Music Feeds’ Love Letter to a Record series asks artists to reflect on their relationship with the music they love and share stories about how it has influenced their lives. Here, guitarist Deni Hourihan of Newcastle-based heavy outfit Vilify share their affection for Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘Sempiternal’ (2013).
Vilify have just released the monstrous single ‘Odyssey’, produced and mixed by Chris Blancato (Northlane, Reliqa). The song was inspired by front person Amy’s feeling of loss, anger, and confusion at losing her father early on in her childhood. In a statement, the band said the song “raises issues around wondering if her father would be proud of the person she has become and how he would have shaped her life if he was still alive”.
Vilify’s love letter to Bring Me The Horizon’s Sempiternal
Deni Hourihan: Sempiternal came out when I was 19 and in my first year of uni. Now when I listen to the album, my mind is flooded with memories of carpooling with my best friend and blaring the songs as loud as the car speakers would allow. Of course, the car also had a subwoofer, which was all the rage in 2013, so the low end was really pumping, and we got a lot of glaring looks (especially around campus), but we didn’t care.
The dynamic and melodic nature of the songs promoted creativity and provided me with an escape inside my head when I was stressed and cramming for tests or just needed a hand on my shoulder to get me through the day. For some reason, the emotion and passion exuding from these songs really enhances whatever feelings or sensations I’m experiencing and helps to provide me with a general clarity and perspective on my life.
Full of attitude and aggression, this album formed a gateway for me into heavy music, which I will be forever thankful for. I still listen regularly and use it as inspiration in my own writing. I hope to someday write a body of music which evokes as much feeling and creativity as Sempiternal does for me. It will forever be one of my favourite albums.
Vilify – ‘Odyssey’
Further Reading:
Bring Me The Horizon, Deftones Headline Good Things 2022 Lineup
Bring Me the Horizon: “We’re Never Going to Become a Full-Blown Pop Band”
Love Letter To A Record: The Last Martyr’s Monica Strut On Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘Sempiternal’
