Formed in 2004 in Sheffield, North Yorkshire, UK, Bring Me The Horizon has since been tearing down stages within the alternative scene with their ever-evolving sound. The band was originally founded by lead vocalist Oli Sykes, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Matt Nicholls, lead guitarist Lee Malia, and guitarist Curtis Ward.
Named after a line in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Bring Me The Horizon marked themselves for tenured success in the music industry early on. Let’s get into the brief history behind each of the main albums they have released so far.
Getting Discovered: The Bedroom Sessions (2004)
Before getting signed to independent UK label Visible Noise, Bring Me The Horizon self-released a deathcore album titled The Bedroom Sessions in 2004. The EP won most brutal EP of the Year in a poll published by the alternative music magazine ABM, and led the band to be awarded the Best British newcomer at the 2006 Kerrang! awards. After getting signed to Visible Noise, the EP was re-released, landing it on the UK album charts at #41.
The Debut: Count Your Blessings (2006)
Count Your Blessings is a true deathcore album on its face. It’s aggressive, extreme, and hedonistic, providing chaotic mosh-pit anthems about partying and girls. Frontman Oliver Sykes claimed that the recording process was intense, as the band wanted to make album that sounded “as heavy and as brutal as they possibly could.” To make this happen, Bring Me The Horizon pulled inspiration from genres like black metal, melodic metalcore, and death metal to write Count Your Blessings.
A Metalcore Shift: Suicide Season (2008)
Suicide Season was the album that marked the band’s shift in sound from raging deathcore to metalcore, and it was the last Bring Me The Horizon album to feature Curtis Ward on rhythm guitar. There was not only a change in sound, but a change in the way the band structured their projects, as every track on the album was different from the others.
The cover of the EP represents the phrase “spilling your guts out.” Suicide Season was promoted during the 2008 Warped Tour prior to its release and caused a notable shift in the fanbase. This album landed Bring Me The Horizon a licensing deal with Epitaph Records so they could also start releasing albums to their American audience.
Hell is Electronic: There is a Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let’s Keep It a Secret. (2010)
This album signified another shift in Bring Me The Horizon’s sound as the band moved into a more electronic feel with the addition of synths and cleaner vocals on their new tracks. There is a Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let’s Keep It a Secret. is still sonically loud and brutal, with an air of hopelessness you can feel through Oli’s devastatingly pained vocals.
There is a duality presented in this EP, as exemplified by the cover, in which one side is seemingly trying to get through whatever hell that there is, while the other side may represent finally getting to the other side of that hell. This album was the first and only one to feature rhythm guitarist Jona Weinhofen.
Scoring the Pain: Sempiternal (2013)
Sempiternal proved to be another demonstration of Bring Me The Horizon’s musical capabilities within different genres. The main inspirations behind this album were film scores and pop and electronic music. There was also a change in the foundation of songwriting for the band. Sonically, the album feels remorseful, spacious, and full of despair, and it was heavily inspired by Oli Sykes’ experience with rehab. Sempiternal was the first album to feature keyboardist Jordan Fish, who later left the band in 2023.
Getting Through with Alternative Rock: That’s the Spirit (2015)
That’s the Spirit continues the band’s evolution in sound, pulling inspiration from other bands like Jane’s Addiction, Interpol, and Radiohead. The album isn’t as heavy as the prior releases, but still maintains the depressing pessimism the band is known for within its lyrics. That’s the Spirit appears to show how much BMTH has matured as artists throughout their struggles in life, showing that you can acknowledge exactly where you are in your life while still working to make changes for the better.
All About Love: Amo (2019)
Amo is a love album through and through. It explores themes of relationships ending, new ones starting, and everything in between and is deeply inspired by Oliver’s personal life. This album has a softer feel compared to the band’s other releases, with a sense a peace woven into it. Amo is another project that strays heavily from Bring Me The Horizon’s deathcore and metalcore roots, as it audibly leans towards alternative pop-rock while still remaining experimental.
A Storyline Begins: Post Human: Survival Horror (2020)
Post Human: Survival Horror is a bit of an outlier in Bring Me The Horizon’s discography since it contains more of a conceptualized storyline compared to previous releases. At first glance, Post Human: Survival Horror is apocalyptic, with the world of humanity destroyed.
The album is the first installment of a larger project that will span four EP releases. Sonically, it is mature and heavy with a cyberpunk edge, and seems to focus more on the outside world and what it is currently becoming. There are themes of political corruption, climate change, authoritarianism and societal injustice presented in the album in a way that allows for reflection by those who listen to the EP.
Mixing It All Up: Post Human: NeX GEn (2024)
Post Human: NeX GEn appears to continue the story from Post Human: Survival Horror, but with a focus on human emotion and technology. Shown in the cover art, there is an AI named E.V.E that controls humanity in the story of this EP. The narrative of this album is not freely given in a storytelling sense, with some of the concepts and themes needing to be unearthed by those who are willing to dive deeper into the narrative the band is creating.
In terms of sound, Post Human: NeX GEn is another album that tested the bounds of Bring Me The Horizon’s discography, introducing their listeners to a mix of post-hardcore, pop-punk, emo, and hyper-pop.
Bring Me the Horizon is now gearing up for the release of a full album re-record of Count Your Blessings, due out July 10. The tile of the re-recorded album is Count Your Blessings | Repented and will be performed live for the first time in Manchester at Outbreak Fest on its release date. You can preorder the album here.
Bring Me The Horizon will embark on a tour across the US and Europe starting April 23, and you can find tickets here.
Bring Me The Horizon Tour Dates:
North America (tickets here):
4/23 – Hollywood, CA – Hollywood Palladium
4/25 – Las Vegas, NV – Las Vegas Festival Grounds
4/28 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
4/29 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell
5/1 – Worcester, MA – DCU Center
5/2 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
5/4 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
5/5 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
5/7 – Nashville, TN –Bridgestone Arena
5/9 – Daytona Beach, FL – Daytona International Speedway (Welcome to Rockville)
5/11 – Saint Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
5/12 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
5/13 – Saint Paul, MN – Grand Casino Arena
5/15 – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
5/16 – Columbus, OH – Historic Crew Stadium
Europe (tickets here):
6/3 – 6/6 – Norje, Sölvesborg, Sweden – Sweden Rock Festival 2026
6/9 – Kraków, Poland – Tauron Arena
6/12 – Hradec Králové, Czech Republic – Rock for People 2026
6/14 – Nickelsdorf, Austria – Nova Rock 2026
6/18 – Clisson, France – Hellfest 2026
6/20 – Dessel, Belgium – Graspop 2026
6/24 – 6/27 – Oslo, Norway – Tons of Rock 2026
6/25 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Copenhell 2026
6/25 – 6/27 – Seinäjoki, Finland – Provinssi 2026
6/26 – 6/28 – Helsinki, Finland – Tuska 2026
7/2 – Ferrara, Italy – Ferrara Summer Festival 2026
8/14 – Budapest, Hungary – Sziget Festival 2026
9/5 – Rio De Janeiro, Brazil – Rock In Rio 2026
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