Bring Me The Horizon: Suicide Season

Tagged with:
Bring Me The Horizon 

Written By:

Aidan Williamson

14th November 2008
At 16:04 GMT

31 comment(s)

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The 'cult of personality' refers to an instance whereby a political or religious leader uses propaganda to concoct a public image comprising nothing but flattery and praise; the 'cult of Sykes-ality' refers to an instance whereby the front-man of a band drags the entire team down with his obnoxious, disgusting behaviour, cliché ridden lyrics and the likability of a white-supremacist with body odour.

Normally, such personal tirades would not enter into a discussion of a band's output. A game-changer results when front-man Oliver Sykes decides to insert the lyric "and after everything you put me through I should have fucking pissed on you" into the track No Need For Introductions: I've Read About Girls Like You On The Back Of Toilet Doors. A lyric which references the event when Sykes (allegedly) did just that: urinated on a girl for refusing his sexual advances and then (again, allegedly) throwing a beer bottle in her face.

There are so many reasons to despise this band, it's unreal. The B-movie album cover which belies blatant misogyny and an aura so 'emo' it hurts; the fact that they further prove their bandwagon-jumping status by all but abandoning their deathcore 'roots' in favour of the more mainstream-acceptable hardcore electro-rock; the fact that every time a lyric is audible, ("I won’t give up on you/so don’t give up on me!") it recalls a level of cheese that will never be witnessed until Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck star in a remake of a Richard Curtis film; the underlying concern that the band spend more time on their haircuts than they do on their songs. Despite all this, though, somewhere along the way they managed to stumble across flourishes of musical aptitude mired amongst the putrid-swamp fest.

It must be said that any such results are a direct response to their gleeful tendency to rip off every over band they've ever listened to. Chelsea Smile steals the power-down technique from The Bled's 'Ruth Buzzi Better Watch Her Back'. There are countless similarities to Enter Shikari and a fair amount of vocals a la Frank 'Gallows' Carter. The entire album is also a retread of what Underoath did with The Changing of the Times and They're Only Chasing Safety, a band also from the depths of deathcore. Underoath, however, made their exit six years ago (2002) before it was the fashionable thing to do.

Throughout most of its time, Suicide Season is as generic as it comes: power chords, double-bass rolls with low-slung guitars, searing high-pitched note squeals, taking every opportunity to insert profanity, side-line electronic flourishes which are clearly a passing afterthough. The theme is competent, yet generic. It also makes you wonder: does it still count as a breakdown if the whole album is composed of them? Football Season Is Over sees the band go completely Gallows-esque with Sykes adopting Carter's exact mannerisms and accent despite the fact that they are from two completely disparate parts of England.

The Sadness Will Never End is BMTH's 'Reinventing Your Exit' where soft keys segue into a fast-paced metal anthem with electronically manipulated flourishes. Akin to 'Exit', the breakneck hardcore verses give way to a soaring, melodic chorus which features the surprise appearance of screams to back it up. Proceeding this, the band release all pretense of subtlety as they completely steal an Underoath melody while they chant "Close your eyes, we'll sleep in this bed that we made for ourselves" even introducing the glimmer of an American accent in the process.

Completing their 'tour-de-rip-off', it's no surprise to see that the longest track on the album is saved for last. A song which - gasp - features electronic passages and fades out with the various instruments gradually being phased out of the mix. If only I Don't Keep With Liars Anymore (The Bled), Ender (Finch), Okay Time For Plan B/Closer (Enter Shikari), White Walls (Between the Buried and Me), Burning Lafeyette (Hell is For Heroes) and countless others hadn't done exactly the same thing.

Intellectually insulting, monotonous, predictable and about as original as reality TV. Suicide Season, by its conclusion, is as appealing as a piece of art by John Wayne Gacy. You can tell he's capable of holding a brush adequately well, but the thought of finding enjoyment from something with that source makes the vomit-reflex twinge. Consider this rating as generous to the extreme.

Rating:  3 / 10

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User Comments

-6

Comment By:

cs65dos

commented 1 year ago

My girlfriends best friend at college was going out with Oliver. From stories I've heard it's not just BMTH which has given him this godlike ego, the fact is that Sykes is just through and through a complete prat. I saw BMTH in a support slot, any anti fur protesters would have thier red paint out when those boys turned up looking like they had badgers stapled to thier scalps... And this is coming from a guy that's all for a wedge fringe and a mullet!

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26

Comment By:

Calz

commented 1 year ago

You're a shit reviewer, you blatently have no talent for anything, and your comparisons lead one to believe you've never actually heard the songs in question but reference them in a feeble attempt to make yourself seem musically inept.

