There are currently several bands paving the way to the future of Rock and Metal—but British band Bring Me The Horizon is something more. They are the past, present, and future of Rock and Metal all in one.
After numerous delays and a key member’s departure, Bring Me The Horizon finally announced a surprise release of POST HUMAN: NeX GEn (Sony Music/RCA Records) with less than twenty-four hour notice.
The record is the second installment of the POST HUMAN series, following 2020’s POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR. The band plans to make four records total for the series, each one presenting a different chapter of the apocalyptic story in varying genres. The style for NeX GEn combines emo and post-hardcore elements with Hyperpop.
Although this may sound hard to pull off, Bring Me nails it with every song and hook polished to perfection, making the long wait understandable and fully worth it.
The album opens with the twenty-second “[ost] dreamseeker,” emitting sound effects like a computer booting up. A robot voice whispers “let’s begin” and dives straight into the euphoric “YOUtopia.”
While the opener may not be as heavy as most recent single “Kool-Aid” would lead one to expect, it is undeniably a mesmerizing opener full of blissful melodies, dynamic ambience, massive instrumentals, and an outstanding vocal performance from Oli Sykes.
While many were convinced the departure of keyboardist and producer Jordan Fish would be the downfall of Bring Me The Horizon, every track on this album proves that theory wrong. Guitarist Lee Malia steps up to the plate to make the record shine with more melodious riffs than we have ever heard from the band.
“Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd” has sweet-sounding guitar lines throughout, up until the most chaotic mingling of video game sounds and double bass unleashes a breakdown no one would see coming. “a bulleT w/ my namE On” has a slew of intricate licks to go along with a classic post-hardcore Underoath feature.
And then there’s the thunderous Deftones-inspired drive of “liMOusIne” that wraps up with a screeching modern Metal breakdown, scratching an itch countless Bring Me fans have had for years.
Despite the track’s dark lyrics about Sykes’ battle with addiction, “n/A” has a playful, catchy tone that makes for one hell of an earworm. Opening with the line “My name’s Oli and I’m an addict” over a laid-back Weezer-esque chord progression briefly places you into a group therapy session with the vocalist. This, along with the inclusion of gang vocals recorded of the crowds from their recent UK tour, makes for an intimate song for fans to connect with.
Although it has been out for some time, the colossal “AmEN!” can not go unmentioned, as it has the most stadium-worthy chorus the group has ever written. Delivered like a cultic chant but belted like an uproarious call to arms, this track sums up the concept of the album with brilliantly executed lines like “All hail nex gen, can I get an amen?”
Bring Me The Horizon never fails to deliver a heart-wrenching closing track, and “DIg It” is absolutely no exception. Do not let its slow start fool you—this closer goes from a fragile electronic beat, to an epic downpour of sound and tear-jerking falsettos, to deathcore screams over an obliterating breakdown, topped off with a piercing clamor of glitching noise. This may be up there with the saddest songs the band have ever written…which is saying a lot.
The only thing you know when Bring Me The Horizon releases a new album, is that you don’t know anything. They have never been a band to do what is expected of them, and with NeX GEn, they created something no one would ever expect any artist to pull off.
This album is a masterpiece, and brings high hopes for the upcoming third and fourth POST HUMAN records.
Buy the album here:
https://www.bmthofficial.com/
10 / 10
COLLEEN KANOWSKY