Bring Me The Horizon’s latest album POST HUMAN: NeX GEn is one of the best albums I’ve heard in a while. It was a pleasant surprise to discover this album only a week after it was released because I wasn’t initially planning for BMTH to release an album, mostly because I stopped following them. Ever since their album That’s The Spirit that came out in 2015 with Throne being their most popular song at the time, which sounded like a shitty, recycled Can You Feel My Heart, I completely lost interest. That album was a huge disappointment for me. Also because Oli had the worst hair style in 2015. It became clear that the original deathcore band that I loved from 2006 to 2010 was definitely not coming back. BMTH had taken a completely new direction that was too pop-like; they basically had sold out. Sempiternal was alright; it was still heavy enough, but you could definitely tell they were changing music directions.
But this album made me take interest in them again. It was a real treat to listen to after only a week it was released, especially during this Venus Cazimi. Funnily enough, Spotify was the reason. When going on one of my routine jogs along the river, the shuffling feature suggested the song Top 10 statues that cried blood, and I was immediately hooked. Ever since, I’ve been going for runs with the album playing in the background. The Venusian pleasure, the combination of being in nature, artistic expression, and music has never been this good in a while!
However, despite how awesome the album is to listen to, I kind of get a “muddy” vibe from it. The sound has a kind of flat, stratus cloud feel to it that covers everything, not leaving any room individual instrumentals to stand out dynamically from the rest. The muddy mixture ultimately radiated out a meaningless harmony, lacking distinction and clarity. Oli’s voice especially seemed faint or faded, suspended ethereally into the background from special effects and whatnot, which is a shame. Perhaps it’s because Oli isn’t the best singer, so they’re trying to hide this basic fact. It’s not that he’s not a great vocalist. His screams, especially in the early days, were certainly one of the best. The screams on this album are incredibly good and definitely take me back. It’s just a bummer they aren’t as razor sharp as they could be when attacking my ears.
My favorite song on the album is definitely Top 10 statues that cried blood. It’s surprising to see it so underrated due to the low amount of plays on Spotify compared to the other songs. It’s the best song on the album, in my opinion. I’ve listened to it on repeat for hours upon hours because the melody is ridiculously catchy. The brief pauses before the blasting of the chorus really pack a punch. The withdrawing and adding of instrumentals help create some dynamic to fight the “muddiness.’ When the melody is paired or entirely replaced with screaming, it makes me go wild. Again, the screams on this album are awesome. The cute little intro in the beginning gives me a kind of nostalgia, and when the full guitar sound comes in, it really does take me back or takes me into a happy memory that I wish I had or could’ve had. It’s one of those happy, feel good songs that makes me feel like I’m hanging out with a special friend over the summer days. It sounds like a friendship song even though it has nothing to do with that. The lyrics are dark and heavy, but has a positive, uplifting message. It’s about self-reliance in the face of our own obstacles, that we need to resolve our own problems ourselves because no one else is going to do it for us. And damn, ain’t that the fucking truth?! I love this message.
I only memorized the lyrics to that song. I need to pay attention to the other lyrics. I’ve read that there are quite a few easter eggs hidden throughout the album echoing their music from the past. I think I’ve already found one egg already actually. In 10 Statues the lyric, “Straight to our hearts and paint the walls with our love,” definitely references their song Alligator Blood from 2010, which is one of my favorite songs by them. In that song the lyric was, “Put a gun to my head and paint the walls with my brain.” And both songs have lyrics of “spilling guts.” I’m guessing they both have to do with vulnerability, except Alligator Blood is about failing to hide one’s vulnerability from everyone, is about being dependent on other people’s perception, “my alligator blood is starting to show.” While 10 Statues is about deliberately revealing one’s vulnerability, but there’s no one to reveal it too since the song is about being vulnerable to oneself because you’ve only got yourself.
Limousine, the song that comes right after 10 statues, started to grow on me. Oli’s slow and relaxed voice paired with the heavy guitars in the background make for a sexy sound indeed. The most popular songs Kool-Aid, Strangers, Darkside, Lost, and Die4u obviously sound catchy and are quite good. I find N/A to be pretty funny, yet authentic with Oli singing about his struggle with addiction.
Overall, I really like this album. There are some really good screams spread throughout making it well worth listening to if you’ve only liked BMTH in the early days, while at the same time there’s pleasurable, catchy pop melodies found in each song. It’s a pretty cool combination. I’ve found that when listening to music, I’d have to decide between heavy metal or pop, but this album has found a way to unite them both. And I’m super happy that they’ve stopped doing that kind of twangy, pitch distortion with Oli’s voice like they did with Can You Feel My Heart and Throne. That was honestly so annoying and a kind of cheap way of Oli singing the notes. They relied too heavy on this audio device making the music sound cheap and gay. I don’t know if Oli can truly sing, but it’s nice that he sounds good enough that he can almost sing like a normal vocalist even though his vocals are still hidden behind multiple layers of something.
The kitschy album cover is cute, and the chaotic use of capital letters is both funny and kind of clever or witty. BMTH seems to be in sync with how the youth feels about most things in the media. What’s the point of capital letters? Why type properly? Is anything serious or truly better than another? These aesthetic choices are fitting for the “post human,” “postmodern,” “muddy techno” vibe they’re going for. Kitschy aesthetics in general really are in bad taste, but child-like figures with big eyes are definitely some of my favorite themes in kitsch artwork. Of course it would be for me, look at my fursuit. Is that not a form of kitsch?