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12

Comment By:

Aidan W.

commented 1 year ago

I don't think the word "inept" means what you think it does.

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-6

Comment By:

visibleimpact

commented 1 year ago

so how bout you listen to the music and stop judging their character this is however why you were paid. to rate the ALBUM not the quality of the people who we all know are dirty but amazing.

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36

Comment By:

James Lake

commented 1 year ago

What a crap review.

I mean how tinted were the eyes you reviewed this album through?!

Oli Sykes had to endure alot to clear his name so lets drop all this 'alledgedly' crap-he has been legally proven innocent.

Criticising him for refering to an event in his life in a song is plain stupid!

To you're review however-you so obviously didn't like bring me the horizon,the way they dress and there general persona before the review Im shocked you were picked to review it at all.

Sort of like letting a racist head a civil rights bill-it shouldnt happen for their mind has already been made.

You couldnt resist going on about their appearence could you-for the irony is; if you name check the 'bmth care more about their harcuts...' argument-you yourself win a few brownie points from a very very stupid and shallow crowd.

This is an awful peice that truly scrapes the barrel of decent reviewing.

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10

Comment By:

Aidan W.

commented 1 year ago

Just wait until you see the 'Escape the Fate' review we did then :)

The personality stuff was a journalistic angle of writing. The score was already decided upon before I even knew about Sykes.

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1

Comment By:

Aqua Leung

commented 1 year ago

I think this review was painfully accurate to fans of this group of people who produce sound. I don't even consider them a legitimate band, that's how much they suck.

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32

Comment By:

josh

commented 1 year ago

I dont agree with the review I think this is a fantastic album that I could listen to over and over again. but calling him a horrible reviewer just because he doesnt like them is a bit unfair, remember reviews are just opinions and will change from person to person so, if someone doesnt like it they dont have to like it.

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23

Comment By:

Nakchi Shim

commented 1 year ago

Oliver Sykes is the R. Kelly of the white community. Yeah I went there.

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21

Comment By:

Anon

commented 1 year ago

My friend, I'm sure you're a wonderful writter but you did just name drop 70% of the time and the songs that you said they...i didn't really look at the lyrics but they don't sound the same...

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19

Comment By:

Martin

commented 1 year ago

You Mr. reviewer don't have any idea, check wikipedia, check big reviews like the one from METALHAMMER and get a brain.

Man, this just hurts..

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17

Comment By:

andy

commented 1 year ago

lol

reviews arent facts children

but i disagree with ur opinion

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6

Comment By:

danielle

commented 12 months ago

you don't know what you're talking about.

ignorant.

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4

Comment By:

Jonap

commented 11 months ago

beside their personality, the first thing that i look inside this band is just their songs.

cause whatever sucks this personel was, i dont see it as compliment. just listen to their song. if you like it then hear it, but if you dont like it, just leave it..

remember, music is number one, personality number two

judge it by yourself

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13

Comment By:

cohan

commented 10 months ago

on Football season is over oli sykes isn't copying carter, carter actually did guest vocals on the track so maybe you should do some research before you accuse him of copying carters singing style

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17

Comment By:

Dan

commented 9 months ago

More like Bring Me The Hair Straighteners am I right?

All joking aside, this band is complete garbage and Oliver Sykes is just an emo douche.

I don't know, maybe I'm just not 14 enough and don;t wear enough neon clothing to enjoy this band.

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14

Comment By:

charley

commented 9 months ago

tbh you chat a load of shit, do you not realise most of the songs on this album relate to chelsea, the girl on the cover, and the name giver for chelsea smile. chelsea is a friend of the band, and so was her husband. before he killed himself, maybe before reviewing something you should learn more facts and have some respect, and bring me fan will tell you suicide season isn't as good as their preivious album and ep. but i would say this album overall probably has alot more meaning and is possibly a form of closure for the band. i also fail to see how you could possibly relate enter shikari to bmth, but seeing as you mentioned it in passing i don't really think you can. And yes bring me the horizon have nice hair, but is that really a reason to slate them? sure people may like them because of their hair but can you really call those people fans, i don't think so. and maybe you should try and listen to the songs properly and realise they all, so have meaning, even going back to the ep if you look close enough everysong (bar eyeless) has an underlying message and maybe this band's letting out emotion in music, but if you want to slate a band for that then you're an idiot. i suggest you stop trying to be so anti-mainstream (i'm not calling bring me mainstream under any circumstance) but it seems that's what your doing. i'm sorry but your review to un-researched and total bollocks.

