If you spent any part of the late 2000s or early 2010s on Myspace, Warped Tour, or lurking YouTube for breakdown compilations, you couldn’t miss Bring Me The Horizon. Swoopy hair, neon merch, panic-chord breakdowns, and unhinged pig squeals—they were the chaotic poster kids for a new generation of heavy music. But somewhere between the Count Your Blessings era chaos and today’s stadium-ready singles, Bring Me The Horizon became one of the most polarizing names in metalcore.
This article zooms in on Bring Me The Horizon in metalcore specifically: how they started, what actually makes their classic sound work, how each era fits (or doesn’t) into metalcore, and why they still matter even as they lean into pop, electronica, and alt-rock. Think of this as your field guide to understanding the band’s relationship with the genre—whether you’re revisiting them or testing the waters for the first time.
What Is Bring Me The Horizon In Metalcore?
At its core, metalcore is a fusion of extreme metal riffing and hardcore punk aggression—think breakdowns, screamed vocals, and emotional or socially charged lyrics. Bring Me The Horizon (BMTH), formed in Sheffield, England, in 2004, technically started as a deathcore band: a more brutal offshoot with blast beats, guttural growls, and death metal riffing welded to hardcore breakdowns.
But from about 2008 onward, their sound and songwriting pulled them directly into the metalcore conversation. The shift looked like this:
- Early years (2004–2007): Chaotic deathcore—fast tempos, gutturals, relentless riffing.
- Breakthrough metalcore era (2008–2013): More structured songs, big choruses, melodic leads, clean/screamed vocal interplay.
- Post-metalcore hybrid era (2013–present): Electronic layers, pop hooks, alternative rock, but still rooted in the emotional intensity and dynamics that metalcore popularized.
So when people talk about Bring Me The Horizon in metalcore, they’re usually centering three main records:
- Suicide Season (2008)
- There Is a Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let’s Keep It a Secret. (2010)
- Sempiternal (2013)
These albums kept the aggression of their early work but introduced metalcore’s key elements: more melodic passages, singable hooks, atmospheric layers, and lyrics that felt emotionally direct instead of just nihilistic.
How Bring Me The Horizon’s Metalcore Sound Actually Works
Strip away the haircuts, the headlines, and the fan wars for a second. Underneath, Bring Me The Horizon’s best metalcore-era songs are built on a few clear pillars: rhythm, tension, melody, and contrast.
Rhythm: Breakdowns, Grooves, And Mosh Fuel
In metalcore, rhythm is where the body blow lands, and BMTH leaned hard into that. Their classic breakdowns aren’t just “slow chugs”; they’re carefully arranged rhythmic moments designed for chaos:
- Syncopated chugs: Guitars accent off-beats or unexpected hits, creating that “stumble” effect that makes pits explode.
- Kick–guitar locking: The drums and rhythm guitar often move as one unit, giving breakdowns a mechanical, crushing feel.
- Stop–start silence: They drop instruments out for a split second, turning the next hit into a jump-scare.
Tracks like “Diamonds Aren’t Forever” and “Chelsea Smile” became scene staples because those breakdowns felt like they were engineered to detonate in small clubs and festival tents.
Tension: Dissonance, Atmosphere, And Electronics
Where a lot of mid-2000s metalcore bands leaned on straightforward metal riffing, Bring Me The Horizon started pushing into dissonant chords and eerie textures. On There Is a Hell… and Sempiternal especially, you hear:
- “Panic chords” and tritones: Uncomfortable intervals that sound unstable and anxious.
- Ambient guitar work: Reverb-heavy leads, delay-drenched slides, and swells that fill the space between riffs.
- Synths and programming: Choir pads, glitchy electronics, and cinematic strings that build emotional tension before the chorus or breakdown drops.
Jordan Fish’s arrival before Sempiternal was a turning point; his synth and production ideas gave Bring Me The Horizon a new dimension that many later metalcore bands borrowed or outright copied.
Melody: Choruses Built To Be Tattooed
Metalcore’s rise in the 2000s was largely powered by one thing: huge, emotional choruses that you could scream along to in a crowd. Bring Me The Horizon leaned into that progression:
- Early: Choruses were more like slightly catchier screams—intense but not necessarily hook-driven.
