That’s The Spirit - Bring Me The Horizon
This week for Bring Me the Horizon | In Review, I’m tackling a personally contentious album – That’s The Spirit. A lot of what I say in this review will likely carry over to next week’s review for amo, so I apologize in advance for any redundancy. At the time of this writing, I’ve already checked out amo (for the first time), so I have an idea where that review is headed… Regardless, this review is for That’s The Spirit, so enough about amo!
That’s The Spirit is a sharp shift in sound for the band, moving away from Metalcore to instead more of an Alt-Rock/Hard Rock (and sometimes straight up Pop-Rock) sound (anyone that classifies this as “nu metal” is absolutely off their rocker. There were a few outlets that did back in the day…). This album allowed the band to launch into the stratosphere after Sempiternal got their foot in the door of households. That’s The Spirit, however, blows that same door right off the hinges. With the album being a critical darling, “Throne” and “Happy Song” getting extended radio play time on the Hard Rock channels, and those same songs even appearing on television (S7E3 of The Vampire Diaries and S8E3 of Castle), the band had become a massive success and a name you couldn’t escape in the world of Rock. Normally, I love when the music I listen to creeps into the mainstream/television/film, but hearing and seeing how “Throne” was used in The Vampire Diaries felt so cringey/edge-lordy, and it was the final nail in the coffin for me, for both the song and the album as a whole. I am unfortunately the outlier when it comes to That’s The Spirit.
I had hoped that after revisiting Sempiternal and realizing how wrong I was about that album, the same would happen here. Sadly, no dice. I was able to develop a new appreciation for this record, though, but we’ll talk about that later. For now, let’s address my negative thoughts. This album suffers from the fact that it’s a Bring Me The Horizon record. If this was an album from a different band without the built-in expectations of a heavier sound (I’m not even talking about their Deathcore days here), or if the band decided to release this as part of a side project, I could see liking it more. Because of who it is, I favor this album a lot less than others. It’s not the sound I enjoy or want from them – a sentiment that carries over to amo as well (hey, here’s a preview of my thoughts on that album for next week, I guess!). I want to make it clear, though, that I am not saying the music is bad by any means; it’s just not the Bring Me The Horizon music I want. Two tracks on this record stick out like a sore thumb to me, though: “Follow You” and “Oh No”. “Follow You” is such an odd song that starts with a Hip-Hop/Trap beat but then ends up mostly being a ballad. The sounds clash in my ears, and the “vibe” is completely off for me. “Oh No” is a perfect example of Pop-Rock on this record. It sounds like one of those Songs of the Summer that the radio would play endlessly until you hated it. Funny enough, it feels like a warning of what’s to come with amo.
Now that I have negative thoughts out of the way, let’s talk about the positives! This album is catchy as fuck! Countless choruses and earworms will make it hard for you to forget this album. That’s The Spirit also sees Oli flourish vocally now that he isn’t relying on screamed vocals. His cleans are Rock Radio-ready, larger than life, and what you would expect to hear filling an arena. There are some songs where he has some “grit” in his voice, akin to Chester from Linkin Park when he would fall somewhere between singing and screaming. The clean vocals on this album are a big step up from Sempiternal! I also enjoyed the heavy use of string instruments in most of the songs. I found it blended effortlessly with the band’s newer sound, rounding it out and making it sound/feel larger than life.
As always, I try to call out specific tracks that I really enjoyed or want you to check out. By now, I’m sure you’ve heard them before, but let me give them their flowers anyway! “Doomed” starts ethereal and electronic-driven and is a great showcase of Oli’s clean vocals and ability to slide into a more gruff sound. There are lots of big, open chords to fill space too. “Happy Song” has an insanely catchy chorus that won’t leave my head. The track has a little more edge than most songs on this record, putting it closer to a Sempiternal track than anything else you’ll find here. The additional backing vocals bring a fun energy to the track too! The guitar tone is deep and rounded, but not as crunchy as previous records. The final minute of the song also has a decent build-up with legitimate screams that I completely forgot about! Finally, “Blasphemy” is a mostly vocal-driven song with more big, open chords that connect the verses. The guitar tone is a bit darker here, and the song has a tasty little guitar solo that I really enjoyed, as well as a laid-back bridge that was easy on the ears.
While That’s The Spirit didn’t offer some grand awakening for me, I still had a good time coming back to check it out! It may not be the album for me, but I can see how it would be for others! I can respect the band wanting to branch out and try to bridge the gap in genres again, launching themselves into the mainstream and giving their career some longevity so we could see the eventual return to something like Count Your Blessings | Repented. See you all next week for amo!