Drummer Matt Nicholls spoke, in an interview with Wikimetal, about the band's new phase
Oli Sykes ' desperate screams Bring Me The Horizon 's deathcore phase would never have imagined an album like amo , released in early 2019. The heavy instrumentals gave way to more melodic compositions, heavily influenced by pop and electronic music. The vocalist's disheveled hair is now bleached, and his once black clothing is now light-colored and floral-patterned. Having emerged from the metal underground, the band members now look more like regulars at alternative clubs.
But, analyzing the progression of each Bring Me album, the shock isn't so great. With each record, the sound has changed, evolved, and incorporated more modern elements. The typical characteristic of a band that doesn't like to remain static.
Matt Nicholls , the band's drummer, took some time between being nominated for a Grammy, releasing an album and seeing it become number one in sales in the UK, to talk to Wikimetal . “We wanted to do something different, try different things,” he explained, “But we never talked about exactly what sound we wanted. It just came out the way it came out.”
For him, this change is something natural. After all, if the band no longer wants to make the sound they used to, why shouldn't they change? "We wanted to be a metal band, that's why we wrote those songs. But, as we grew up, we started experimenting with other influences we had." Pop, hip hop, and electronic music have always been playing in the members' headphones.
It's clear that I love drawing influences from very different places. Among the first five songs, we have a dark electronic track featuring singer Grimes and a metalcore track assisted by Dani Filth of Cradle of Filth . The electronic track, "nihilist blues ," is the most daring song the band has ever made. And, according to Matt, "it came about like any other song on the album." With the added bonus that the singer has always been on the list of artists the band wanted to collaborate with.
The phrase that best defines the stage the band is at right now appears in the ironically titled track “heavy metal.” “Because this isn’t heavy metal, but that’s okay,” sings Oli Sykes, as a provocation to fans of the genre. Nicholls says they never worried about how the public would receive the new sound. “We’re a band that likes to change, to take risks. That’s who we are, that’s how we like to do things,” emphasized the drummer. “If you’re a heavy metal fan, you can listen to our old sound, or look for other bands that are still in that genre. You can’t please everyone. It is what it is.”
With discussions about the death of rock and things like that, this attitude seems to be the way the band has found to stay relevant. “Rock is stable. There’s a lack of creativity and people who take risks. It seems like bands are taking a step back to be comfortable doing what they know. I think people need to open their minds a little,” Matt explained.
Nothing could be better for this phase of Bring Me The Horizon than performing at an eclectic festival. The band will play at Lollapalooza Brazil on April 6th. The setlist promises to be a combination of the group's career highlights. “Fitting the songs from the album into the set wasn't difficult. We always use a lot of electronic elements live; interludes and everything. The fans are already used to it. It worked really well.”
Critically acclaimed, amo demonstrates the maturity and eclecticism of a band that knows what it wants. Matt reflects: “This album was very difficult to make. We put a lot of work into it, a lot of effort. It’s good now to sit back and relax. To see that it paid off. It means a lot to us to have done a good job.”
READ ALSO: Bring Me The Horizon cancels tour after Oli Sykes tears vocal cord.
