UPDATE 17/02/16: BMTH have just announced a 2016 Australian headlining tour to make up for their cancelled Soundwave dates. As a result, all below references to their former tour have been altered.
Bring Me The Horizon have gone and done it. They’ve officially become more well-known than the Captain Jack Sparrow quote after which they were named.
And now, the ragtag Yorkshire fivesome are in the fast-lane to become the future Biggest Band On Earth.
Here’s why.
1. They’ve Already Cracked Australia
Because let’s face it, Australia takes up a lot of surface area. So if you’re going to be the world’s biggest band, Aussies need to like you.
And judging by the fact that their brand new LP, the game-changing That’s The Spirit, just debuted at number #1 on the ARIA Charts (beating out the likes of Slayer and Iron-freaking-Maiden to become their THIRD album to hit the sweet spot), plus the fact that they scored 3 songs in the triple j Hottest 100 of 2015 (officially accounting for 50% of the heavy music in the entire countdown) not to mention the collective orgasm of excitement that greeted their latest Australian tour announcement, BMTH have got Down Under wrapped up.
Thank YouThank you #ThatsTheSpirit
Posted by BRING ME THE HORIZON on Monday, September 21, 2015
2. They’re True Artists
Usually when a band breaks new commercial ground with an album, it’s partly thanks to working with a shit-hot producer who’s helped shape their sound, like System Of A Down did with Rick Rubin (Toxicity) or AC/DC did with Mutt Lange (Highway To Hell, Back In Black, etc.).
That’s The Spirit is a commercial & critical smash, and BMTH produced the whole fucking thing themselves.
The thrifty kents enlisted frontman Oli Sykes and keyboardist Jordan Fish as the album’s “unofficial” producers to save money, and reportedly used the savings to hire a personal trainer to whip them into shape during the recording process.
Fitness and success in the face of shameless tight-arsery? That is the mark of a true artist.
3. They’ve Already Done The Hard Yards
BMTH earned their stripes through years spent slogging it out in the deathcore and metalcore scenes across the UK and beyond, clawing every inch of success on the slow journey upwards.
Since their formation in the early 2000’s, they’ve steadily built up a diehard metalcore fanbase around the world.
And now that they’ve set their sights on the mainstream, they’re taking that fanbase with them. Which brings us to…
4. They’re Making The Mainstream Their Bitch
Popstars are one thing, but when a well-known, well-respected band decides to dramatically change their sound in a bid to keep up with the times, it’s almost always doomed to fail. Lest we forget Mötley Crüe’s misguided grunge phase or Korn’s terrifying foray into dubstep. But BMTH have given us a textbook example of how to do it right.
Despite the predictable outcry from the post-hardcore purists, their musical transformation has been met with widespread support, celebration and, as we’ve mentioned, success.
This is because – for one thing – the change feels organic. If you look back across BMTH’s five-album trajectory, they’ve always been headed in this direction, constantly evolving with more ambitious, complex songwriting styles each time.
And now that they’ve finally crossed over the line into stadium rock territory, they’re not just copying what others have done; they’re doing it their own way and innovating the genre. Which, to be perfectly honest, is in dire need of innovation.
We’re living in a time when guitar-driven music seems to be making an appearance in the commercial charts less and less frequently. Multiple pundits have declared it either dead or dying, and concerned Samaritans on both the local and international level are calling for more support for up-and-coming rock acts.
What the genre desperately needs is one young band to come along, change the game, and open the floodgates for everyone else.
Bring Me The Horizon could be that band.
And as further proof that they’re kicking the mainstream right in the dick, Aussie pop punk juggernauts 5 Seconds Of Summer have even taken some cues from them, attempting to cover their recent single Drown, thus bringing BMTH’s music to an EVEN GIRTHIER audience.
Watch: 5 Seconds Of Summer – Drown (BMTH Cover) Live At BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge
5. Oli Sykes
Not only is frontman Oli Sykes a gun songwriter, producer, MUSIC VIDEO DIRECTOR and adorable stray dog adopter, he’s also a total vocal chameleon.
That’s The Spirit showcases all of the myriad tones and nuances of Sykes’ dynamite voice, from sweet falsetto croons to ball-tearing screams, positioning him as one of modern music’s most formidable vocalists.
Did we mention he’s also a total babe-o-rama?
6. They’re About As Real As It Gets
Though some parents might shudder at the thought of referring to reformed alcoholics and drug addicts like Bring Me The Horizon as “role models”, that’s very much what they’ve become.
Since revealing his personal struggles with the drug ketamine in 2014, Sykes in particular has never shied away from speaking openly about his battles with addiction, depression and even suicidal thoughts.
Incredibly heavy issues, which way too many young people – and seriously, just people in general – are dealing with every single day.
And not only does Sykes talk candidly about these issues, he also writes about them in his music. And I’d wager that a huge part of the reason why That’s The Spirit has already done so well commercially is because Sykes’ raw, no-bullshit lyrics are resonating with a generation of people who are feeling fucked in the head, alone and depressed. And making them feel less so.
While the rest of the mainstream music world is singing about big booties, snorting cocaine and petty social feuds, BMTH are inspiring their listeners to keep on fighting.
Cause if we sing along a little fucking louder to a happy song, we’ll be just fine.
Listen: Bring Me The Horizon – Happy Song
7. Most Of The World’s Other Big Rock Acts Are Older Than Our Grandparents… And Will Probably Die Soon
I mean… just LOOK at Keith Richards.
“It’s about getting almost as old as these non-stop Pirates Of The Caribbean references.”
Then again, considering his track record of surviving WWII bombings, onstage electrocutions and coconut tree falls, Richards may be indestructible.
8. They’re The Musical Equivalent Of Kellogg’s Just Right
Not so brutal that they make the ears of everyone who doesn’t regularly carve the Cannibal Corpse logo into their skin with a rusty razor blade haemorrhage blood, but still heavy enough to rock the shit out of a stadium AND stand out among the popular swarm of sugary pop, indie and electro acts that seem to be glutting the modern airwaves.
Not too heavy, not too light, Just Right 😉
Before Bring Me The Horizon become the biggest band in the world, you can catch them touring Australia in September of this year (details below), or check out our rave review of their new album, That’s The Spirit, here.
Watch: Bring Me The Horizon – Throne
Bring Me The Horizon ‘That’s The Spirit’ Australian Tour 2016
Telstra Thanks pre-sale available from 10am Friday, 19th February to 10am Monday, 22nd February
Tickets on sale to general public 10am Wednesday, 24th February
Wednesday, 14th September 2016
HBF Stadium, Perth (All Ages)
Tickets: Live Nation
Friday, 16th September 2016
Riverstage, Brisbane (Lic / All Ages)
Tickets: Live Nation
Saturday, 17th September 2016
Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (Lic / All Ages)
Tickets: Live Nation
Tuesday, 20th September 2016
AEC Theatre, Adelaide (Lic / All Ages)
Tickets: Live Nation
Thursday, 22nd September 2016
Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne (Lic / All Ages)
Tickets: Live Nation
