Suicide Season, but they had started to enhance their sound with the incorporation of electronic elements. Sempiternal furthered their sound and provided the perfect synthesis of the first three albums, while introducing Oli Syke’s singing capabilities. They weren’t perfect the first time around, but he has since improved IMMENSELY.
I think that when the track “Drown” was released (track nine on the album), there was a general consensus of “holy shit” that was going around, in the sense that these guys were about to do something big. From the second that “Doomed” starts playing, you can tell that this is going to be a big deal. The track transitions into “Happy Song”, one of the earlier, jaw-dropping singles that sounds like something you’d hear more on alternative rock radio than on the main stage of Mayhem Festival. “Throne”, my personal favorite from the album, will probably give fans chills when they get to sing along with the band at any future live show.
“True Friends” and “Follow You” both showcase Syke’s capability at writing rather heartfelt lyrics, a side we began to see burgeoning more on Sempiternal. “Avalanche” ups the ante before hitting it right out of the park with “Run”. The album closes with “Oh No”, which almost gave me visions of an Arctic Monkey’s song.
The consensus? Bring Me The Horizon have created yet another masterpiece.
This has been another Shameless Promotion.