The second installment of
Bring Me the Horizon
's proposed multi-part series,
Post Human: Nex Gen
expands on 2020's
Survival Horror
with a kitchen-sink approach that they somehow manage to pull off with thrilling results. Set in a futuristic sci-fi dystopia, this high-concept story employs cults, alternate reality, and an evil church to tell the tale of very real and immediate human conditions, borrowing imagery from anime, video games, the occult, and cyberpunk futurism in the process. Through these always brutal -- but often beautiful -- songs, those darker corners of the soul are illuminated to reveal self-loathing, pain, hate, betrayal ("Did my back hurt your knife?" can be heard on multiple songs), mental health struggles, addiction and recovery, and more. Like the themes, the genres are also all over the place, tied together by their caustic yet melodic post-hardcore sound. At this rate, they are post-post -- post-reality, post-genre, post-rules -- tossing in hyperpop flourish, pop-punk energy, glitchy electronic chaos, hardcore aggression, death growls, pop choruses, and anything else the band could think of, channeling everyone from
Sum 41
and
KMFDM
to
Charli XCX
Poppy
. The straightforward rock blast "YOUtopia" resurrects the nostalgic sounds of groups like
the Used
,
Smashing Pumpkins
, and
Deftones
in a melodic, crowd-pleasing mélange. That sinister
darkness carries into the haunting crush of "liMOusIne" with Norwegian alt-pop vocalist
AURORA
, down to the hypnotic vocals and towering band assault. "Kool-Aid" is a brutal sensory attack that features metalcore drops, an arena rock guitar solo, and bloody screaming for those fans pining for the
BMTH
of old. Taking it a few steps further, the
Lil Uzi Vert
/
Daryl Palumbo
collaboration "AmEN!" hits the same sensors with its riot of roars and skull-splitting noise. Skittering breakbeats, whooshing guitars, and the pogo energy of "Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd" crash into stadium-sized singalongs like "DArkSide," "DiE4u," and "LosT," while the bleeding emo of "sTraNgeRs" and the quivering dirge "DIg It" offer stark vulnerability and a bit of a break from the madness. Even with the years of delay and the departure of longtime member
Jordan Fish
after recording, this is one of the most rewarding and indulgent releases in
's post-
Sempiternal
era, a big payoff for fans willing to delve into the lore and a pure thrill for anyone who likes to feel heavy music both in spirit and body. ~ Neil Z. Yeung