BRING ME THE HORIZON

So far from what we have heard, That’s The Spirit looks set to steer Bring Me The Horizon even further away from their metalcore roots, and into an almost alternative rock/ pop kind of sound. What are your thoughts on the change of sound and what inspired the band to trek into this unfamiliar territory?

We don’t really worry about that kind of stuff when we’re writing to be honest…. like whether it’s metal or pop or whatever. People can call it whatever they like, we just try to write music we are into. I guess that will work for some people and not for some others but that’s cool!

Your single ‘Happy Song’ is receiving ample playing time on some of our big radio stations (such as Triple J) in Australia. Do you feel that this album will push BMTH into the mainstream? Was this band’s intention with the new direction?

I guess it’s a good thing if new people get into the band, especially people who might not have been into heavier music before. A lot of metal/rock bands think pop is a dirty word but we don’t really give a shit. We like metal bands and we like some pop music too. I like the idea of us being a gateway band for people to get into rock music.

I read that you stepped in as a producer for That’s The Spirit. What led to the decision of not hiring a producer, and where will we see your producing influence on this album?

Me and Oli produced it, yeah. We just thought we could do a good job on it and felt like we didn’t really need a big name producer to get the band’s ideas across. Between us we knew what we wanted to achieve with the record and I think we made the right decision. I read on our Wikipedia the other day that we produced it ourselves to save money, haha. That’s not the case, we blew whatever we saved on quad bikes and stuff.

There are some pretty dark themes explored in That’s The Spirit. What inspired Oli and yourself to explore these themes in the writing process?

Oli writes the lyrics so they’re usually quite personal to him. That said, I can relate to a lot of the lyrics, but I couldn’t answer that for him. The band has been known to isolate themselves during the writing and recording process.

This time you headed to the Greek island of Santorini. Why did you make the decision to record there and how has that experience shaped the album?

We sent the studio through to our management as a bit of joke to be honest… It was listed as one of the most amazing studios in the world, so we thought ‘why the hell not?’ Our management came back and said we could go there so we just went for it. It was an amazing two months!

BMTH have such a large and diverse following. Do you think this new direction could alienate fans from the pre-Sempiternal era?

I have no idea, possibly. I guess if someone just likes metalcore, then they probably won’t be into it. If someone comes to the album with an open mind I think they will get it.

Only joining the fray in 2012, how did you find fitting in to a well-established band with such a large reputation?

I dunno! The guys are all cool and made me feel welcome and shit when I joined. It’s just a cool band to be in. Everyone is on the same level, our crew and everything. We’re all working for the same thing at the end of the day so I think every part of it is integral.

There is no denying that Bring Me The Horizon has been able to break the mould of the typical metal act to reach even bigger horizons (pardon the pun). With this new direction, where do you see the band heading in the future and what is your ideal goal for BMTH.

I think we’d all like to get to the point where we no longer have to wipe our own arses… That’s sort of always been our aim… Err I don’t know. If people buzz off the new album then that’s enough for us!

Let’s talk about gear. What keyboards/ Synths did you use to record That’s The Spirit. Do you use similar gear on tour?

Nothing exciting here in afraid, I did the whole album on Pro Tools on a Mac. That’s how I always work. I’m so used to working with a mouse and keyboard I can get the sounds and stuff I want a lot quicker than any other way. I also do a lot of sound manipulation and stuff rather than traditional synth stuff so it works great for that.

What’s the plan for the rest of 2015?

Loads of touring, America, UK/Europe, Russia! Then chill for a couple of weeks at Christmas I hope.

Any hints on seeing BMTH in Australia soon?

We hope to be able to tell you very soon!