Bring Me The Horizon: amo (25th January 2019)

WORDS: Ross Donald

amo is an album that I never planned on reviewing, as I felt my personal tastes would have clouded my judgement of the full experience. When it comes to Bring Me The Horizon, I consider myself a big fan of theirs and have been following them since their 2010 release There Is A Hell.... It blew my little teenage mind at the time and it's a record that I still consider a favourite to this day. 

Then within the next 5 years, Sempiternal and That's the Spirit were released, and while I wasn't sure about their much softer sound, they won me over with superb musicianship and and lyrics about dealing with the darker side of life that really stuck with me. They kept me returning whenever my heart needed a glowing light to come back to. Without getting too personal, I adore That's the Spirit for this reason, as the songs have a real emotional connection with me that have helped me through some tough times when my head wasn't quite in the right place. That's why the album was on my top 10 list a while back (you can check this out here), and why I have album cover tattooed onto my left arm. Because it means something important to me. 

Now, when I heard that the band would be releasing a new album in early 2019, I was over the moon and couldn't wait to hear what they had up their tattooed sleeves this time. They also announced a live tour that I bought tickets for on the first day of sale so I could experience them for the first time. Despite being surrounded by teenagers, I had a blast of a time, and it's a gig I'll hold close to my heart for years to come. Then we reached January 25th 2019 and amo was released to the public. While some had commented that the band had gone pop, I wasn't worried in the slightest as That's the Spirit had some poppier elements that didn't bother me. What I didn't realise was how far into the realm of pop they would go. 

After only one listen I felt saddened by what I had just heard. What happened to the band that made me feel something and could have me headbanging at the same time? The album seemingly offered neither of these things. It's only now that I have decided to review the album that I have listened to it in full more than once, and I think I'm finally ready to talk about it from a fair perspective. 

The album starts with 'i apologise if you feel something', which is more of an introduction to a bigger song rather than it's own song. It works well in this fashion, as the few lyrics presented focus on the theme of love (the word amo is Portuguese for 'love'). It also has a nice synth effect to it that sticks in your head after the song has moved on, continually growing louder and louder and heightening the tension of what's to come. 

That brings us onto the first single from the album, 'MANTRA', which is most likely the most popular song from the album, and it is one I really enjoy. It's one of the heavier songs on the album with a killer riff and fantastic opening line of "Do you wanna start a cult with me?". This song is great and a proper opener that almost sets the tone for the rest of the record. The chorus is massive and was meant for a big live crowd to sing along to. I do love the lyrics as well, as it focuses on someone starting a fake cult for the money and the fame, and knowing people will follow him out of the concept of faith. Definitely one to check out. 

After a very promising start, we hit a massive brick wall in for the form of the track 'nihilist blues'. Now I'm sure this a good track if you're into rave music or an Ibiza Clubland soundtrack but after so many listens, I still just find this song so forgettable. It's like every other pop song you hear in the charts that'll be forgotten by everyone in a few years. This was the 5th single released for the album and the first that really threw out some red flags as to the direction the band was going in. And it's just so damn LONG. Over five minutes is way too long for this kind of track. After a rocking start to the album, this just threw the whole thing left field as the tone is just all over the place and we're only 3 tracks in!

Next track is 'in the dark', which has some of the same issues I had with the last song. At least this one has less of a club vibe and more of an Ed Sheeran vibe that I can get behind a little more though. It's one I've found stuck in my head a little more due to its catchy chorus, but again, there's just not much substance to it and it ends up as another forgettable track. While the earlier albums dealt with depression and coping with it which I adored, I'm not really getting into the theme of love in this album. It's not a subject I really care about personally. 

Thankfully, we move onto the second single, 'wonderful life'. This is one of my favourite songs from last year and easily the heaviest track on the album. Hell, there's even a guest appearance from Dani Filth! The song delves more into the themes of mental illness and is just way more interesting than the last 2 tracks combined. The chorus is gargantuan and I can't help but scream along with it. It also really helps to hear this in a gig setting: 

"Lone getting high on a Saturday night

I'm on the edge of a knife

Nobody cares if I'm dead or alive

Oh what a wonderful life"

This just builds and builds to an adrenaline fuelled finale that I love more every time I hear it. Love it. 

