For most Bring Me The Horizon fans, Post Human: Survival Horror marked a triumphant return to form, going back to their more aggressive metalcore roots while also adding in newer elements for newer fans. It was like a tribute to an era of music long since past–an era of young metalheads with baggy jeans, nose piercings, spiky hair and oversized band tees moshing at Ozzfest. Yet for all its paeans to the old, the EP still managed to sound fresh and modern without ever sacrificing its quality song-writing. It also had a message that spoke to the horrors that plagued youth through the sheer hell that was 2020. The EP reflects what genuinely seemed to be like a survival horror for the whole world and it was through this tonal dissonance of high octane metal mixed with that messaging that gave that album such memorability and staying power.
Now, Bring Me The Horizon are picking up where they left off four years later with Post Human: Nex Gen. Will they continue to capitalize on the sounds and message that made Survival Horror special? Will it be able to live up to the expectations of fans?
Honestly? Yes, no, and kind of, but also not really. Let me explain:
On Post Human: Nex Gen, Bring Me The Horizon have definitely managed to maintain the colorful and eccentric energy of Survival Horror. But the sounds on this album evoke less spiky hair and JNCO jeans and more fringe haircuts and mascara. This album is a full-on tribute to the late 00s and early 10s era of emo, metalcore, post-hardcore and easycore combined with elements of EDM, hyperpop and breakcore, creating an anachronistic blend of the alternative scene’s antecedents and descendents. This in concept should work well, and for the most part it does. However, I can’t help but feel like this album is missing something. On Survival Horror, there was much more intent and focus on a topical concept. While Nex Gen comments on cult mentality and religious hypocrisy on “AmEN!”, ”a bulleT w- my namE On”, and “Kool-Aid”, for the most part it focuses on internal struggles, such as mental illness, drug addiction, and interpersonal relationships. It’s sort of odd, because the singles to Nex Gen seemed to imply that it would follow up on those themes more directly from Survival Horror, but doesn’t quite do so. It’s more of a journey of personal introspection that has loose connections to those social issues off of Survival Horror, which feels like the band compromised tighter songwriting to instead indulge in homages to the MySpace scenester era and PC Music it inspired.
Nex Gen is a valiant effort from Bring Me The Horizon sonically, but doesn’t feel as bold as it should, especially in comparison to Survival Horror’s messaging. It’s still a good album, but it may suffer from diminished returns after one sitting.
