The Album:

After releasing their previous album “That’s the Spirit” in 2015, Bring Me the Horizon fans were more than amped to hear that new material by the band was going to hit the scene in 2019. However, since the release of their album, reviews on the matter have been mixed, so let’s see why. When talking about Bring Me the Horizon as a band, it is apparent that from their first releases as an artist, their sound has evolved immensely. The band started in the heart of the metal music scene, and through their newest release “amo”, I would place them in the alternative, pop rock musical genre. And yes, that is a major shift. When looking into this album, it is apparent that the band creates a significant groove that drives each individual work. From here, the band is able to establish that sense of the rock musical genre, which I believe is imperative for this album because the rest of the record is very alternative and pop in nature. These musical genres come to mind, for the vocal lines that are included are rather simple, and most of them drive through a rather consonant range of pitches. Alongside that, the instrumental texture that is present throughout the work supplements each track with just enough music to provide a harmonic structure for each work. Now, a cool aspect that occurs based off this technique is when the band utilizes instrumental moments, most of them are vocalizing a complex rhythm, which creates an ornate sound as a whole. In general, one of the main driving forces for this album is the use of electronics, and that technique pushes Bring Me the Horizon towards a modern sound. Overall, I am giving this album a 3 out of 5 stars. This album was rather hard to score, for the music that is on the record isn’t necessarily bad; however, it isn’t necessarily innovative or new (when speaking in terms of musical genre), but the approach to this album, musically speaking, is entirely new for the band. I can see this album having major mixed reviews, but this may be the album that places Bring Me the Horizon regularly on the radio.

 

Top Tracks:

“medicine”, “why you gotta kick me when I’m down?”, and “heavy metal”

Through the brunt of this record, the band gives the audience a variety of tunes that resonate in a different light. However, when going through the album from front to back, these works stick out, for they give audience members an edgier sound, while still being heavily influenced by the new sound that Bring Me the Horizon is enforcing. Furthermore, if you’re an old Bring Me the Horizon fan, and you want to check some new tracks out- these would be the ones for you, and if you just want a good ideology of what this album has to offer- I’d start here.

 

The Artwork:

 When first glancing at the cover art for the album, I believe mixed reviews would also occur because the imagine is falling perfectly on the fine-line between ornate and generic. The background of the imagine is black with a CD in a heart-designed Ziploc bag resting in the center. Other than that, there is what appears to be a sticker peeling off, and this sticker reads the name of the band and the title of the record “amo”. This could provide mixed views, for to some degree, the album cover seems to be kind of cool because this approach is a new way to look at the analogy of “amo”. On the flip side, this isn’t the first time that an artist has used a similar image to represent their album artwork, and to make the analogy that music is your “amo” is equally as generic, so that may tip off some viewers. When connecting the cover art to the music that falls on the inside, I would say that the two are absolutely perfect for one another. Separately, the two provide the audience with at least one small thing that makes them think or challenge something about the art or the music, and placing that torn nature together makes for a solid cohesive idea for the record itself. Overall, I would say that the two marry perfectly, but I don’t think their relationship betters the overall perception of the album; rather, I think it just enforces the clashing nature of it.

*”amo” was released on January 25^th, 2019 through Sony Music Entertainment.