Artist: Bring Me The Horizon
Album: There Is A Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret.
Genre: Metalcore
Label: Epitaph

Bring Me The Horizon have always been a band that’s kept me on my toes. I became acquainted with their music days after Count Your Blessings hit stores and I haven’t stopped listening since. However, the distance between each sequential release always makes me wonder about the sound the group will have on their next release. Suicide Season was a change I had to adjust to, but it ultimately became one of my favorite albums of 2008. Now, after what seems like much, much longer than it’s actually been, the release of the group’s third full length, There Is A Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret, is just days away and fans are frenzied. I’ve been fortunate enough to hear the Sheffield quintet’s new release and put together a track by track summary to excite you even further:

Crucify Me – A subtle intro lasts just long enough to give a false sense of security before BMTH’s signature freight train of sound comes pounding in with ferocity that feels similar to “The Comedown” until an eerie chorus of children enters and all hell breaks loose. What follows is, without a doubt in my mind, the best song this band has written. I don’t want to spoil it, but by the time Oli screams “Ladies and Gentleman, can I have your full, undivided attention” most listeners will have their jaws on the floor or be themselves on the ground gasping from frenzy this song is sure to induce.

Anthem – A most fitting title, this one is built for a live audience. Featuring a much stronger rhythm section thanks to the addition of Lee Malia, the song come complete with a chorus parents will despise and a closing breakdown that could shift the Earth itself.

It Never Ends – A perfect median for the album as a whole. While not my personal favorite, it does a great job of showing you everything you love about the band and hints at what’s to come later on the album. Oli’s voice has rarely packed the emotional urgency it does here.

Fuck – A compelling thrash meets full blown rock track that features compelling vocals from You Me At Six’s Josh Franeschi. Obviously not marketable to the masses, it packs one of the bigger hooks of the album.

Don’t Go – The ballad we all thought was coming. Solemn strings and arena sized drumming accompanies Oli through a subtle, yet heart wrenching introduction before a crushing chorus comes to bury you in a sonic flood of sound. Lights makes her second appearance on the album [first being on “Crucify Me”], but it’s here where she stands out as her angelic tones strangely pairs perfectly with Sykes ever raspier vocals. This song is a cry for help you won’t be able to refuse. Possibly the album’s strongest point emotionally.

Home Sweet Hole – Hello Suicide Season. Sweet gang vocals give the song a needed dose of heart, but in the end the drums and rhythm carry it through.

Alligator Blood – This will be the fan favorite from the album. Catchy lines and gang vocals right from the get go with superb drumming you’ll be tapping on everything around you for weeks. Unlike a lot of the album, this is a more straightforward, heavy as hell, dose of brutality meant to incite riots [and it will].

Visions – If it hadn’t been for “Crucify Me” I would claim this to be the best song BMTH have written. Driven by an undeniable riff and the kinda hook bands in this genre give their careers to write, I wouldn’t be surprised if this became an instant live staple.

Blacklist – This song is low and slow through and through [a nice change on a continuously quick and crushing album]. The standout here is Oli who goes for a [fittingly] more guttural tone and adds an ocean of electronic vocal mods to sound even more unhinged than usual.

Memorial – A digital sea of sound, this instrumental track gives you the breather you’ll need for what BMTH have left for the remainder of the album. I know a lot of people complain about these kind of tracks, but this is definitely one of the more interesting instrumentals to come out in some time.

Blessed With A Curse – The landscape of sound BMTH traverse on this record comes to head on this track where subtlety and brutality collide at full force. Flowing in perfectly from the previous track, pulsing drums and Sykes lyrical depictions of heaven and hell grab you by collar before an unexpected guitar solo send the whole song over the top. A perfect summary of the group’s evolution to date.

Fox And The Wolf – Refusing to close with the stereotypical epic track, BMTH add this little [it’s the shortest song on the album] ball of hellfire for one final circle pit inducing romp. Think of it as the bonus scene after the credits of a great movie: Not necessary, but you’re not complaining either.

After listening to There Is A Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret for the past week I can honestly say it’s not only Bring Me The Horizon’s best album to date, but an undeniable pick as one of the best albums of 2010. Bring Me The Horizon push themselves harder than ever before with this release and the payoff is HUGE. Don’t miss this album when it hits stores October 5.

Score: 9/10
Review written by: James Shotwell
Stream the album on Myspace.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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