Sempiternal: A Contemporary Masterpiece

Malin Bengtsson, 2021 for The Quarantine Times

Sempiternal is the fourth studio album by English quintet Bring Me the Horizon. The album was released in April 2013 and consists of eleven well-crafted songs. It’s an intriguing mix of post-hardcore, alternative rock and electronica, serving as a worthy heir of the throne after previous hit album There Is a Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let’s Keep It A Secret from 2010.

Act I

The album opens with Can You Feel My Heart, a steadfast anthem with forceful verses, an explosive chorus and a balladesque bridge. It is without a doubt the strongest song on the album, and does an excellent job of giving the listener a taste of what they’re in for. Following is The House of Wolves, which is reminiscent of the band’s earlier works but presented in a more refined manner. Empire (Let Them Sing) is the third track and has a tendency to get lost in the crowd; it does, however, give the drummer Matt Nicholls a proper chance to shine with its emphasized drum works, as well as help mix up the overall feel of the record.

Sleepwalking, track number four, is a groundbreaking song for Bring Me the Horizon. The soft, melancholic intro truly marks the beginning of a new era for the band; add to that the heavier sounds joining in after a few seconds, and finally the overlay of singer Oliver Sykes’ raspy touching voice, and you have a hit. Throughout it continues to mix lighter and heavier elements, and combined with the honest and hard-hitting lyrics it truly is a home run.

After Sleepwalking the album delivers another two strong tracks: Go to Hell, for Heaven’s Sake and Shadow Moses. They both follow the formula already established of mixing lighter and heavier sounds, bursting with frustration and energy, and truly show off the band in their esse.

Act II

After the sixth track the album enters what can be regarded as a second act. It doesn’t deliver quite the same high quality content as the first six songs, but it does the job of keeping the listener around until the end. It starts with the two slower songs And the Snakes Start to Sing and Seen It All Before. They both serve to show a side of the band rarely seen before, which may perhaps be accredited to newcomer and keyboardist Jordan Fish. And the Snakes Start to Sing is the stronger of the two tracks, with its harmonic riffs and poetic lyrics. Seen It All Before, on the other hand, is a song easily overlooked on the album, not having quite

the same strong foundation as the others. It is, in fact, a song the album could’ve done without.

Antivist is arguably the strongest song on the second half of the album, although not quite topping anything on the first half. It has the same energy as Go to Hell, for Heaven’s Sake, and is the most political song out of all eleven. It is sure to get a crowd going, and might be a hit especially with fans of the band’s earlier works.

The two last tracks, Crooked Young and Hospital for Souls, are two easily forgettable songs compared to most of the others, but that is not to say they aren’t well written. Crooked Young spins further on the theme of religion, which is first brought up in The House of Wolves. It’s a solid song by itself, but gets overshadowed by its fellows. Hospital for Souls, meanwhile, is the album’s most low-key as well as longest song. As an outro it does a great job, providing a quiet yet powerful closure to an overall loud and energetic album. It summarizes the themes of the album, ties up any loose ends and acts as a gateway to the band’s subsequent records.

Sempiternal as a whole is a masterpiece of an album. Its songs explore similar themes without being repetitive, it delivers anthem after anthem, and, perhaps what makes it what it is: it has an exquisite balance of light and heavy, fast and slow, anger, melancholy and hope. So far it’s stood the test of time incredibly well, and is by far one of the band’s best works.