NEW!: Strangeglue launch brand new community forums. Click here to register.

Bring Me The Horizon: Suicide Season

14th November 2008 | by Aidan Williamson

The 'cult of personality' refers to an instance whereby a political or religious leader uses propaganda to concoct a public image comprising nothing but flattery and praise; the 'cult of Sykes-ality' refers to an instance whereby the front-man of a band drags the entire team down with his obnoxious, disgusting behaviour, cliché ridden lyrics and the likability of a white-supremacist with body odour.

Normally, such personal tirades would not enter into a discussion of a band's output. A game-changer results when front-man Oliver Sykes decides to insert the lyric "and after everything you put me through I should have fucking pissed on you" into the track No Need For Introductions: I've Read About Girls Like You On The Back Of Toilet Doors. A lyric which references the event when Sykes (allegedly) did just that: urinated on a girl for refusing his sexual advances and then (again, allegedly) throwing a beer bottle in her face.

There are so many reasons to despise this band, it's unreal. The B-movie album cover which belies blatant misogyny and an aura so 'emo' it hurts; the fact that they further prove their bandwagon-jumping status by all but abandoning their deathcore 'roots' in favour of the more mainstream-acceptable hardcore electro-rock; the fact that every time a lyric is audible, ("I won’t give up on you/so don’t give up on me!") it recalls a level of cheese that will never be witnessed until Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck star in a remake of a Richard Curtis film; the underlying concern that the band spend more time on their haircuts than they do on their songs. Despite all this, though, somewhere along the way they managed to stumble across flourishes of musical aptitude mired amongst the putrid-swamp fest.

It must be said that any such results are a direct response to their gleeful tendency to rip off every over band they've ever listened to. Chelsea Smile steals the power-down technique from The Bled's 'Ruth Buzzi Better Watch Her Back'. There are countless similarities to Enter Shikari and a fair amount of vocals a la Frank 'Gallows' Carter. The entire album is also a retread of what Underoath did with The Changing of the Times and They're Only Chasing Safety, a band also from the depths of deathcore. Underoath, however, made their exit six years ago (2002) before it was the fashionable thing to do.

Throughout most of its time, Suicide Season is as generic as it comes: power chords, double-bass rolls with low-slung guitars, searing high-pitched note squeals, taking every opportunity to insert profanity, side-line electronic flourishes which are clearly a passing afterthough. The theme is competent, yet generic. It also makes you wonder: does it still count as a breakdown if the whole album is composed of them? Football Season Is Over sees the band go completely Gallows-esque with Sykes adopting Carter's exact mannerisms and accent despite the fact that they are from two completely disparate parts of England.

The Sadness Will Never End is BMTH's 'Reinventing Your Exit' where soft keys segue into a fast-paced metal anthem with electronically manipulated flourishes. Akin to 'Exit', the breakneck hardcore verses give way to a soaring, melodic chorus which features the surprise appearance of screams to back it up. Proceeding this, the band release all pretense of subtlety as they completely steal an Underoath melody while they chant "Close your eyes, we'll sleep in this bed that we made for ourselves" even introducing the glimmer of an American accent in the process.

Completing their 'tour-de-rip-off', it's no surprise to see that the longest track on the album is saved for last. A song which - gasp - features electronic passages and fades out with the various instruments gradually being phased out of the mix. If only I Don't Keep With Liars Anymore (The Bled), Ender (Finch), Okay Time For Plan B/Closer (Enter Shikari), White Walls (Between the Buried and Me), Burning Lafeyette (Hell is For Heroes) and countless others hadn't done exactly the same thing.

Intellectually insulting, monotonous, predictable and about as original as reality TV. Suicide Season, by its conclusion, is as appealing as a piece of art by John Wayne Gacy. You can tell he's capable of holding a brush adequately well, but the thought of finding enjoyment from something with that source makes the vomit-reflex twinge. Consider this rating as generous to the extreme.

Rating: 3 / 10

Comments

cs65dos

commented 2 months ago

My girlfriends best friend at college was going out with Oliver. From stories I've heard it's not just BMTH which has given him this godlike ego, the fact is that Sykes is just through and through a complete prat. I saw BMTH in a support slot, any anti fur protesters would have thier red paint out when those boys turned up looking like they had badgers stapled to thier scalps... And this is coming from a guy that's all for a wedge fringe and a mullet!

Calz

commented 1 month ago

You're a shit reviewer, you blatently have no talent for anything, and your comparisons lead one to believe you've never actually heard the songs in question but reference them in a feeble attempt to make yourself seem musically inept.

Aidan W.

commented 1 month ago

I don't think the word "inept" means what you think it does.

visibleimpact

commented 1 month ago

so how bout you listen to the music and stop judging their character this is however why you were paid. to rate the ALBUM not the quality of the people who we all know are dirty but amazing.

James Lake

commented 4 weeks ago

What a crap review.

I mean how tinted were the eyes you reviewed this album through?!

Oli Sykes had to endure alot to clear his name so lets drop all this 'alledgedly' crap-he has been legally proven innocent.

Criticising him for refering to an event in his life in a song is plain stupid!

To you're review however-you so obviously didn't like bring me the horizon,the way they dress and there general persona before the review Im shocked you were picked to review it at all.

Sort of like letting a racist head a civil rights bill-it shouldnt happen for their mind has already been made.

You couldnt resist going on about their appearence could you-for the irony is; if you name check the 'bmth care more about their harcuts...' argument-you yourself win a few brownie points from a very very stupid and shallow crowd.

This is an awful peice that truly scrapes the barrel of decent reviewing.

Aidan W.

commented 4 weeks ago

Just wait until you see the 'Escape the Fate' review we did then :)

The personality stuff was a journalistic angle of writing. The score was already decided upon before I even knew about Sykes.

Aqua Leung

commented 4 weeks ago

I think this review was painfully accurate to fans of this group of people who produce sound. I don't even consider them a legitimate band, that's how much they suck.

josh

commented 3 weeks ago

I dont agree with the review I think this is a fantastic album that I could listen to over and over again. but calling him a horrible reviewer just because he doesnt like them is a bit unfair, remember reviews are just opinions and will change from person to person so, if someone doesnt like it they dont have to like it.