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The Gauntlet: Bring Me The Horizon |
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Bring Me The Horizon Album Review
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Tracklist
1. Pray for Plagues
2. Tell Slater Not to Wash His D**k
3. For Stevie's Eyes Only
4. Alot Like Vegas
5. Black and Blue
6. Slow Dance
7. Liquor & Love Lost
8. (I Used to Make out With) Medusa
9. Fifteen Fathoms, Counting
10. Off the Heezay
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With Bring Me The Horizon’s dedicated fan-base being matched in size by a large slab of the UK metal community proclaiming their hate for the band (a
collective view certainly fuelled by the group’s decidedly emo appearance and exaggerated fringe lengths), the Yorkshire five-piece really had a lot
to prove with this, their debut full-length album.
Fortunately for the fans, and possibly unfortunately for those who were looking forward to Bring Me The Horizon shaming themselves, ‘Count Your
Blessings’ certainly doesn’t fail to impress. Shaking off the rough production of previous four-track EP ‘This Is What The Edge Of Your Seat Was
Made For’, the record acts as a strong showcasing of technicality, brutality and riff writing. Front man Oli Syke’s vocals surge and swell with the
music, spanning octaves and completing both death metal growls and high pitched screams with an equal level of competence (although some clarity is
lost in the process). A thumping bass drum helps drive a wide selection of open string breaks, beatdowns and other down-tuned, distortion pumped
instrumentals, whilst guitarists Malia and Ward dot the proceedings with technical guitar and a surprisingly ample selection of classic-rock styled
solos.
If anything resembling weaknesses can be found amongst the fast paced drive of ‘Count Your Blessings’, they undoubtedly come in the forms of
disturbingly linear song structures and some rather muffled vocal work. Structurally, the group seem to rely heavily on throwing down one riff after
another until the song reaches its required length, in many places ignoring traditional ideas such as simple verse-chorus-verse convention. (Saying
this, songs such as third track ‘For Stevie’s Eyes Only’ will no doubt have you memorising the main section in a few listens.) On the vocal side of
things, Oli Sykes’ impressive ability to vary pitch is largely let down by long periods of completely unrecognisable lyrics. Muffled diction coupled
with some fuzzy production will leave you needing the words in front of you to stand any chance of following the meaning of the songs. Not necessarily a
bad thing some would argue since Sykes’ lyrical content switches between stereotypical teenage angst and obscure, unconvincing artistic attempts at
creating something mysterious and clever. What he instead leaves us with is a strong feeling that he doesn’t really know what he’s talking about.
However, ‘Count Your Blessings’ does succeed in equalling its pitfalls with its highlights. A thoroughly crushing selection of breakdowns should leave no hardcore lover unsatisfied and each and every track brims with an untamed energy, helped by some relentless drumming and impressive guitar work. The bottom line is that if you have already made your mind up about where Bring Me The Horizon stand, then this record is unlikely to sway you either way. If, however, you are undecided as to whether you should join the hordes of haters or the impressive array of fans the group have build up, then this may well be worth checking out. A strong debut from a band who have accomplished a huge amount in such short time.
Review by: Robert Yates
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