Bring Me The Horizon: Sempiternal

Before the untimely demise of my old laptop I had intended to review every Bring Me The Horizon album in the run up to my That's The Spirit review, as a way of charting their progression. This didn't come to pass but I've always had a lot to say on Sempiternal. a lot of conflicting emotions regarding it that I've finally put down here. It came out back in 2013 and was most definitely a seismic moment in the scene when it was released so here ye go

After the sheer existential darkness and self loathing that coated There Is A Hell, it was almost inevitable that Sempiternal would be a lighter record, significantly in sound and only slightly lyrically. BMTH’s fourth record marks another stage in their evolution from hyper aggressive scrappy metalcore into a sleek modern rock band. While the aggression is not completely neutered here, there is conscious effort made to distance this record stylistically from There Is A Hell...It is a collection of very diverse tracks in contrast to the almost conceptual There Is A Hell…, with a dialling down in heaviness and the incorporation of actual clean vocals from Oli Sykes. Does it work however?

The album begins with a radically different track for BMTH, Can You Feel My Heart?. A largely synth lead anthemic number with heavy use of clean vocals from Oli Sykes, it serves as a dramatic opening number, much like Crucify Me was for There Is A Hell…, but somewhat less heavy. Indeed it is the songs that diverge most from Bring Me’s established template that stand out most. Sleepwalking’s deft combination of textured synths and a soaring yet still abrasive chorus makes it the standout track of the album. Hospital For Soul’s heavy post rock influence make it a truly devastating conclusion to the album, with a crescendo that will go down as one of their finest moments. First single Shadow Moses is perhaps the closest song here to their old output and its grimy riffing and seismic breakdown are as much a sign of refinement as a nostalgic throwback  The synths and orchestral elements present on prior albums all serve the songs well, the choruses are stronger than before, the musicianship is less flashy this time around but there is still some tasty soloing, most notably on Go To Hell For Heaven’s Sake. Lyrically the album has some of the anger of previous recordings but a theme of hope dominates throughout.

However while the inclusion of softer touches and improved signwriting all work quite well, the dialling down of heaviness is less successful. The guitars lack the same bite they had on Suicide Season and the harsh vocals don’t have quite the same power as before. More atypical tracks like Antivist and Empire feel slightly embarrassing to listen to, as if the band felt they had already perfected them and were on autopilot. Lyrically especially Antivist is quite immature, which does not sit well with the rest of the album. While not significant enough flaws to ruin the album, they are rather forgettable cuts. It can be argued that this album is a metalcore album for people who aren’t really into metalcore.

So is Sempiternal worth listening to? While not quite the perfect follow up many may have expected it is still a fine recording, many levels above the generic, listenable but not compelling dreck that clogs the metalcore genre. It is most definitely a departure but it is still closely enough tied to what came before, logical progression. If you were a fan of their previous albums and are excited to see where they went next, give this album a listen. It is a bold move that has largely paid off for the band.

7/10

Standout Tracks: Can You Feel My Heart, Sleepwalking, Hospital For Souls.

For Fans Of: Architects, Deftones, Parkway Drive (circa Atlas)