Critique on Bring Me The Horizon’s most recent album, amo. This album has a prominent pop and electronic feel to it although the lyrics are still angry and hostile. Many of the bands old fans don’t like this new type of music the band generates and prefers their old style of heavy metal and screamo. The change in style of music could be due to the lead singer, Oliver Sykes, doing better in life after divorcing his ex wife in 2016 and meeting Alissa Sails.

The concept of the music video for their song medicine is typical, it depicts the feelings people go through while in a relationship with someone toxic which goes along well with the lyrics. However, the video is a 3D depiction of Oliver Sykes and is disturbing to look at. Maybe it is because the animation shows a very peach looking man vomiting tiny black people. It’s very interesting to look at and appreciate the detail that goes into making this type of animated video. The song itself has the new pop and electronic feel to it although the lyrics remain aggressive.

Their song “heavy metal” and “wonderful life” are the two songs on the whole album that have this heavy metal aspect that their old fans love. Although, they did not in fact love “heavy metal” because the song was a diss directed to the many so called “fans” who would say they wanted Sykes to be depressed again so he would make his old type of music. Bring Me The Horizon has grown older and their sound shifting is normal, they need to be able to make more than one type of sound in order to stay in the music industry.

Another song on amo that talks about the bands relationship with their fans is “why you gotta kick me when i’m down?” It’s about people’s perception and opinions on Sykes and also about how things weren’t going the way the band or Sykes expected. In the first verse Sykes writes “I see you, you on the edge of your seat, Ain’t you got some place to be?” and he’s asking fans who hate their current music what are they doing listening to the song and suggesting they do something else with their time. The song is also used as a way for them to explain that the band is enjoying the music they are now creating and they’re not doing it just to stay relevant.

The lead singer’s personal favorite song of the album is “nihilist blues” which keyboardist, Jordan Fish, describes as “very different in sound for us.” The song is in collaboration with art-pop singer, Grimes, who is said to not do collaborations often. Her acceptance of the bands track was a big deal.

Track 8, “sugar honey ice & tea” talks about society today and how everyone picks a stance on a topic and is intolerant to anyone else’s opinions. There’s a fun and quirky element to the song and they play on the phrase sugar honey ice & tea which is a family friendly way to say shit. The lyrics at the end of the second verse say “ I gotta stick my head in the sand and block out all the sadness” which is where Sykes refers to people ignoring what’s going on around them to remain oblivious.

Even though their songs are infused with electronic features, there’s still an eerie and bass heavy presence. Overall these newer songs Bring Me The Horizon makes are more organic and come naturally to them, forcing them to keep generating their old style of music would limit them creatively.

The theme of love runs throughout the whole album which is why its titled amo. Amo means “I love” in Portuguese. When talking about love, people primarily think of only good things, Bring Me The Horizon took the word love and showcased all the bad that comes with loving the wrong person. Sykes commented that “everything boils down to love in the end” when he spoke about the concept of the album. Although there is a lot of distaste and negative commenting from the bands older fans, they are gaining many new fans.

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