Bring Me The Horizon have long been one of the hardest acts to categorise in the modern day alt-rock/metal scene.
Not only has every release in their catalogue seen the English-based outfit drastically change their sound, it’s also always been two steps ahead of the crowd, with each of their seven releases delivering a sound that’s ended up being the dominant direction of alternative heavy music for the next few years to come.
Their consistent influence is undeniable, and their newest release, POST HUMAN: NeX GEn, is no exception to this sentiment. Melding elements of pop-rock, emo, metal, drum and bass and hyperpop all in one, NeX GEn is a kaleidoscopic boiling pot of genres, styles and influences. It’s chaotic, yet perfectly relevant, delivering a sound that ties in seamlessly with the Y2K emo resurgence ever so prevalent on Tik Tok.
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‘YOUtopia’ and ‘LosT’ lean heavily into new age pop-punk, with vocalist Oli Sykes’ newly found clean vocals matching the high-pitched tones of the ambient guitar leads and upbeat two-step rhythms. ‘Top 10 staTuses tHat CriEd bloOd’, ‘a bullet w/ my namE On’ and ‘n/a’ tie in turbulent hyperpop breakdowns and anime-dub synths akin to 100 Gecs or Cake Pop, while ‘p.u.s.s.-e’ utilises Cynthoni’s (fka. Swerslvt) trademark dark electronica production to reroute into thumping drum ‘n bass territory.
In other curve balls, ‘liMOsIne’ sees the group channel sleazy distorted rock stylings akin to Deftones; ‘DIg It’ ushers in experimentation with slow-burning harmonics and reverb-laden shoegaze breakdowns, and ‘AmEN!’ dabbles into rap/rock changeups thanks to collabs from Lil Uzi Vert.
It’s an album that is so diverse and forward-thinking that it’s hard to place amongst any sub-genre of the current alt-rock/metal scene, completely separating the group into a genre of their own. And before any die-hard fans start claiming that “Bring Me The Horizon aren’t metal anymore”, NeX GEn does see the group finally bringing back Oli Sykes’ famous gutturals.
Still, it’s a release that cuts its teeth more on pop-rock than it does death metal– which will undoubtedly annoy certain long term fans– giving younger fans the perfect gateway album to discover the world of alternative rock and metal.
Having grown up in the early 2000’s, it’s hard to look past the influence that acts like Linkin Park had on the mainstream, ultimately introducing breakdowns and screaming to the masses, and in turn, influencing an entire new wave of metal musicians. Here’s hoping Bring Me The Horizon’s new found accessibility can have that same impact on the NeX GEn of heavy music listeners.
If their play counts a week after release are anything to go by, it seems they already have.
Label: Sony Music Australia/RCA
Release Dates: Out Now
Listen to the album here.
