Bring Me The Horizon bmth 2018 Alternative Press
[Photo by: Paul Harries]

Bring Me The Horizon to deliver multifaceted record born out of anguish, fear—and love

Picture this: After 14 years in the rock ’n’ roll trenches, your band is at its peak, with admirable record sales and sold-out shows all over the planet. And when you’re offstage, everything around you is either on fire or falling apart. That’s exactly what frontman Oli Sykes and keyboardist/programmer Jordan Fish, the braintrust of Bring Me The Horizon, were going through as they made amo, the follow-up to 2015’s breakthrough release, That’s The Spirit.

Read more: This metal cover of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” is incredible

This month, Sykes and Fish candidly speak with Jake Richardson about the events that shook their lives and propelled them to move forward to create the most multifaceted record Bring Me The Horizon has put out yet. From the fallout of a failed marriage to the fear of losing a child to the deaths of close friends, Sykes and Fish found refuge in their loved ones, their art and their bandmates.

“There was so much to pick apart and so much emotional baggage,” Sykes says. “I refused to go to therapy or do anything about how I was feeling. And as much as I felt fine in myself, I knew I was treating other people differently…It’s a primitive way to react, I guess.

“I’m thankful for the life I’ve got, and it’s important that bad things happen to you so you can remove yourself from those situations,” the singer continues. “It’s not like I want to have negative feelings all the time, but it’s so powerful to be in that place where you can be moved to the point of tears. There are so many unlucky people who are always at baseline and whose emotions are just constant, and just like it’d be a bad TV program to watch, it’d be a boring life to lead. I agree with the sentiment of feeling sorry for people who never go crazy, because it says something about you if you don’t; if nothing in this world makes you go mad, what the hell is up with you?”

“I’m so grateful for being in this band because it fosters a special type of friendship,” Fish resigns. “We’re best mates, we work together, we live together and we create music together—it’s a bond unlike any other. I was thankful for everyone’s support when things were going wrong for me, and I tried to do the same for Oli—all that stuff brought us closer. I love this band so much, and with everything that’s happened recently, Bring Me The Horizon are something I’m going to cling on to even more going forward.”  

Read the full story—and check out the amazing photos of Sykes and Bring Me The Horizon—in AP 365 here.

Bring Me The Horizon Oli Sykes Alternative Press 2018
Photo by Paul Harries
Bring Me The Horizon Oli Sykes Alternative Press 2018
Photo by Paul Harries (Online exclusive cover)

ALSO IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE WITH BRING ME THE HORIZON

THE REGRETTES’ frontwoman LYDIA NIGHT has some opinions about guitars, foods and self-care, and some of them might be unpopular. C’est la frickin’ vie

FEVER 333—along with John Feldmann and Travis Barker—are ready to sear some scar tissue across your brain in this month’s ALBUM ANATOMY.

BAYSIDE’s v. cool Anthony Raneri always exudes confidence and charm, but this month, he reveals the very serious hurdle he had to bound over to realize that IT GOT BETTER.

PALISADES
Rife with personnel changes, questionable business decisions and being creatively stuck, the Jersey-based electronic-rock act were ready to call it a day. Then they decided to follow their hearts, instead of a scene.

AFTERLIFE
The Florida nü-metal outfit are bringing both rage and compassion to a community that needs to fight the power more than ever.

AP ARCHIVES
Chris Conley refers to us in SAVES THE DAY’s epic song “29,” while MAN OVERBOARD kick up a blizzard and THE DISTILLERS kick some ass.

Not to forget the 10 Essential albums that might have gotten under your radar, 12 Bands, the sweetest of fan art and much more!