Music Reviews

Ok, so real quick my basic overview of the band’s catalog up to this point: I found their deathcore roots to be really amateurish and too melodramatic, their more metalcore side is where they peaked in my opinion, with record like There is a Hell,… and Sempiternal. The experimentation with other genres on That’s the Spirit mostly payed off for the band, with the record’s more alt-rock oriented sound and catchy explosive choruses. They would continue with the experimentation on their next studio effort Amo, where they prooved that they were more then just another face in the crowd and that hey could pull of mulitple genres and aren’t afraid to go out of their comfort zone. Which bring here, to Post Horror: Survival Horror and I gotta say, this thing is amazing.

From the very start, you can tell that the band is dedicated to combine everything they’ve learned up to this point, to create one rather short, but cohesive expirience with this 9-track EP. Not a single song on here flops, everything is a hit, each track in different regards. The opener sets the tone – „Dear Diary“ is an agressive metalcore-fused rager, with the lyrics being a meditation on the current chaotic state the world is in right now. The guitars riffs are heavy, the screaming feels raw, yet fitting and the additional production choices from none other then the music god himself Mick Gordon only add to the intensity of the track. Also the breakdown is really tasteful and refreshing, all of the breakdwons on this album are honestly. After that we get a series of singles released prior to the albums release, all of which bring different things to the table: „Parasite Eve“ is a more heavily structured, long-winded look at things, with some really epic glitchy production and an absolutely orgasmic Mick Gordon breakdwon, that had to be brought up right from the pits of hell. „Teardrops“ is a Linkin Park worshipper, with some surprisingly moving lyrics – they didn’t come off as corny at all, rather they complimented the atmosphere of the track really darn well. Oli sounds genuinely defeated on this one and the chorus just absolutely slaps – it’s one of the many grand explosive choruses on here. And finally the song „Obey“ is a punk-aesthetic nu-metal banger with some insane synths and booming guitars – also the Youngblood feature was a surprisingly wise choice, probably the best he has sounded since – well, ever. Again, the chorus just absolutely rocks and the breakdwon on this one is probably the most passionate out of those three – like seriously, if Parasite Eve’s breakdwon sounded like the pits of hell, then this one are the demons coming out of there. After those three gems we get a much needed break with the interlude „Itch For The Cure“, which serves as a preparation for what is to come next. And what actually comes next is my favorite song on here „Kingslayer“ – not only because of the insane energy that is radiating of of this thing, but also because of the unexpected, but welcomed feature from BABYMETAL and again some amazing production from our lord and savior Mick Gordon – like if this combination doesn’t tell you it’s gonna be a banger, then I don’t know what does. The song is from start to finnish just packed with energy, with those fast paced guitars, epic synth leads and agressive vocals from Oliver Sykes – this is easily the most brutal he has sounded since the release of Sempiternal. The BABYMETAL feature, as mentioned before, somehow fits super well in this and offers a nice change of pace to the track – they also absolutely nail the chorus on here. Overall it’s just a fun and exciting track, and at the end of the day what else do you need? Oh, another Linkin Park worship? Well Bring Me the heavies got you covered with the song „1×1“, which may be the on-first-listen least intresting song on here, and admiteddly isn’t as exciting as per say Teardrops, but it’s still a nice nu-metalish alt-rock tune with a melodically pleasing chorus and some nice electronic effects worked in. Then there is the song „Ludens“, which sounds like something from the bands That’s the Spirit, but with a more glitchy and electronic production this time around. This is basically as experimental as it gets for the band, and even though some of the transitions between the song’s passages may feel a littler rushed nad akward, overall I found it to be a pretty cohesive listen, especially by the end of it, when it all just makes sense in the end. For the closer the band decided to go with a hell of a slow-burner of a ballad with the song „One Day The Only Butterflies Left Will Be In Your Chest As You March Towards Your Death“ (yes, that’s how the song is actually titled), which features the amazing Amy Lee from the band „Evanescence“ on the vocals. Her voice I’d say blends pretty nicely with the song’s more low-key and slow-paced easthetic – it’s haunting yet beautiful. The hauntingness, aswell as the tention, continues to grow throughout the whole track, finally reaching it’s emotional climax towards the end, with Oliver’s quiet screamed vocals, that are slowly turning up in volume, until the song suddenly stops – a really cool detail and a great way of ending the album off.

Look, I was pretty hyped for this thing, especially considering how much I LOVED every single one of the teaser tracks, but what we got is so much more then I could ever expect – it’s the definitive Bring Me The Horizon expirience. Yes, there are some flaws here and there, and the runtime of the album could use a little bit more tracks, so it feels little more cohesive, but at this point, I’m really just nitpciking. This was a really solid listen and I can’t wait to see, what the band continues to do next.

strong 8/10