Plenty on the Horizon for young rockers
Bring Me the Horizon has had a relatively slow climb to fame for a group of five guys that appear to be the epitome of young rock stars.
They have the aloof style, cool tattoos and a cultlike online following that seem to be the necessary traits of a hard rock group to earn young fans’ stamps of approval.
And yet it has taken 10 years of touring and four fulllength albums for the Sheffield, England-based band to get where it is today.
Frontman Oliver (Oli) Sykes says that’s right where they want to be: Q: Your latest album, Sempiternal, has made you many new fans — even among your previous critics. What makes this album different from your other releases? A: A lot of stuff, really. Before we wrote it we were coming off tour for something like eight years — it was just non-stop. We had never disappeared. And that was a huge thing before we went to write Sempiternal. Q: What has been the feedback from fans on your new sound? A: Universally, the feedback was really positive. People who were fans of the different CDs, even the first ones which were obviously a lot heavier, have really embraced it.
Obviously this album has a lot more melodic and pop influence, but we haven’t used that to get on the radio or get bigger — not consciously.
We needed to use that to make the lyrics stick, that’s the purpose for why the music is the way it is. It’s not just screaming and a clean chorus. We needed the music to represent an emotion, or a feeling, or a lyric and I don’t think it feels like we sold out. Q: The past two albums (Sempiternal and 2010’s There Is a Hell) have gone a lot deeper lyrically. Where did that come from? A: The new CD is probably the most honest because we tackle life and looking back from within. I felt like I could be honest and didn’t have to lie about anything because there was nothing to lie about anymore. I saw everything for the first time a bit clearer and I think a lot of people relate to what I’m saying because no matter what problems everyone has in life, it all comes down to the same kinds of feelings. Whether you cut, take drugs or have some sort of eating disorder — whatever you do to find some kind of release — the reason behind why people do what they do comes down to the same kind of roots, and I think that’s why people connect with (Sempiternal). Q: After 10 years as a band, what makes you want to keep recording and stepping out on stage? A: We have experienced every possible thing you could experience as a band — all the highs and lows. We’ve worked for it and I love that. We’ve got so much experience from it. We haven’t just got big and then played Wembley (Arena) or some other big venue and now have nothing left to do. We still have so much more to achieve. There is still so much to do with our band. It’s not over yet.