“The world doesn’t need light-hearted pop music right now – it needs anthems for anger” Oliver Sykes says, about his band’s roaring new album.
Many fans were disappointed by the way band Bring Me the Horizon went more mellow with their album Amo, which I reviewed in 2018. However, they are back with heavy music on their newest album. The band seemed to gain a lot from verging off in Amo and even seemed to reach back to their earlier music on this album. Overall, Post Human: Survival Horror is an amazing album that has arrived at the perfect time for fans.
The most surprising part of the album is the origin of the song “Parasite Eve.” The song seemed to hit the nail of the coronavirus on the head, yet it was written before the pandemic spread to its full height.
“While seeming all too relevant to the current coronavirus crisis, the song ‘Parasite Eve’ actually started to form last year when Sykes was reading about a Japanese superbug that had become heat resistant due to climate change. He borrowed the title from an old Playstation game and the band started to record the track back in February before the pandemic really took hold across the globe,” according to NME Magazine.
The band was hesitant to release the song, fearing it was too relevant. Ultimately, the band realized that was even more a reason to release. Their new album is one people are craving in quarantine. Sykes said about writing songs about revolution rather than pop songs like on Amo “In so many ways, we need to change. That’s what rock music is about – addressing the dark side and processing it.” So instead of sticking to what was easy, they made an album that stresses waking up, resisting, and fighting for change.
The album opens with the most intense song on the album, throwing back to their original work with a raging song called “Dear Diary.” The album is compact, without any songs that should have been cut. I always admire artists who stay succinct on albums.
The collaborations/features on this album truly stand out. The release of “Obey” featuring YUNGBLUD was astounding and the music video was both a powerful protest but also genuinely fun to watch. Another collaboration on the album is the song “Kingslayer” featuring BABYMETAL. This song didn’t stand out to me after the first listen but soon grew on me a lot. I even really enjoyed the parts that were not in English and overall the song is refreshingly new. The final collaboration on the album was on the song “1×1” with Nova Twins. This song I loved immediately, along with “Teardrops.” These two songs I wanted to listen to on repeat after just one listen.
Bring Me the Horizon have returned to heavy music, and they did it when people needed it most. I’ve been a fan of their music for a long time and supported each album, but this is one I love without even trying. I wish it had more songs on it in all honesty, but I’m proud to be a fan of a band that cares about reform and change and making the kind of music people need to hear. They’re a band that keeps their ear to the world, and continues to write from the heart.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Photos: Her Campus Media