Bring Me the Horizon have never sounded quite so ambitious as they do on There Is a Hell, and the end result is a frantic, soaring opera of lyricist Oliver Sykes’ internal meditation. There are of course the standard elements of Count Your Blessings style deathcore, breakdowns and blastbeats can be found throughout the album. But the band appears to have tried to step away from this trend, a welcome relief from the oversaturation of this approach to song writing in the current metal scene. Instead Bring Me the Horizon employ a mixture of harmonious sonics, choir-esque vocals, and electronic components that balance out the band’s new, thrashier punk influenced sound. The quiet, contemplative violin and driving drums behind Oliver’s insistent voice on “Don’t Go” are an excellent example of this.
That’s not to say Bring Me the Horizon have gone soft. They are still heavy as ever, writing some unique and pounding breakdowns, to accompany their classic gang shouts. These are simply made more appealing due to the juxtaposition of the softer non-traditional elements. “Anthem” and “Alligator Blood” show the band’s newer approach to writing heavy music. Lee Malia and newcomer Jona Weinhofen keep the guitars clean, and slow down the riffs, almost recalling a bluesy Pantera at some points.
There Is a Hell is an engaging and urgent piece of music. Bring Me the Horizon definitely had a lot they wanted to accomplish in this album, and while it may at some points drag, the listener has to appreciate their vision and desire to move things forward. Sykes lyrically shines, and ties much of the album’s concept into his previous writings. He sounds determined to make you see how he feels, and while he has always been tortured, he has never sounded so exhausted and beaten down. When Olivier frantically cries “God forgive me, for all my sins,” he doesn’t sound like he thinks that anyone is listening, but at the same time he doesn’t seem to care.
By the end of There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret., you think you have a grasp on Bring Me the Horizon’s new style, but they’re sure to change it again. Bring Me the Horizon didn’t make this album for the public, because they desperately needed to make this album for themselves. And as always, they don’t care if you like it or not.
Key Tracks: "It Never Ends", "Alligator Blood", "Blessed With A Curse".
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