October 22nd, 2014 
James Shotwell 
Artist: Bring Me The Horizon
Song: “Drown”
Album: TBA
Eighteen months have passed since Bring Me The Horizon released their critically acclaimed album Sempiternal, and in that time the band has rarely had more than a moment to rest. From appearances, to sold out performances around the world, the men of Bring Me The Horizon have spent very little time at home in the last year. Somewhere along the line they did manage to enter the studio, albeit only long enough to produce one new song, and earlier this week that material found its way online.
One has to listen to thirty seconds of “Drown” to realize Bring Me The Horizon are no longer the boys who delivered tracks like “Tell Slater Not To Wash His Dick.” A recently rehabilitated Oliver Sykes has written in a far more cathartic manner as of late, and as he’s made that transition the music of Bring Me The Horizon followed suit. If you somehow missed the premiere of “Drown” when it first ran on UTG, join us in streaming the song below:
We have been having a lot of fun with single reviews as of late, so while blasting “Drown” through our offices yesterday we decided that it might be fun to let everyone express their opinion on this track as well. Instead of having one person on staff write 500-1000 words about BMTH’s latest we decided we could all share an opinion and hopefully spark a bit of conversation with readers along the way:
“This song was a definite surprise, but it’s not exactly the most shocking evolution for a band that has constantly tried to reinvent themselves. The last album was as clear an indication as they could have possibly given that things were changing, and now it’s time for Bring Me The Horizon to embark on a new adventure in the world of rock. This track has broad appeal, which the band needs in order to continue growing as a brand, and the performance delivered by Sykes is nothing short of applaud worthy. The hook is memorable, if not entirely infectious. I would go as far as to say I enjoy this effort, but I’m not sold on hearing an entire album of similar material.” – James Shotwell, Founder / Co-Owner / Editor
“As an individual whose music taste has evolved parallel to Bring Me The Horizon’s sound over the years, it’s exciting to see the band’s metamorphosis continue with “Drown.” Building upon the impressive post-hardcore tinges found throughout last year’s Sempiternal, all signs of the musicians’ former mosh-triggering ways have disappeared in favor of an exercise in highly melodic instrumentals and emotional clean vocals from frontman Oli Sykes. While going as far as saying “Drown” is radio-ready is a stretch, it’s undoubtedly an infectious cut that just might double as the finest track Bring Me The Horizon have written to date. If this style is further embellished when they hit the studio in December, 2015 already has a potential album of the year on its hands.” – Michael Giegerich, News & Feature Writer
“Bring Me The Horizon never truly resonated with me. Flooded with their presence in a scene that was dying out in my musical interests and tastes, they were easy to pass by in a sea of mediocrity and tired chugs over-saturated with autotune. Out of my seemingly uninterested palate for them, the one thing that was easily seen from the band was their phenomenal musicianship. The sounds reverberating from their instruments may not have attracted me, but damn do they know how to use them. With “Drown,” it’s about time they put those skills to a more interesting use. While it may not be the best track that this newly elevated sound can offer, it sure is a step in a more desirable direction. Bring Me The Horizon, you now have my (mild) attention. What’s next?” – Drew Caruso, News & Feature Writer
“I’d be lying if I said that I don’t sometimes miss the Count Your Blessings era Bring Me The Horizon. I do miss that crazy, unapologetic and in your face sound sometimes. However, I absolutely love what they have been doing with their sound over the last few years. Whether or not you like the direction they’ve taken, you can’t deny their damn good musicianship. “Drown” is a prime example of Sykes’ ability to write a catchy lyric. It’s not the best song they’ve released, but it makes me excited to hear what else they have in store for us.” – Kriston McConnell, News & Feature Writer
“Wow, what a change for the band that brought us some of the heaviest guitar riffs in recent memory with Count Your Blessings. This song surpasses Suicide Season and Sempiternal in my book, dropping the screams and bringing a whole new face to Bring Me The Horizon. There are no chugging guitars or double bass durum work on “Drown,” but what is present is a very straightforward rock sound. This band has always been an interesting part of the metalcore scene, and I for one am incredibly curious to learn what they do with the new sound they have on display here.” – Ryan Kappy, News & Feature Writer
“Here’s an interesting new look at Bring Me The Horizon, who appear to have shed their thrashy roots in favor of a more mature alternative sound. Yes that says “thrashy,” and if you read “trashy” then you weren’t too off base either. Honestly, I think it’s a great change for the band who probably wouldn’t survive too much longer on the brutal style that made them famous. Sure, it’s probably not what fans were expecting, but to quote the late Steve Jobs: “…people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
