Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW Post Human: Survival Horror by Bring me the Horizon

Katie Dunne

4/5

Following the success of Bring Me The Horizon’s 2019 Grammynominated album ‘Amo’, one might have expected the Sheffield rock band to repeat the bright, synth-heavy formula that worked for them in this 2020 release. However, the opposite is true. In ‘Post Human: Survival Horror’, the first EP in what will be a series of four, BMTH have taken a darker route, with heavier guitars, screamed vocals, and a revisit of the sound of some of the band’s earlier work now redone with a pleasant modern twist.

This EP opens with a bang with ‘Dear Diary’, furious onslaught which sets the scene for the industrial, cyberpunk inspired sound of the record. Fans of the band’s 2008 release ‘Suicide Season’ will be happy to hear a return of this heavier, more more aggressive tone from the band. With sentiments of referencing isolation and the end of the world echoing throughout the record, it is not just the sound and instrumentation that will be all too familiar to listeners.

From the dark, enchanting ‘Parasite Eve’ to the Linkin Park inspired ‘Obey’, to the industrial sound of ‘Ludens’, the singles for this record were promising releases, leaving fans optimistic for ‘Post Human: Survival Horror’ and it certainly did not dissapoint! On all three, and indeed on just about every song on the record, we hear modern BMTH at their best - catchy choruses and hooks, with powerful guitars effortlessly combined with a modern electronic feel, which will leave any fan listening counting down the days

until concerts are allowed again, and the songs can be heard live.

Lyrically, ‘Post Human: Survival Horror’ is heavily inspired by the pandemic, as well as general political themes and the fight for climate justice. With lyrics such as “when we forget the infection, will we remember the lesson?” and “don’t wake up and smell the corruption”, this record is an anthem for the modern day. Having said that, no one could accuse lyricist and frontman Oliver Sykes of being overly poetic; he is at times, to the point and very on the nose (“it’s not the end of the world - oh, wait”, “I think I’m losing my mind”), and so this record may simply fall flat for those who enjoy listening to the lyrics.

The featured artists on this EP help it to excel - from Yungblud to Evanescence’s Amy Lee, these collaborations help to keep it sounding new and fresh. The former does surprisingly well on the anti-establishment anthem ‘Obey’. Japanese metal band Babymetal add exuberance to ‘Kingslayer’, with the fantastical lyricism making it sound like an anime opening, and rock duo Nova Twins work perfectly with the nu-metal inspired ‘1x1’. The EP closes on the powerful ballad with a ridiculously long title, wherein Amy Lee is a voice for Mother Earth singing to the world, in a song cleverly disguised as a typical love song.

Through returning to their earlier sound, yet adding a modern twist, this EP is brutally relevant for today, and perhaps the cyberpunk future of tomorrow. One thing is for certain - if this first EP in the ‘Post Human’ series is anything to go by, we may be entering an exciting new era of music from BMTH.