Bring Me the Horizon Brings Great Metalcore
Bring Me the Horizon is a British band from Sheffield, Yorkshire that is categorized under the metalcore category. Like many bands, it hopes to eventually take a spot in the international music merch scene. It remains to be seen though whether the group will manage to break out.
And speaking of waves, the band’s name came from a line by Captain Jack Sparrow, “Now, bring me that horizon,” in the hit movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. No matter the whimsy behind the name, fans and critics alike expect metal core at its budding best from the members of the band.
Band History and Studio Albums Released
The history of Bring Me the Horizon spans three periods at present. First, the early years from 2004 to 2007 starting with the formation of the band. The members came from the defunct bands in the local area with Oliver Sykes on lead vocals, Lee Malia on lead guitar, Matt Kean on bass guitar, Matt Nicholls on drums and percussion, and Curtis Ward on rhythm guitar. Jona Weinhofen later replaced Ward and then taking on the roles of keyboardist, programmer and vocalist.
The debut album Count Your Blessings came out in 2006 in the United Kingdom. It took nearly a year for the album to come out in the United States. In 2007, the band participated in the Download Festival. They saw more action when they toured with such notable artists as Killswitch Engage, Lostprophets, I Killed the Prom Queen, The Haunted and The Blackout.
The second period consisted of line-up changes which happened from 2008 to 2009. Said change happened in March 2009 when Curtis Ward left the band and was then replaced by Jona Weinhofen in May 2009, albeit only on a temporary basis during the first two months. In July 2009, Weinhofen was officially declared as the newest member of the band.
Aside from band member changes, one other important development for the band was the release of their second Bring Me the Horizon album, Suicide Season. This was a bit unlike the milder first album. Fans consider it to definitely belong to the metalcore genre. It was so well received that it shot up to the 28th spot in the Australian ARIA Albums chart.
Near the end of 2009, the group released the remix version of their album under the title, Suicide Season: Cut Up! This version was a collaborative work among various individuals including Shawn Crahan, Ben Weinman and Sonny Moore. Hence, it features various musical elements including hip hop.
The group’s third period spans 2009 to the present and, hopefully, the release of the third Being Me the Horizon album. It is slated for release in the summer of 2010, an event that many fans are eagerly awaiting for.
Awards Garnered
This British metal core band has reaped accolades and criticisms too in their native land. Among the accolades heaped on Bring Me the Horizon are the 2006 Kerrang! Award for Best British Newcomer as well as the Rock Sound Best British Band and the Best Album for Suicide Season. It was also voted the 2008 Worst Band by the Kerrang! Readers’ poll and the album Suicide Season as the Worst Album by the Rock Sound readers’ poll. It only shows just how fickle the fans and the music industry can be.
Despite mixed reception however, the group has showed no signs of throwing the towel. There may be a couple more years of getting featured on band posters for this young group.
Discussion | Share Feedback