The fifth album from Bring Me The Horizon, That’s the Spirit, has been hailed as the ‘rock album of the decade’. While I certainly wouldn’t go that far, it is extremely impressive. After a lush atmospheric opening, the album lurches into 11 dynamic, varied modern rock tracks. Although the two aspects can seem mutually exclusive at times, this is an album of soundscapes and excellent songs – songs that feature massive, fist-thumping anthemic choruses and a strong emotional content.
Despite the bombastic nature of the music, I also found the album to have an ethereal quality, with the overall production and subtle use of electronics giving it a dark but appealing atmosphere. Highlights include True Friends, which is grandiose and quite exhilarating, and Blasphemy, which features more of that same pomp and circumstance. Oh No is an almost bouncy, poppy closer to the album; quite unexpected and adds yet another flavour to what is a highly diverse record.
That’s the Spirit is diverse, though still choc-full of momentum and absolutely sure of its overall direction.This is a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional rock album that impresses with its musicality, creativity and its broad appeal. Bring Me The Horizon are onto a winner here.
BY ROD WHITFIELD