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-1

Comment By:

xoveroathx

commented 9 months ago

the fans make me lol hard, this band are EXTREMELY untalented. you want talent? go listen to a band like Misery Signals. you want a good UK band? go listen to Architects, Johnny Truant, More than life and The Eyes of a Traitor.

my favourite contribution to this page thought, has to be cohan. you really did end yourself by saying "on Football season is over oli sykes isn't copying carter, carter actually did guest vocals on the track so maybe you should do some research before you accuse him of copying carters singing style". you are correct, sam carter does to guest vocals, but on "the sadness will never end". so therefore, it still stands that oli did steal vox styles

thankyou and goodbye

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-7

Comment By:

Steve Fiddler

commented 8 months ago

youre just a little bitch man honestly they should have had someone who had never listened to them and liked metal review it after having them listeni to it

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0

Comment By:

Travis Rose

commented 8 months ago

Bravo! This album is as generic as it comes in the metalcore genre. Plus it would appear as a blatant rip off of so many other metalcore bands even if their shift in style wasn't such an obvious testament to their plagiarism.

I love all the kids with their "nuh-uh!!!" exclamatory comments.

"Intellectually insulting" is a great way to describe creatively uninspired regurgitations like "suicide season" BOOO

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4

Comment By:

xhorizonsx

commented 7 months ago

are you high? yes oliver sykes is an idiot but you listen to the band for their music not how much of a douche they are, this is a great album and I happen to think it is better than count your blessings and I have been listening to them since they released their ep and I still think traitors shouldnt play hangman is their best song

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-1

Comment By:

isaac

commented 6 months ago

3 STARS?

DUDE. THAT'S WAY TOO MANY.

Thank you for actually writing a good review. They sound like shit and their fanbase is annoying and immature as hell.

And what the hell happened to his voice? I mean in Pray for Plagues it was just "ok".

Now it just sounds like he's having an orgasm whenever he screams!

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-6

Comment By:

bob

commented 6 months ago

You sound like a gay :p

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6

Comment By:

BlondeOnBlonde

commented 6 months ago

this is why i hate hipsters.

they cant actually give a fucking balanced and honest opinion for fear of not being "alt" and "over that"

hope you all get blinded by your shatter shades.

egotistical fakes.

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12

Comment By:

marsmade

commented 6 months ago

finally an accurate review of this horrible album. if the band hadnt become popular for oli sikes and just stayed popular for their music maybe they would have kept writing songs worth listening too.

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14

Comment By:

Steve

commented 6 months ago

Though I'm not a fan of BMTH, you sir, should stop reviewing records.

The comparisons you listed are plainly wrong, the level of research you made is pretty poor and even worse: you let personal emotions blur your judge.

Damn, Sam Carter is singing on Football Season Is Over...

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24

Comment By:

Logan

commented 6 months ago

What I find funny is that all of these people accusing the writer of poor research are completely wrong in their accusation.... Sam Carter is not featured on "Football Season Is Over" but rather "The Sadness Will Never End" hence the (feat. Sam Carter) on the track listing.....

This being said, it is obvious that the majority of the people on here trashing this review are fans of BMTH and are offended by the notion that someone could point out what is so obvious about this album. The album from start to finish resembles one overdrawn metal song after another. It has no character. It just presses and presses on and on. Every song sounds like the one before, not to mention Sykes vocals. The man has the most generic scream in music. He should take a hint from guys like Keith Buckley who actually know how to scream. I mean anyone can do what Oliver Sykes is doing.... Its just sad.

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8

Comment By:

Yuri

commented 6 months ago

Finally, someone gives Bring me The Horishit a good review, if you're a fan of this band you need your ears looking at, they can't even do what they say they do. In fact in every genre they say they play they're much better bands. Just look around the metalcore, screamo, emo whatever you want to call it, is crammed full of shit so much so nobody listens to anyone else, in 2000 it was Rap Metal, in 2009 its Screamo and in 2019 it'll be something else, they're just another shitty fad band.

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2

Comment By:

Ryan

commented 5 months ago

Review the music, not Oliver and some of ur facts were incorrect

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3

Comment By:

BringMeTheHorizon

commented 3 months ago

yeah, i am a fan of bmth,

i love the album,

but this writer shouldn't diss bmth just cos Oli does some shit things.

i think that everyone should just, like, respect each others music and like, not diss it.

you guys might like other shiz like r'n'b or rap or other stuff,

but i love to just listen to some bmth or some bullet or somethin else like that.

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0

Comment By:

blah

commented 4 weeks ago

Okay..for one, if bmth were such a sucky band, no one would listen to them. I'm a dude and i'm straight...so i have no interest in oli at all. I love their music. Do you realize how many ppl love this band? seriously? come on, just chill out with all the insults on them.

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