The release of their latest album Sempiternal was no exception to this rule. There were the fan critics who lamented the synthetic nature of the new work and the tamed progression of the album, and the enthusiastic majority who hailed the accessibility of the record and progression of lead vocalist Oli Syke’s now deafening roar.
This latter point was one that was emphatically on show as the English crew got their UK tour off to a start in Glasgow, and there was far from any sign that the grouping have given up on their metalcore roots in the live performance.
The sell out crowd was already wildly warmed up after a stylish showing from support act Pierce The Veil, and the Bring Me The Horizon crew made sure they didn’t let this atmosphere fall as they came out to big early rendition of Can You Feel My Heart, Shadow Moses and old favourite Chelsea Smile.
The former superbly combined irresistible synthetic work with anthemic drum beats and smooth vocals from Sykes before lead single Shadow Moses hypnotised the crowd into a sing-a-long build up climaxing in a bulking break down that, accompanied by heavy blasts of smoke from the stage, shook the Scottish venue to its very core. Sykes got a chance to really go all on this number, conveniently so before heavy pastime Chelsea Smile kicked in, a number received with delight by the men in the mosh pit.
The set up continued in similar vein from here on out. Sempiternal features And the Snakes Start to Sing and The House of Wolves demonstrated the range on offer in the band’s latest production; melodic guitar work impressing through certain parts while banging breakdowns and anthemic scream-a-long choruses took over in others.
The mix between past and present Bring Me continued through to the end however, to the delight of the audience. Cult 2008 track Diamonds Aren’t Forever let the crowd go almost as wild as the men who unleashed it on stage – Sykes first conducting a calm crowd who then burst into what had become a familiar moshing madness as soon as the lyrics kicked in. 2010 favourite Blessed With a Curse received a late airing also, tying in the gang vocals of the charismatic frontman with weighted, harmonious guitar riffs that highlighted the talent of Sykes on the chorus.
It was the second single to come from Sempiternal that would close the concert though. Sleepwalking was sounded and sent immediate shockwaves around the crowd. Sykes could have stayed silent throughout and each word would still have been heard clearly, but the lead put in a big final shift in front of the giant glowing initials ‘BMTH’.
Confetti fell from the roof to meet this frantic finale and put an end to a performance perfectly emphatic in everything it wanted to do. A concert not for the faint hearted, but one that provided every ounce of mayhem that the majority of Bring Me The Horizon fans would be pining to see.
Stuart Kenny
As published originally at: www.brignewspaper.com