Bring Me The Horizon. Suicide Season.

Bring Me The Horizon’s debut, released a couple of years ago now, “This is What the Edge of Your Seat Was Made For”, was impressive. Two years on, they’ve released their second album, “Suicide Season”. Before hearing this album, fans were slightly cautious. The so-called ‘scene’ has always been divided on BMTH, either loving or hating them. However, on playing the album, The Comedown and Chelsea Smile just jump out. These two tracks are quite different from the previous albums, which had roots very much in metal, with a strong The Black Dahlia Murder feel to them. The new tracks are more reminiscing of  Bury Your Dead’s sound: more chunky and melodic, with Sykes- vocals- combining desperate shouting with his usual throaty roar. The guitar work, too, is very different and sways more on melodic chords than riffs, as on the previous album. You’ll find no pinched harmonic squeals here.

                  After the initial two tracks, the album slows down with It Was Written In Blood and has an almost creepy feel to it which then piles straight into Death Breath, which again has much more melody and cleaner vocals than previous BMTH songs. Next up is Football Season Is Over, which is a pure two minute thrash out which has similar riffs to the previous album going up scales but does feature a break mid song with clean vocals focusing around drinking. Track 7 of Suicide Season starts with the repeated lines, ‘we will never sleep, cause sleep is for the weak’, which sets the mood for Sykes’ true fierce vocals bellowing out, melodic element still present. The Sadness Will Never End is a first for BMTH. Mid-way through the song, the chorus features clean vocals and shows BMTH are expanding their style even more; perhaps moving away from the purely metal element, more on the lines of Underoath’s catchier songs. Track 9 is almost certainly the heaviest track of the album, even clocking in at one minute. Lastly the title track of the album, Suicide Season. This track again is very melodic and will stick in your mind very quickly. You immediately hear the anger in the vocals and this is transferred when the screaming guitars come in.

Overall, “Suicide Season” is a more accessible album than “Count Your Blessings”. The band has matured and the tracks reflect a more considered musical sound, with better production. The Swedish recording influence is particularly heard on the stunning title track with the inclusion of more ambient elements amplifying the emotion of the track. The attitude and aggression, characteristics of BMTH’s earlier work, are still prominent but some of the tempo changes, breaks and cliché scene sounds are toned down. BC

"Suicide Season" out now on Epitaph.