Album Review: Bring Me The Horizon - amo

Synth-laden electronica isn’t what first comes to mind when thinking of England’s Bring Me The Horizon, yet i apologise if you feel something comes completely out of left field and sets a very haunting and eerie vibe to kick off the band's sixth studio release, amo.

But don’t turn your volume up too high just yet, because we're straight into MANTRA, with its angsty and dirty guitar melody. Singer Oliver Sykes’ passive aggression fuels the fire of this track; one of only three “heavy” songs on the album. The computerised delivery of the word “mantra” is a quirky hook that melds their new heavy-electronica sound together well.

The album dips between its heavy roots and this new wave of deep, dirty synth-pop, making it seem quite scattered at times. Throw away your preconceptions of what Bring Me The Horizon have been in years past though and the songs are experimentally different and very, very catchy. Nihilist blues features Canadian electro-pop act Grimes, and is about as deep as you can get into the electronic-pop universe. With Grimes’ robotic vocals repeating “We are lost in a labyrinth/Please don’t follow”, it feels like a thumping club tune putting us in a deep electronic trance; yes, this is Bring Me The Horizon we’re talking about.

In the dark and ouch feature female vocals at the forefront, laden in reverb and effects. These tracks provide time to unwind and actually appreciate the production that's gone into this release. Wonderful life has a no-bullshit attitude, “Nobody cares if I'm dead or alive/Oh what a wonderful life”, and medicine navigates the waters of letting go of those who take from you but don’t give back, “You need a taste of your own medicine/‘Cause I’m sick to death of swallowing”. These harsh convictions are doused in poppy melodies and jumping beats that sometimes even delve into pop-punk at times. Clever lyrics are sprinkled throughout, and a sure-to-be fan favourite is the acronym hidden behind, “We’re all so full of/Sugar, honey, ice and tea". Mixed in with some darker bass lines, the song's sickly sweet melodic chorus is a fun expression of the band's indifference towards the way they’re perceived globally.

The home run though is second-last track heavy metal. Featuring US beatboxer and rapper Rahzel, it's a diss track to the negative reception of their latest works and a hilarious piss-take of their online haters, who the band frankly don’t seem to care about at all. Its hook - “‘Cause some kid on the 'gram in a Black Dahlia tank says it ain’t heavy metal” - and the creative mix of metal guitars, hip hop beats, beatboxing, rapped lyrics and scattered melodies make it a major standout track. As the song closes out “This shit ain’t heavy metal” gets worked up into a scream, holding a figurative finger up to the opinions BMTH pay no mind too.

This album deserves to be given the time to let the changes sink in. This new direction is not the end of the world. It's a new world altogether, and it’s looking pretty sweet.