There’s always something about when a metalcore act broadens their horizons, both within sound and image. Bring Me The Horizon (or BMTH) are masters at this. Whether it’s their early days of deathcore-laden angst or the more traditional Sempinternal, they’ve always found ways to recreate the wheel. For me, they are sort of the inverse of Architects; instead of rehashing the same hooky choruses and “emotional” vocals, they inspect said elements and create their own. Probably one of the biggest contentions to this is their work on Live at the Royal Albert Hall, where they collaborated with the Parallax Orchestra to recreate their biggest hits, adding an orchestral twinge. However, to understand whether it was just a passing idea or something to elevate their already extensive work to its zenith, we must delve into each track and assess its quality.

“Overture:At The Earth’s Curve”:4
This introduction immerses listeners in the granular aspects of the concert and establishes a few key points within the orchestral side of the album. First, most of the compositions consist of chimes and horns. Lastly, they focus more on atmosphere and exalting whatever the crowd and band are feeling. For slower work, it feels very stagnant or atmospheric. Whereas when those metalcore anthems smack listeners in the face, there’s a sense of triumph.

“Doomed”:4
The first full-length track on the set list moves fully into how the music is translated from album to concert. “Doomed” pretty much standardizes the hookier side of BMTH’s metalcore approach, while also creating a transition from the electronic-based sound to the orchestral-laden elements. The song brings listeners through vocalist Oli Sykes’ journey through his battles with mental health.

“Happy Song”: 4
BMTH absolutely kills it with their performance. The back vocals really hit those more anthemic beats, while also providing a really nice sense of melody. For some reason, Matt Kean is surprisingly really high in the mix. It’s just super energetic and a perfect contrast to the more traditional sound of BMTH.

“Go To Hell, For Heaven’s Sake”:5
The following track sort of combines the previous tracks on the set list to mix into a melodic but vibrant track. Between the masterful coursework by Oli Sykes and Lee Malia’s dynamic playing, between full rhythm sections and bluesier licks, is just a pure chef’s kiss. Also, there is a prominent prominence of bells, which adds to the colossus. The track is a self-reflection about one’s destructiveness and how the basis of said habits created toxic relationships.

“Avalanche”:5
They continue with the same musical elements with a little bit of slower application. It’s just a perfect culmination of everything, but the biggest standout in comparison is the crisp drumming of Matt Nichols. The song is an idiom for Oli Sykes’ anxiety, a blueprint for feeling like he is being buried under an avalanche, hence the title.

“It Never Ends”:3
Listeners, unfortunately, hit their first speed bump, though BMTH’s motivation is still high as ever. Probably the biggest problem is how repetitive this track is. It just always felt like it was consistently droning on and on. An addiction to this case is the fact that Lee Malia has some ear-ringing leads throughout the composition. The weird thing is, they try to cover it by using triumphant horns, but Lee is so high in the mix, he stands out like a sore thumb. The only redeeming quality is the lyrical themes spoken on Oil Syke’s battle against the growing temptations of fame and the music industry. It is such a weird song.

“Sleepwalking”:4
Luckily, the listeners are able to rebound off this track. “Sleepwalking” is a perfect example of what the previous track never did, keeping in line with the rest of the themes, by creating a smooth listening experience. It’s simplistic, beautiful, and powerful. Which is fittingly the thesis of this album. “Sleepwalking” relates to depression, and the surreal feeling that you get when you first wake up and can’t believe you’re still alive. It’s numbness throughout the day, as if you are not conscious.

“Empire(Let Them Sing)”:4
Carrying on, BMTH hit it out of the park again. I really like the rhythmic nature of this track, and the orchestrals in the background just really fill those little pockets left by Lee Malia and Mat Nichols. It is amusing that they just consistently one-up each song with the crowd. You get a really rare element of the crowd’s experience as a listener. Oli Sykes explores the idea of downfall and the prior action during his battle with depression.

“Throne”:5
I was fairly surprised by the approach to this song in comparison to the main version on That’s The Spirit. You get a little blemish of what their execution would be on the Post Human series. It is like hyper-pop without the synth work and the main instrumentation being the orchestra. It’s interesting, but it doesn’t sound weird like on “It Never Ends”, I just can’t put my finger on it. “Throne” covers themes of resilience and betrayal of friends and loved ones.

“Shadow Moses”:3
What a huge disappointment. “Shadow Moses” on Sempiternal was a near life-changing listen, the heaviness of the song teetering on the hardcore-laden chants; however, it diverts the listener’s ear with its modern Djent-oriented riffs. Unfortunately, all those hooks and elements that made me fall in love with his song were scrapped. There are very few songs I can think of that wouldn’t sound great with an orchestral backing. It just felt super off I don’t think it’s the fault of BMTH or the conductor of Parallax, Simon Dobson. But this did NOT fit on the track list.

“True Friends”:5
Fortunately for us, and indirectly the crowd who saw it live as well, “True Friends” is a nice breath of fresh air to the more fast-paced or in-your-face type of musicianship. They are employed on the second half of the setlist. My only problem is that the lyrical theme is a little too similar to “Throne”; it would have made sense if it were a consistent stylization, but it is nothing too abhorrent.

“Follow You”:3
Upon first listen, this track really confused me. It’s just overly pop-oriented, even with the orchestral backing, it just felt super artificial. Aside from the fact that the hooks were bland and had no substance. It just felt like a rehash of “Doomed,” without the good craftsmanship. The track presents themes about deep love and commitment through rough patches with your loved one. Its wholesome lyrics are a change of pace, but it is still not enough to elevate the song by any means.

“Can You Feel My Heart”:5
What an awesome way for them to pick up pace from the ballad tracks on the setlist. This track is already a masterclass in metalcore on Sempiternal, then add on even more grandness with the orchestral instrumentation and the choirs. The way Lee Malia’s riffs pop in and out of the mix shows the depth of both the production of the show and his own artistry on the instrument. BMTH reflects on loneliness and how destructive habits push away loved ones, with a hint of religious skepticism. It is a masterpiece.

“Antivist”:3
For some reason, “Anticist” feels uninspired, almost as if it were a bland cover of some underground Brit-punk band. For what it’s worth, Parallax does a phenomenal job at their sporadic playing style, and BMTH is super energetic, aside from Oli Sykes, who seems tired at this point. Maybe I’m a little biased since the eastern side of the Earth’s axis takes on punk isn’t as appealing to me.

“Drown”:4
Out of the more streamlined and ballad-esque tracks, “Drown” is perfectly put into the setlist while also creating a spirited ballad. The orchestra isn’t as prominent in the mix, but the crowd and choir give me chills.

“Oh No”:4
In the finality, we get to “Oh No,” a mainstream-sounding pop-rock song with a combination of shoegaze-oriented guitar work by Lee Malia, and of course, Mat Nichols keeps it perfectly in the pocket with a couple of nice fills spread out throughout the song. It’s a hopeful ending to a setlist that deals with darker themes.

Overall, the show is such a paradigm for the genre and the image of metalcore. Luckily, many more metalcore bands would perform at the Albert Hall and change the approach to their own established sound. For Bring Me The Horizon, this is a bullet point on the greatness and ability of Bring Me The Horizon.