That’s The Spirit: An Alt-Rock Revolution (10 Year Anniversary)

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On 11th September 2015, Bring Me The Horizon dropped their fifth LP. ‘That’s The Spirit‘ had a lot to live up to following the iconic ‘Sempiternal‘. However, the band pulled it off. The album shows a shift in their roots from mostly metalcore to a sound that dabbles in hard and alternative rock. Some of their biggest songs to date come from this record, as well as a large portion of their fanbase. Ten years on, Bring Me The Horizon are still at the forefront of the alternative music scene, with no signs of slowing down their reach.

The Sheffield group began back in 2004, releasing ‘The Bedroom Sessions‘ that same year. Since then, they have experimented with a myriad of genres such as metalcore, post-hardcore, and pop rock. Today, the band consists of frontman Oli Sykes, Lee Malia on guitar, Matt Keen on bass, and Matt Nicholls on drums.

Throne

For me, this is still one of the highlights of this LP. The sound is so full, and I imagine it’s an insane track to see live. The sound is so energetic and full. It follows on from ‘Happy Song‘, which I enjoy but wouldn’t pick as one of my favourites. However, the shift over to ‘Throne‘ instantly blows me away. The synths are catchy but not annoying, as well as being able to hold the song together. It does a great job at merging the heavy sound that fans grew to love in the early days of the group, along with their move towards more electronic music.

‘Throne‘ is still a staple of Bring Me The Horizon’s discography. I can hear elements within it that they continued to be inspired by later on down the line. The electronic build and big sound of the track remind me of their hit with Babymetal, ‘Kingslayer‘. The layering within the production is definitely something they continued to do throughout their career. I notice it here the most; there are quiet harps in the background.

Follow You

This track is a staple alternative love song. I really enjoy it. It leans more towards the pop elements of this album and is quite gentle in comparison to some of its counterparts. Yet, it has meaning and carefully constructed lyricism that allows it to be heartfelt rather than tame. The music feels ambient and relaxing in comparison to what came before it. It also demonstrates Sykes’ diversity as a vocalist. Comparing this track with their metalcore roots, he displays his versatility and range.

It’s followed by ‘What You Need‘, which I think is an underrated gem on this LP. Keen’s bassline is punchy right from the beginning. The chorus is also a fresh burst of aggression in comparison to the rest of the song. The guitar riff is similar to many alt-rock songs that have followed it. It reminds me of the likes of The Hunna and Soft Play. It’s also enjoyable to hear Sykes’ accent on the bridge; too many artists try to hide their accents within their music.

Avalanche

The tempo continues to rise for ‘Avalanche‘ as well as having quite an optimistic opener. Nicholls stands out for his drumming abilities on this song. Whilst it isn’t the heaviest song on the record, the structure of this track reminds me of metalcore more than most on the LP. The guitar riff, which appears in the lulls of the track, has a similar melody to ‘Tears Don’t Fall‘ by Bullet For My Valentine.

Released as the sixth single for ‘That’s The Spirit‘, it remains a fan favourite. Alongside Sykes, the band’s keyboardist at the time, Jordan Fish, produced this record. His influence works great in tracks like this, layering keyboard effects to deliver this electronic noise merged with rock.

Drown

The first single of the record is still a classic for fans of the band. It leans towards an arena rock sound, which has proven extremely useful as the band has gained more and more high-level gigs. Fish helps to fill out the sound massively during the quiet parts, where short keyboard melodies can be quietly heard. This single is another example of the heartfelt lyricism Sykes can deliver. In that regard, it reminds me somewhat of ‘Follow You‘.

Also, the music video, with its references to The Beatles, is really fun and further demonstrates their creativity. I think this album, as a whole, is well-created in regard to its visuals. The simplistic umbrella design for the cover art has become iconic. It’s a staple tattoo within the fandom and proved to be a perfect marketing strategy when the band was building up release hype.

Conclusion

The album isn’t a solid 10/10 for me. I think at times the lyrics get a little bit over dramatic for me. A great example of this is ‘True Friends‘, which I literally struggle to fully sit through without getting flashbacks to people quoting the lyrics on Facebook back in the day. Yet I have to respect Sykes for how much passion he throws into his songwriting; it clearly resonates with many people, even if it didn’t hit the nail on the head for me on this occasion.

Having said that, this ‘That’s The Spirit‘ helped define Bring Me The Horizon and allowed them to continue their rise to alt-rock royalty. The band itself clearly recognises the significance behind their record. To celebrate this anniversary, they’ve announced a vinyl reissue.

Rating: 8/10

Bring Me The Horizon are on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Threads. You can stream ‘That’s The Spirit‘ below or buy, and read more anniversary pieces here.

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