Bring Me The Horizon - "Post Human: Survival Horror" Ep Review

I have to admit that I was very sceptical as to what this EP would bring us. I had a very mixed opinion of “Amo” when it was released two years ago and having been a fan of Bring Me The Horizon from a very young age, this was disappointing. It took a very different sound to what we know as the wholehearted “Bring Me” sound, which I thought could be the new direction that the guys take for their upcoming albums. So, you can imagine my surprise when the hardcore and aggressive “Ludens” was released late last year, a massive musical U-turn that brought back the anger and passion that Bring Me is known for.

Fast forward one year and three singles, we are gifted with “Post Human: Survival Horror”, 9 track EP, produced and released throughout the 2020 COVID 19 Pandemic. Now, I wasn’t able to listen to this until later on in the day due to a long and stressful day at work, nevertheless I was very excited to hear what the band had to offer us. I got home, showered, made some food, stuck my headphones in and braced myself. What happened next is a moment that was fully encapsulated in a short sentence that I sent to my partner in a snapchat…

“What the **** is happening…”,

The EP opens with what can only be described as a fist that hits you directly between the eyes and what a way to open an IMMENSE EP. “Dear Diary,” is enthusiastically aggressive that catches you completely by surprise. One thing is for sure, when Sykes’ vocals kicked in, I had to sit down for a while. Sykes’ takes us back to the “old days” of Bring Me, when guttural screams and throaty growls encapsulated their sound. It talks of being lonely and isolated, up to the point of insanity. It takes the perspective of a person unable to cope with these feelings of separation, which would have been experienced by many people this year, especially during the national lockdown. However, Sykes infers that these experiences will lie with everyone, in that we are all a part of the isolation; “God is a ********, and we’re his rejects,” ultimately implying that we are all hopeless.

Then we get the hat-trick of singles, ‘Parasite Eve’, ‘Teardrops’ and ‘Obey ft YUNGBLUD’ that we all know and love. This perfectly leads into what has to be the peak of the EP, an all-out ambush with ‘Kingslayer’ where BMTH is joined by kawaii metal group BABYMETAL. The song is the perfect combination of metalcore, speed metal, thrash metal and most notably drum and bass. It seems that all of these genres work hand in hand with each other and succeeds in taking you on a rollercoaster through the Nine Circles of Hell, with lyrics essentially describing a governmental lack of empathy for the public. It is an attack on the lackadaisical approach that governments around the world have had towards the pandemic; “get the **** up, wake the **** up”, and suggests that the government should be knocked off it’s pedestal, indicating a rebellion which is what the song is in a nutshell. Again, another track that I found myself having to sit down for!

Through ‘Ludens’ and ‘1x1 ft Nova Twins’ we are blessed with the aptly named “One Day The Only Butterflies Left Will Be In Your Chest As You March Towards Your Death” featuring none other than Evanescence’s Amy Lee. There were many directions that this song could have gone in and what I was expecting was a slow but unapologetically heavy track with very meaningful lyrics. What we got was the exact opposite. “One Day The Only Butterflies…” is a beautiful, elegant ballad, with extremely poignant lyrics that tone down the EP in a way that is extremely different to the previous 8 songs. Amy Lee and Oli Sykes together employ tremendously haunting vocals and that have you shivering, swaying and (in my case) tearing up. It leads to one of the most intense build-up’s I have ever heard in music. It picks up and lifts you with it as you listen, leaving you more and more breathless before silencing with a single piano note, placing us in a void of uncertainty. It is in my opinion the most flawless use of a cliff hanger.

This album takes you on an intense yet thrilling ride. It details the accounts of people’s lives during the pandemic and attacks those responsible for the decline of mental health and peace within society. We are transported back to an era that is entirely, the roots of BMTH, the raw, gritty, aggressive passion combined with violent and powerful vocals, guitar riffs and drum tracks; it is the Bring Me we know and love. Bring Me The Horizon blew me away with this EP and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for the next three EPs.

Well done lads, you have made an absolute masterpiece!

- George Owen