After a transitional track reminiscent of the first track, in the form of 'ouch', we hit the third single in the form of 'medicine'. This was the first track from the album that people accused of being poppy and while it definitely has huge pop vibes, it really reminds me of 'Follow You' from That's The Spirit which I love, so it gets a pass from me. It does help that the chorus is catchy as hell and finds the band getting a little more aggressive. While I'm sure the song is about a lover causing pain to their ex, I related with the lyrics at the time as I was just getting over a toxic friendship, and the aggressive nature of the lyrics helped me through a tough time. 

Next up is 'sugar honey ice & tea', and while this is another of the album's heavier tracks due to a nice guitar riff and pre-chorus which sounds like it would fit right in on That's the Spirit, the main chorus ruins it for me. This song could have been another hit, but the chorus is just ear-grating due to what sounds like an auto-tuned voice singing the thing. I really want to like this one for its fun heavy elements, but sadly it's one I'll most likely end up skipping over on another listen. 

I'm skipping over the next 2 tracks because I have the same feelings about them as I had towards 'nihilist blues', and I'm not a fan. Even after listening to the album around 6 times in full now, I can still never recall how these songs sound, so I think that tells you all you need to know. 

After these 2 mistakes, we hit the fourth single 'mother tongue'. It's a song I wasn't a fan of on first listen, but after quite a few since then, I'm quickly becoming a fan. I'd say it's my guilty pleasure of the record as it's poppy as fuck, almost like something Justin Bieber would release (excuse me while I throw up violently for even suggesting that I'd like a Bieber track). But it's just so damn catchy and is guaranteed to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. I mean, I'm still listening to it regularly even after it's been out this many months. It does hurt my "Extreme Metal cred" a bit, but fuck it. I dig it. 

And now we come to 'heavy metal', and this track...... oh boy, this track. Oli, what were you thinking? This song is basically a "fuck you" to people that don't like the band's softer sound (because apparently customers aren't allowed opinions of products they purchase, but hey ho, what do I know?), and this track almost shits out any goodwill that the band had produced up to this point. I mean, I know I'm not the target here since I enjoy their music even if they've gone soft, but there was really no need for this:

"I keep picking petals

I'm afraid you don't love me anymore

Cause a kid on the 'gram in a Black Dahlia tank 

Says it ain't heavy metal"

Real mature guys. I don't remember Linkin Park making diss tracks when they went soft, but hey, at least their later albums were consistent. Song's fine, but I don't think it needs much attention and is a definite low point for the band. They even decide to have a breakdown at the end, for another middle finger. 

Final song is 'i don't know what to say', and thankfully after all this, it does end on a high note as this is a great, emotional track about Oli's friend Aidan who tragically to cancer and the song feels like a tribute to him. The song features an orchestra that works very well with the themes of the song, and some of these lyrics are just heartbreaking:

"How a flower in the rain

Only grows more when it's grey

You just shined on brighter

Making gold out of the pain"

Not only that, but we get a pretty terrific guitar solo that, mixed in with the orchestra, just sounds fantastic and gives me chills when I hear it. After a low point for the band, we hit a highlight as this is one of the albums best tracks. Also one of the best they've ever written, in my opinion. 

Overall, I still have very mixed feelings on this album as there's a lot I do like and it's some of the best the band has ever recorded, but the rest is just so forgettable. Sometimes it's just so downright bad that it makes listening to the whole album a chore, so I can only recommend a few tracks to go out of your way to hear. Leave the rest. Easily my least favourite album the band has released to this point, and while it's not a bad album at all, it is a bit all over the place with its style choices. It feels like it's trying to be something for everyone but comes across more like splitting a few genres together for the sake of it, or to a reach a bigger audience and leave the one they had originally behind in the dust. Sadly, that may include me. If this is the direction they're going, I'm just going to stick to the songs I know and love. 

Tracks to download: 'MANTRA', 'wonderful life', 'medicine', 'mother tongue', 'i don't know what to say'