If there’s one thing everyone can agree on when it comes to Bring Me The Horizon, it’s that they never make the same album twice. Regardless of whether you enjoy their newer direction, they’ve never been one to stay stagnant – and that trait is one of the reasons why they’re festival headliners over 10 years after their initial formation.
One listen to 2008’s Suicide Season, though, and you’ll likely realize just how much the band changed overnight. The shift between their debut Count Your Blessings and Suicide Season was a massive one, essentially going from grindcore/deathcore-influenced sound to a more conventional metalcore style.
Take a song like “Chelsea Smile”, for instance. There’s hints of melody here that weren’t evident at all on Count Your Blessings, and the first of the album as a whole really opens BMTH up to accessibility in ways their previous work could not. “The Sadness Will Never End” is similar in that regard, as it relies on a true melodic framework to really engage the listener. The song also features Sam Carter of Architects, a guest that would go on to great things himself.
Of course, this isn’t a pop album. It’s a metalcore album through and through, with all the tropes that entails. It’s somewhat plagued with an over reliance on breakdowns, and the lyrical content was clearly still developing. Part of Suicide Season’s charm, though, is in its inconsistencies. It’s pretty incredible to see how Bring Me The Horizon has grown over the years, but it didn’t happen overnight. Suicide Season was just one step in their evolution- but it remains a large one.
