SEMPITERNAL

Personnel: Oliver Sykes (vocals); Lee Malia (guitar); Matthew Nicholls (drums); Jordan Fish (programming). Audio Mixer: David Bendeth. Recording information: Angelic Studios, Banbury, England. While many have tried, few bands have merged metalcore with electronic influences quite like Bring Me the Horizon, who complete their transition from faceless deathcore band to something altogether more interesting with their fourth album, Sempiternal. Produced by Terry Date, the same producer who worked on the Deftones' 2000 art metal masterpiece, White Pony, the album finds the band almost reinventing its style, diving headfirst into the kinds of atmospheric flourishes that were only hinted at on There Is a Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It, There Is a Heaven, Let's Keep It a Secret. What makes Bring Me the Horizon's evolution so interesting isn't so much the change in their sound, but how they got there. Rather than adding and subtracting elements wholesale, it feels as though the band has been tinkering little by little, adjusting the ratios to achieve just the right balance of ambience and aggression. Where other bands might have synths slapped on top of their sound, here they feel like they're part of the foundation of the songs, creating a soundscape for the rest of the elements to drift through instead of around. Though fans of the band's earlier works might see this kind of change as an unwelcome invader, they certainly can't say it's one they didn't see coming. Bring Me the Horizon have been working slowly but surely to refine their sound for years now, and with Sempiternal, it feels like their patience and hard work are finally beginning to pay dividends. ~ Gregory Heaney