Bring Me The Horizon

POST HUMAN: NeX GEn

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ft. Aurora, Daryl Palumbo, Lil Uzi Vert, Underoath.
Genre: Alternative Metal, Metalcore.
Released: 24/05/2024
Via RCA

Album Review: Bring Me The Horizon – POST HUMAN: NeX GEn

The world has changed in the last four years since Bring Me the Horizon released their last full collection of music. ‘POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR’ was meant to start a release of four EPs in 12 months. We’ve now arrived at phase 2 of this plan a lot longer down the line than expected. SURVIVAL HORROR charted at number five in the UK charts when it was released digitally only. When released physically, it debuted at number one. Since then, Horizon have headlined Reading and Leeds, Download, and their very own festival in Malta, becoming the standard bearers of heavy music and infiltrating the mainstream.

So where do we go from here? Horizon have become masters of doing whatever they want. All six of the singles they’ve released between SURVIVAL HORROR and now are present here, each very different from each other. From the pop lushness of ‘sTraNgeRs’ to the all out mayhem of ‘AmEN!’ and the surprisingly Pop Punk sensibilities of ‘LosT’. Let’s start there.

Pop Punk is a very prominent genre on the record, whether that’s the slacker, Weezer vibe of ‘YOUtopia’ or the electronic tinged variety of ‘Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd’. Then there’s ’n/A’ that has a Green Day quality to it. Horizon have never dabbled with Pop Punk before now, having turned their hand to many other genres, but this is another one for their collection. ’n/A’ features the gang vocals recorded on their last tour, which gives the song instant crowd interaction for a live setting.

That’s not to say that Horizon stick to a template throughout. ‘liMOusIne’ gives Deftones a run for their money, and AURORA lends her softer tones to really emphasise the heavy backdrop around her part. Oli Sykes does his best Chino Moreno impression and gives one of his best vocal performances. ‘a bulleT w- my namE On’ features Underøath and makes a lot of people’s dreams come true. If people think Underøath are still a Christian band, they’re in for a rude awakening after a lyric which has already caused controversy online.

Since keyboardist and producer, Jordan Fish’s abrupt and sudden departure, there’s been intrigue into whether the band would move towards their instruments and lean away from all of the electronica elements that have become part of their sound. If anything, they’ve embraced these elements even more. ‘[ost] puss-e’ & ‘[ost] (spi)ritual’ are the main culprits for this, but the electronica is all over the record. The production is industry leading, with every beat being meaningful and there’s nothing to fill empty space that doesn’t have a purpose.

This record shows Sykes at his most vulnerable but seemingly his most comfortable to talk about his issues. On ’n/A’ he speaks to the listener like it’s a counselling session, whilst ‘DIg It’ sees him lay everything bare. His issues are well documented, but this is the most open he’s been about them. It’s possibly the most cathartic album in his career.

With the aforementioned six singles out between the records, these were always going to be some of the strongest on the record. ‘AMeN!’ is in the conversation for the best song the band have ever written, whilst ‘Kool-Aid’ gives a stark reminder that when they want to be heavy, they can be.

Bring Me the Horizon are in a very interesting position in the world of music. Able to put feet either side of the line, able to appeal to any crowd they want to. If they rock up to Download again, they’ve got the heavy songs & if they get asked to play BBC’s Big Weekend, they’ve got the pop songs with the choruses. They’ve got songs that do both of these things, and that is why they’re the best active band in the world right now. No one can touch their catalogue, their live shows, the production, the craftsmanship over every single aspect of the band.

Bring Me The Horizon used to get laughed at for their looks and their take on metalcore. Now they’re the standard bearers for an entire scene of music, worldwide. They push and bend genres better than almost anyone and sound completely authentic whilst doing it. They write this music because that’s what they want to hear in the world. They have just released the blueprint for music until they release the next POST HUMAN. Bands follow what they do, but no one does it this well so get ready for a lot of clones to appear, but nothing will beat the original.