As soon as Oli started singing all I could think about was a recent decline of the scream. Lately bands have been trading their screams for gritty cleans, like vocalist Dave Stephens of We Came As Romans. “Drown” is a great start, but I’m curious to hear what else BMTH brings in their next release.” – Scott Murray, News & Feature Writer
“I came into doing this single review with the intention of making some snarky comment along the lines of “Bring Me the Horizon is still a band in 2014,” or “People still listen to bands like Bring Me the Horizon in 2014?” It appears the band had a similar thought in their head as well, producing something that sounds wildly different then their back catalog. I’m sure a lot of people are going to be pissed off about this track, but it makes sense as to why they are trying something new. Their fanbase is pretty rabid, so I don’t doubt that people will get into it, but I’m very interested to see if they’ll bring in new fans with this track. This doesn’t do it for me, but I’m sure it will for someone.” – Tyler Osborne, News & Feature Writer
“They’re few and far between, but in recent years, there have been scene/core bands that have made the wise choice to alter their sound drastically – some to a nearly unrecognizable extent. This is either for the simple desire to try something new, a natural progression due to lineup changes, or out of necessity for staying relevant, ultimately transcending their respective genres which are very likely drowning in stale unoriginality. Just ask Polyenso (ex-Oceana), or more recently, Pianos Become The Teeth.
For the most part, metalcore has long been dead to me. That includes the works of Bring Me The Horizon. Their last album, Sempiternal, swayed me a tad, but not enough to convert me in any way. I may be crazy, but if this new single is indicative of what’s to come from BMTH – regardless of the reasoning – sign me up. I’m not wholly surprised by this evolution, but I’m intrigued as I think it’s the best choice the band has made in a very long time. There’s certainly nothing groundbreaking or overtly exciting about “Drown” but changes like this within the scene are rare and any kind of variation is wholly welcome.
This new direction would likely change the heavy dynamic staple of their live performance (which I am a fan of) but I don’t see why they can’t adjust to that as well and still put on an entertaining performance for fans new and old.” – Brian Lion, Co-Owner / Editor
“My relationship with Bring Me The Horizon is an interesting one to say the least. When they first exploded to prominence with Count Your Blessings, I couldn’t stand them, dismissing them as horribly generic, sub-par deathcore wannabes. Suicide Season, while a progression in the right direction did little to improve my opinion and when coupled with the less than savory stories I heard about them as people, I was ready to dismiss them completely. Then a funny thing happened; they evolved and produced There Is A Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It, There Is A Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret and all of a sudden I found myself liking the band quite a lot. Then I dropped in on their set at Soundwave to catch a few songs and ended up staying for the remainder, thoroughly entranced by their performance. I walked away from that set anticipating Sempiternal‘s release, hoping that the progressive elements and improved songcraft they’d displayed on TIAHBMISITIAHLKIAS would be even more evident. Suffice to say, it was, and the result was the band’s most accessible and impressive record to date, leaving me wondering what could possibly be in store next.
Today, we appear to have our answer in the form of “Drown” and that answer is a play for commercial viability via a more pop oriented sound and surprisingly crisp clean vocals, creating a sound not that dissimilar to fellow Brits You Me At Six in there heavier moments. While nothing particularly memorable or groundbreaking in itself, “Drown” is a competent enough song that will strike a chord with fans that sit at the poppier end of the spectrum, and win them over some new ones. However, it remains to be seen if the band’s dedication to evolving their sound will continue to be supported by their fierce fan base or if this is a step too far. Whatever the outcome, I applaud the band for having the balls to change styles so drastically. For a band this size, that’s a very bold move indeed.” – Brenton Harris, News & Feature Writer
Do you agree with us? Comment below and leave us your thoughts on Bring Me The Horizon’s latest!
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Suicide Season was alright, the rest of their stuff has never really grabbed me, but this, this is just horrible, disposable, saccharine nonsense.
this is a feeling of being more and more alive, if you cant feel it, it just means you don’t want to feel this
as a bring me the horizon fan i love it . i love everything about it , the video is what i liked very werid but i enjoyed it. no matter what BMTH does i will still love then beacuse they helped me (and i think it helped others as well)