Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal REVIEW

    
             In a stunning fit of being confronted with modern technology, a little band called Bring Me the Horizon found themselves facing a leak of their newest album in three years, Sempiternal, a few weeks ago. The leak, which appeared on the internet almost two months before the album's slated release date, prompted what may have been the most chill response ever. Not only was the album's release date moved back two weeks, but the entire record was made available for streaming on YouTube (via Vevo).
       Sempiternal marks the end of the Sheffield metalcore group's year-long hiatus, and the culmination of BMTH's transformation away from their debut sound. 2005's Count Your Blessings, a filthy stroll through deathcore replete with obnoxious guitars and lyrics as scathing as 'she starts her new diet of liquor and dick', is officially a thing of the past. Anyone who remembers the band's 2010 release There is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen it, There is a Heaven, Let's Keep it a Secret won't be surprised by the band's new direction. The airy, post-rock-y, epic verses of songs like 'Blessed with a Curse', or the ending of 'Anthem' are the new name of the game. And with this comes the most shocking change of events.
        Clean. Vocals.
        Yes, you read that right. Even if they are in the minority so far as Oliver Sykes' vocals go, the fact of the matter is BMTH is now singing. 'Hospital for Souls' features an extensive passage complete with melodic piano and light percussion as he softly croons 'Hold me close, don't let go, watch me...'.
         But if the cleans give you pause, rest assured. The standard mosh anthems of the past are still there to please. 'Antivist', 'Empire (Let Them Sing)', 'The House of Wolves', and debut single 'Shadow Moses' are fast, tight, and brutal, although 'Antivist' transcends all others as the most pulse-pounding. Perhaps it's the downplayed synth, which is on almost every other album, or maybe it's because Sykes eschews his new cleans in favor of vastly improved uncleans, or maybe it's even the fact that 'Antivist' is the angriest BMTH song  I've ever heard. Eloquence in the form of 'Middle fingers up, if you don't give a fuck!' and a few c-bombs and breakdowns round out the song as the album's strongest suite.
         As refreshing as it is to hear some good old fashioned 'Blacklist'-style mosh passages, however, the band's new sound bears much more discussion. Before I continue, I feel it's necessary to state that I'm not the biggest fan of the new direction. I like my music fast and heavy, and while Sempiternal satisfies that craving by throwing a few bones my way, most of the album (to me, anyway) sounds like a bizarre mixture of Deadmau5 ('Can You Feel My Heart') and new In Flames ('And the Snakes Start to Sing' reminds me of In Flames' 'The Attic') especially.
          That's not to say the band hasn't done a great job. This is a Hell, which was BMTH's first foray into this type of sound, was almost jarring as it attempted to use Suicide Season-style vocals with synth-heavy, melodic instrumentals (see: 'Don't Go'). It was, to put it lightly, too extreme of a juxtaposition to sound good. Sempiternal shifts this balance - while the instrumentals are 100% post-rock-y and completely unlike the band's previous material, the vocals have shifted accordingly and the sound now flows beautifully.
           However, it's the instrumentals that have mostly turned me off to Sempiternal. Again, with the exception of songs like 'Antivist', the mainstay Bring Me the Horizon musicianship - described by AP as 'subtle as a nuclear warhead' - has largely evaporated. Guitars are rarely used as anything but support, a drum machine has all but replaced Matt Nicholls, and the sytnh rules unopposed. Interesting? Very. Would I listen to it again? Probably not, but that's just personal preference.
            To conclude, Sempiternal is a fascinating romp through excellently melded post-rock and metalcore. It's a step in another direction completely for the Sheffield sextet, but at this point, expecting BMTH to do anything else is hoping against hope. Sempiternal has not yet unseated Suicide Season as the band's strongest suite (in my opinion), but it does do a great job. I'll definitely be seeing them at Warped this year.