Even from their earliest days as surprisingly heavily tattooed teenagers whipping up metalcore fury, Bring Me The Horizon have always been unapologetically ambitious.
Recent years have seen them headline Wembley Arena and break through the pop stronghold into Radio 1’s playlist, and with That’s The Spirit, they’ve hit a new direction and a creative peak that finally matches their thirst for fame and fortune.
Their influences are clear, with echoes of Linkin Park in the lush electronics, polished vocals, angst-drenched screams and studied gloom of opener Doomed, a dash of Faith No More’s Be Aggressive in the cheerleader chants of album highlight Happy Song – which drips with sarcasm and ennui – and a little of the drama queen lyrical histrionics of My Chemical Romance (’You make me want to slit my writs and play in my own blood’ sings frontman Oli Skyes on What You Need).
Sykes uses his platform to bitterly settle old scores, to revel in humanity’s fucked-upness, and even to give an unexpectedly beautiful declaration of adoration on the sumptuous Follow You. It’s outsiderdom cunningly designed for mainstream consumption, edgy but accessible, sour but singalong. If anything’s going to provide them with the far-reaching success they crave, it’s That’s The Spirit.
