Bring Me the Horizon’s fans waited an anxious four years for a new masterpiece. The newest album, Amo, was met with mixed reactions due to its experimentation. But an album so varied truly has something for every fan.
One of the most unique songs on the album is “Nihilist Blues.” Lead singer Oliver Sykes said it was his Dad’s favorite on the album. It has a techno sound and its “I’m a spirit in a tomb” hook is bound to get caught in any listener’s head.
One of the songs that may be overlooked on the album is “Why You Gotta Kick Me When I’m Down.” But it is crucial because it makes a clear reference when it includes the line “what doesn’t kill me, well, it better run like hell.” This contrasts the attitude the band had when it made the song “Drown” back in 2015. “Drown” included the lyric “what doesn’t kill you makes you wish you were dead.” The contrast between old and new lyrics shows a major shift has happened to the band’s sound. Lead singer Sykes has discussed Amo as a love album, which is a true left turn for BMTH. The title of the album is a reference to one of the hits of the album, “Mother Tongue.” Sykes discusses the inspiration for this song being his love for a woman he had a chance meeting within another country. The shift in music was perhaps for the best for the band, because Amo is BMTH’s fifth Number 1 album.
Old fans may only pay attention to “What a Wonderful Life” because its heavy sound and growls resemble an older age for BMTH or the cult song “MANTRA.” But “MANTRA” is meant to bridge the band’s older music to their new sound, and the whole album is worth testing for both old and new fans. For example, “In The Dark” is a song that captures heartbreak with its lyrics, and “Sugar Honey Ice & Tea” is a rock song that combines old and new ideas for the band.
No fan can forget the catchy hit “Medicine” and how it shocked everyone with its pop sound and hold on the charts. Its edgy reference to Sykes’s old tweet saying “some people are a lot like clouds” gets any person hooked. But the song that made me want to get into Amo more was “Heavy Metal.” This song calls out fans that hate on BMTH for changing their sound. This bold song has a heavy sound that catches old fans’ attention and then calls them out for it. There’s nothing better than Sykes opening up about his relationship with the fanbase through this hit, and then introducing them to a whole new sound.
This album has led to the band’s First Love tour, though the rest of it has been canceled due to a vocal injury Sykes has suffered from. Regardless, Bring Me the Horizon has changed as a band, no matter the genre the songs are written in, their music is made with dedication, and that is truly what makes the band so compelling.