Bring Me The Horizon weren’t bothered about easy wins with ‘That’s The Spirit’. From the beckoning grin of ‘Throne’ to the in-yer-face, spelled-out dance of ‘Happy Song’, the band took an angled leap forward from their roaring past. It was a shock, but only if you hadn’t been paying attention. See, the band have never made the same record twice – each release a step towards something bigger.
Despite the scale, the swing and the purpose behind ‘That’s The Spirit’, Bring Me The Horizon were still the underdogs. Their gleeful dominance of the main stage at Reading & Leeds was the first victory. The first proper glimpse that this band could not only play with the big boys, but give them a run for their money. Rather than stick to their lane, though, they went out, found their discomfort zone and made it theirs. Wins at Glastonbury, the home of anything-but-heavy-music, and a stripped down performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall saw Bring Me and their outsider snarl take control.
“Do you want to start a cult with me?” starts the first glimpse of What Comes Next. After a long wait, a short tease and a whole bunch of expectations, ‘Mantra’ sees Bring Me The Horizon finally shake off that upswing. They’ve got nothing left to prove.
