Anyone who has been hoping in vain for a new Linkin Park album can now look forward to "POST HUMAN: NeX GEn" by Bring Me The Horizon (BMTH).
Located somewhere between metalcore and alternative rock, these 16 energetic songs invite listeners to mosh and headbang to familiarly dark themes: violence, power and death. But be warned: this time there's even some love in there.
Because BMTH is anything but a classic metal band. The clever lyrics are backed up by a more poppy sound.
The face of the four-piece group is Oli Sykes (37), a colourfully tattooed heartthrob with a drug past, his own fashion label and an unmistakable voice.
He and his friends founded the band in 2004 in Sheffield, England. With the help of social network Myspace, the teenagers became overnight metal stars. This was followed by multiple awards, huge sold-out concerts and a song with Ed Sheeran.
By now, the band have long since arrived in the mainstream and, according to Sony Music, have sold more than 5 million albums worldwide.
Die-hard fans have, from the very beginning, lamented what they saw as the band's gradual move further and further away from its roots. However, their new and seventh studio album proves the opposite.
It is the second release in the four-part "POST HUMAN" series and was originally due to be released last September. But the group was not satisfied, Sykes announced on Instagram in August. It had taken forever to write the album, he said in a press statement.
Now the record is being released without any prior announcement - a surprise in many respects. Because musically, BMTH remains true to itself while also breaking new ground.
Frontman Oli can still be heard screaming, but this time not alone and he's joined by the US rapper Lil Uzi Vert on the song "AmEN".
"I hope you have fun rotting in hell," Sykes screams at listeners. The accompanying music video is predictably disturbing and could easily be the trailer for a horror film.
For the video for the song "LosT", you even have to be registered on YouTube to confirm that you're 18 or older. "The next time that I open up to someone will be my autopsy," sings the frontman. The boys from Sheffield like to shock us - and it works.
When seen live, singer Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean and drummer Mat Nicholls are a force to be reckoned with. If you want to see for yourself, the band are touring Europe, Brazil and Japan from June onwards.