- There Is a Hell…: Introduced more memorable vocal patterns and melodic lines, often layered with clean guest vocals.
- Sempiternal: Fully embraced sing-along territory—tracks like “Sleepwalking” and “Can You Feel My Heart” practically begged to be shouted by 10,000 people at once.
The key is contrast. The more violent and chaotic the verses and breakdowns, the more cathartic those melodic choruses feel—one of metalcore’s fundamental emotional tricks.
Vocals: From Guttural Chaos To Confessional Metalcore Frontman
Oli Sykes’ vocal journey mirrors the band’s shift into metalcore:
- Deathcore era: Gutturals, shrieks, near-constant screaming with very little melody.
- Metalcore transition: Higher-pitched mid-range screams, occasional spoken-word or half-sung lines, clearer articulation, more focus on emotion than sheer brutality.
- Hybrid era: Full use of clean vocals, layered harmonies, and a mix of screaming and singing inside a single phrase.
In metalcore terms, Oli evolved from “just a screamer” into a classic modern frontman: part harsh vocalist, part melodic lead, part emotional narrator.
A Guided Tour Of Bring Me The Horizon’s Metalcore Eras
To really understand Bring Me The Horizon in metalcore, it helps to walk through their discography and flag what each album brought to the genre.
“Count Your Blessings” (2006): The Deathcore Origin Story
While not metalcore in a purist sense, Count Your Blessings is important context. It’s fast, messy, and relentlessly heavy—closer to death metal than metalcore, but you can already hear:
- A love of breakdowns that would later translate to metalcore crowds.
- Chaotic song structures that made later, more focused writing feel like a “level up.”
For U.S. fans, this is the “deep-cut” era—more for historical curiosity than a true entry point into their metalcore phase.
“Suicide Season” (2008): The Metalcore Breakthrough
This is where Bring Me The Horizon really enter metalcore territory. Suicide Season brought in:
- More mid-tempo grooves and moshable breakdowns.
- Catchier, more structured songs (“Chelsea Smile,” “The Comedown”).
- Early hints of melody and atmosphere.
The production is still raw by modern standards, but the shift from ultra-chaotic deathcore to a more hook-conscious, groove-heavy sound is obvious. For many fans, this is the record where BMTH became a proper metalcore band rather than a deathcore curiosity.
“There Is a Hell…” (2010): Experimental, Atmospheric Metalcore
If Suicide Season kicked the door in, There Is a Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let’s Keep It a Secret. painted the walls black and wired the house with electronics. On this album, Bring Me The Horizon:
- Lean into ambience and electronics—strings, choirs, glitchy textures.
- Write more cinematic song structures vs. verse–chorus rinse-repeat.
- Explore heavier emotional themes: self-destruction, guilt, mental health, spirituality.
Songs like “It Never Ends” and “Blessed with a Curse” became staples for metalcore fans who wanted heaviness with a more epic, emotional tone. This is also the record where BMTH start to feel distinct from the pack—no longer just “another Myspace-heavy band,” but something moodier and more ambitious.
“Sempiternal” (2013): Modern Metalcore Blueprint
Sempiternal is the album that cemented Bring Me The Horizon’s place in metalcore history. It’s also the record most U.S. fans point to as their gateway into the band. Key shifts here:
- Jordan Fish joins, bringing synths and production chops that reshape their sound.
- Choruses become massive—fully realized sing-along hooks.
- Heaviness meets accessibility: breakdowns still hit, but songs work on mainstream rock radio.
Tracks like “Can You Feel My Heart,” “Sleepwalking,” “Shadow Moses,” and “Go to Hell, for Heaven’s Sake” became anthems not just for metalcore kids but for anyone orbiting heavy music at the time. Sonically, Sempiternal helped set the tone for where mainstream metalcore would go through the mid-2010s.
Beyond “Sempiternal”: Still Metalcore, Or Something Else?
After Sempiternal, Bring Me The Horizon moved further away from traditional metalcore structures:
- “That’s the Spirit” (2015): More alt-rock and arena rock, fewer breakdowns, more clean vocals.
