subject: Bring Me The Horizon- A Taste Of British Metalcore [print this page] If the band Bring Me the Horizon had its way, we may see yet another British invasion of the music scene. The band, which hails from Sheffield, Yorkshire, is making waves in the international circuit, as young as it may be in the music industry's estimation.
The band's name isn't a complete unknown. Movie fans would recognize it as a line from Captain Jack Sparrow, "Now bring me that horizon," from the popular movie Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. For a metalcore group, the name seems a bit whimsical but fans don't even seem to care.
Band Story and Albums Out
The story behind Bring Me the Horizon is neatly divided into three parts. The first part is from 2004 to 2007 and marks their early years. The group came to be in 2004, after members of local music groups came together. Oliver Sykes took on lead vocals. He was joined by Matt Nicholls on percussions, Lee Malia on lead guitar, Matt Kean on bass guitar and Curtis Ward on rhythm guitar. When Ward decided to leave the group, Jona Weinhofen filled in and also handled vocals, programming and keyboards.
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 years 2008 to 2009 marked a second phase for the group and was highlighted by the leave taking of Curtis Ward. Jona Weinhofen was tapped to occupy the vacant spot but initially on a temporary capacity. In 2009 however, Weinhofen became a permanent member of the band and even took on a number of additional responsibilities.
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.
Close to the end of 2009, Suicide Season: Cut Up!, a remixed version of the original was released. Unlike the original, this one came infused with a variety of musical elements including electro and hip hop. This is most likely because of the contribution of many individuals including Sonny Moore and Shawn Crahan.
The band's third phase is from last year to this year. It is expected to be punctuated by the summer 2010 release of the third Bring Me the Horizon album. This is one definite development that fans await.
Recognitions Received
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 the mixed opinions, the band doesn't seem to show signs of giving up. We'll be sure to get a bit more of Bring Me the Horizon in the months to come.
