Since the release of comeback single Mantra, all eyes have been on Bring Me The Horizon to see what upcoming album Amo will bring. Following the band’s appearance at Reading festival, frontman Oli Sykes revealed to us that the single was inspired by the concept of love being like a cult.
Surely this doesn’t sound like a positive spin on human emotion?
“It’s not anti-love, it’s unbiased in that respect, it just explores stuff,” says Oli matter-of-factly. “I went through a divorce a couple of years ago and I was really reluctant to write about it, but in the end I needed to get it out of me and deal with it. Not that I was so broken up about it, but sometimes when you go through something traumatic, even when you think you’re over it you don’t realise what you’re still holding on to. Whether it’s the way you treat other people or losing trust, I thought I need to explore this myself so I can deal with it.
“It’s not really an angry record or anything like that, it’s more about looking at stuff and going over it and mentally dumping it. It goes in to stuff that’s not about me that’s more about society and stuff like that. You’ll find out.”
Much has been discussed online about the band’s sonic direction on Amo. Following the release of Mantra, Oli was quoted as saying the album is more experimental than anything the band have done before. But don’t expect an avant-garde jazz album.
“Our last record (That's The Spirit) we set out to make a record we could see ourselves playing in bigger venues – I like to call it a big-budget rock album – and every song could have been a single,” says Oli with an air of pride. “I always looked up to Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory where every song could be a single. I know some people don’t think that’s so cool, but I used to think that was amazing.
“With [Amo] it’s a bit different. We’ll write some songs that can be on the radio – we love to write those songs, it’s a challenge for us – but at the same time we’re gonna write some songs that throw everything out the window that you know about us. You couldn’t even edit it into a single if you wanted to. We’re gonna do whatever the fuck we want. In some aspects it’s a heavier record, which sounds so cliché, but it is.
“Don’t get me wrong, if anyone’s thinking we’re going to bring out a much heavier album, it’s not. There are some songs that are poppier than anything we’ve ever done before, but there are some songs that are weirder. Some that don’t even sound like rock songs, they’re still heavy and dark, but they tap into a different psyche and place. It sounds nothing like anything we’ve ever done before.”
Amo is out January 11 2019 and available to pre-order now.
Bring Me The Horizon are touring the UK in November and tickets are onsale now.
Bring Me The Horizon 2018/19 tour dates
Nov 05: Stuttgart Schleyer-Halle, Germany
Nov 06: Hamburg Sporthalle, Germany
Nov 08: Berlin UFO Im Velodrome
Nov 09: Chemnitz Messe, Germany
Nov 10: Vienna Stadthalle, Austria
Nov 12: Zurich Samsung Hall, Switzerland
Nov 13: Milan Forum, Italy
Nov 14: Munich Zenith, Germany
Nov 16: Antwerp Lotto, Belgium
Nov 17: Frankfurt Jahrhunderthalle, Germany
Nov 18: Dusseldorf Mitsubishi Electric Halle, Germany
Nov 20: Amsterdam AFAS Live, Netherlands
Nov 21: Paris Le Zenith, France
Nov 23: Birmingham Arena, UK
Nov 24: Leeds First Direct Arena, UK
Nov 25: Glasgow SSE Hydro, UK
Nov 27: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, UK
Nov 29: London Alexandra Palace, UK
Nov 30: London Alexandra Palace, UK
Jan 23: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, TN
Jan 25: Orlando CFE Arena, FL
Jan 26: Atlanta Coca-Cola Roxy, GA
Jan 28: Fairfax EagleBank Arena, VA
Jan 29: New York Hammerstein Ballroom, NY
Feb 01: Boston Tsongas Center At UMass Lowell, MA
Feb 02: Montreal Place Bell, QC
Feb 04: Detroit Fillmore, MI
Feb 05: Chicago Aragon Ballroom, IL
Feb 06: Minneapolis Armory, MN
Feb 08: Dallas South Side Ballroom, TX
Feb 09: Houston Revention Music Center, TX
Feb 11: Denver The Fillmore Auditorium, CO
Feb 13: Los Angeles The Forum, CA
Feb 15: Phoenix Comerica Theatre, AZ
Feb 16: Las Vegas The Joint At Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, NV
Apr 10: Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Australia
Apr 12: Sydney Qudos bank Arena. Australia
Apr 13: Melbourbe Rod Laver Arena, Australia