- “amo” (2019): Electronic pop, hip-hop textures, experimental production.
- Post-2019 EPs and singles: A patchwork of heavy tracks, pop songs, and genre experiments, occasionally revisiting metalcore energy.
While these releases aren’t pure metalcore, you can still feel the genre’s DNA in their use of dynamics, emotional themes, and the occasional throwback breakdown or screamed passage.
Strengths And Weaknesses Of Bring Me The Horizon As A Metalcore Band
Like them or not, Bring Me The Horizon shaped modern metalcore. Understanding their pros and cons as a “metalcore band” helps explain both the love and the backlash.
Strengths
- Songwriting evolution: They didn’t just write heavier; they wrote smarter—tighter structures, smarter hooks, better pacing.
- Dynamic contrast: Quiet/loud, clean/scream, ambient/crushing—they know how to build tension and release.
- Emotional honesty: Lyrics about anxiety, addiction, depression, and self-loathing hit home for younger fans, especially in the late 2000s/early 2010s.
- Production: Their metalcore-era records sound huge and modern, which helped define the “polished but still heavy” aesthetic for the genre.
- Willingness to evolve: Instead of recycling the same metalcore tropes for a decade, they used metalcore as a launching pad into new sounds.
Weaknesses (Depending On Your Taste)
- Inconsistency in heaviness: If you loved their early brutality, later albums can feel too polished or soft.
- Trend accusations: Some listeners see their evolution—from deathcore to metalcore to alt/pop—as chasing trends.
- Polarizing vocals: Oli’s voice, especially in live settings, has long been a point of contention; some find it raw and powerful, others find it inconsistent.
- “Is it still metalcore?”: Their more recent work often sits well outside traditional genre boundaries, which can frustrate purists.
How To Get Into Bring Me The Horizon’s Metalcore Era (And Where To Start)
If you’re a U.S. metal fan trying to test-drive Bring Me The Horizon in metalcore, diving straight into the full discography can feel overwhelming. Here’s a focused entry path.
Step 1: Start With The Essentials
Begin with these tracks to taste their metalcore peak without the filler:
- “Can You Feel My Heart” – Definitive modern metalcore anthem with electronics, hooks, and emotion.
- “Shadow Moses” – A perfect blend of riffs, breakdowns, and stadium-sized choruses.
- “Sleepwalking” – Melodic, moody, and incredibly accessible.
- “It Never Ends” – Dark, cinematic, and emotionally intense.
- “Chelsea Smile” – A bridge between their deathcore roots and early metalcore identity.
If you vibe with those, move on to the full albums:
- First album to spin start-to-finish: Sempiternal.
- Second: There Is a Hell… for a darker, more experimental take.
- Third: Suicide Season for something rawer and more chaotic.
Step 2: Compare Eras To See What “Metalcore” Means To You
Once you’ve gotten comfortable with their middle period, take a track from each era back-to-back and ask yourself what feels most “metalcore” to you:
- “Pray for Plagues” (early) vs.
- “Chelsea Smile” (transition) vs.
- “Shadow Moses” (prime metalcore) vs.
- “Drown” or “Throne” (more rock-leaning, but metalcore-adjacent energy).
You’ll literally hear the genre lines blur and shift over time, which is a big part of Bring Me The Horizon’s significance in metalcore: they didn’t stay still.
Common Misconceptions About Bring Me The Horizon In Metalcore
Because Bring Me The Horizon changed so much over relatively few years, there are plenty of myths about what they are—or were—as a metalcore band.
“They Were Never Really Metalcore—Just Deathcore and Then Pop”
This skips the entire Suicide Season–Sempiternal era, which sits firmly in metalcore territory. The riffs, breakdowns, vocal style, and even tour lineups placed them squarely alongside other metalcore heavyweights of the time.
“They Sold Out When They Started Using Clean Vocals”
Metalcore has always flirted with melody; dual vocal styles are basically built into the genre. Bring Me The Horizon simply pushed that dial further than most, especially on Sempiternal. You can dislike that move, but it doesn’t make them less metalcore during that period—it just makes them more crossover-friendly.
