Bring Me The Horizon – amo
9/10
“‘Cause a kid on the ‘gram in a Black Dahlia tank says it ain’t heavy metal” is a phrase in the track “Heavy Metal” on BMTH’s new album “amo”. It says it all. “amo” is not heavy metal. It is not pop or electronica either. It is hard, soft and everything at the same time. Old fans will probably go bananas and hate “amo” to the bone. Personally I love it. Why? Because it is brave, melodic, relevant and with great beats – from the massive “Wonderful Life” to the loose “ouch” and ultra-cool “nihilist blues”.
BMTH has obviously not given a toss about what their die-hard fans been expecting, genres, earlier albums and all that crap. They went for doing the best album possible with a clear identity in 2019. The synts, the beats, the riffs, the melodies and the lyrics are all just as modern as brilliant. And in that sense “amo” probably won’t be a classic. It will probably feel rather dated in a year or two. But who cares? Oliver Sykes & Co are focused on here and now. Just as their audience – the super ironic generation of millennials that mixes everything on their Spotify play list and stay true to no one.
Even though I am far from a millennial I am the kind of person that have a strange brew in my playlist. From Machine Head and Butcher Babies to Miles Davis, lounge and French pop. For me a good melody, bravery and passion are the ingredients for a good album. “amo” is exactly that. It is a great playlist. If it wasn’t for the dreadful ballad “Mother Tongue” and the even worse horse shit “medicine” this could have been a ten. But still, today’s mantra (!) is “develop or die”. BMTH choose to live.
Artist: Bring Me The Horizon
Album: amo
No of tracks: 13
Total length: 52 minutes
Standout track: In The Dark, Mantra, Wonderful Life
Label: Sony Music Entertainment