“Only The Early Stuff Is ‘Real’ Heavy Music”
If by “heavy” you mean pure sonic brutality, sure, the early deathcore tracks win. But “heavy” can also mean emotional weight, lyrical vulnerability, and atmospheric intensity. There Is a Hell… and Sempiternal deliver a different kind of heaviness that resonated with a wider range of metalcore fans.
“They Abandoned Metalcore, So They Don’t Count Anymore”
Plenty of bands evolve out of the strict borders of metalcore, but their contributions still matter. Bring Me The Horizon’s middle era influenced an entire wave of acts that blended electronics, atmosphere, and huge choruses into metalcore. Their legacy doesn’t vanish just because they moved onto new things.
Why Bring Me The Horizon Still Matter To Metalcore Today
Even if you’re more into current U.S. metalcore bands, traces of Bring Me The Horizon are everywhere:
- Electronics-as-core-element: Synths and backing tracks aren’t just extras anymore; they’re foundational for many modern bands.
- Hook-first songwriting: Many heavy acts now write with festival crowds and streaming playlists in mind—big choruses, shorter runtimes, high replay value.
- Genre fluidity: Younger bands move more freely between djent, pop-punk, emo-rap, and metalcore, taking their cues from BMTH’s willingness to experiment.
For U.S. fans discovering or revisiting metalcore in 2025, it’s almost impossible to understand the genre’s current shape without at least acknowledging Bring Me The Horizon’s role in pulling it toward mainstream visibility and sonic experimentation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bring Me The Horizon In Metalcore
Is Bring Me The Horizon Still Considered A Metalcore Band?
Today, Bring Me The Horizon are better described as a genre-blending rock band with roots in metalcore and deathcore. Their most recent releases pull heavily from pop, electronic, and alternative rock. However, albums like Suicide Season, There Is a Hell…, and especially Sempiternal are widely regarded as metalcore and remain essential listening for fans of the genre.
What’s The Best Bring Me The Horizon Album If I Mainly Like Metalcore?
If you want the most balanced mix of heaviness, melody, and atmosphere, start with Sempiternal. It has breakdowns and screams, but also massive choruses and polished production. If you prefer darker and more experimental, try There Is a Hell… next. If you’d rather have rawer, more aggressive material, go back to Suicide Season.
Why Do Metalcore Fans Argue About Bring Me The Horizon So Much?
Because BMTH changed dramatically over time, fans attach their identity to different eras. Early listeners champion the deathcore and raw metalcore material, while newer fans discovered them through more melodic, radio-ready tracks. That clash—what counts as “real” BMTH and what counts as “real” metalcore—fuels constant debate. It’s less about objective genre labels and more about personal nostalgia and expectations.
Are Bring Me The Horizon Important To Metalcore History?
Yes. Even if you don’t personally enjoy them, Bring Me The Horizon played a major role in pushing metalcore towards bigger hooks, electronic elements, and mainstream recognition. Sempiternal in particular is often cited as a defining modern metalcore album, influencing both sound and production standards for the genre.
Can I Get Into Bring Me The Horizon If I Usually Prefer Heavier Metalcore?
Absolutely—just choose your starting point carefully. Begin with songs like “Chelsea Smile,” “Anthem,” “Alligator Blood,” or “Shadow Moses”, which lean heavier. If those feel too light, dip back into earlier tracks like “Pray for Plagues” for a more extreme edge. You can always step forward into more melodic material if you find yourself drawn to their songwriting.
Conclusion: Is Bring Me The Horizon “Worth It” For Metalcore Fans?
If you’re into metalcore and you’ve somehow dodged Bring Me The Horizon until now, they’re absolutely worth your time—if only to understand how the genre evolved from the mid-2000s into the 2010s. Their journey from chaotic deathcore noise-makers to polished, emotionally charged metalcore heavyweights and beyond tells you a lot about where heavy music has been, and where it’s going.
You don’t have to love every era. You might only spin Sempiternal on repeat, or keep Suicide Season and There Is a Hell… in your “heavy only” rotation. But if you care about metalcore as a living, shifting genre—not just a fixed sound—Bring Me The Horizon are one of the key bands you need to understand, argue about, and, maybe, eventually appreciate.