here is one thing I do not like about YUNGBLUD, and that is how he pretends to play the guitar. What do I mean? Well, I have seen some footage of him not playing. He has the guitar at his disposal, but the chords seem odd. An air guitarist could do a better job, and to be fair to professional air guitarists, they are proper guitarists without a guitar.
I am not writing an introduction to Dominic Harrison, aka YUNGBLUD, because I have already reviewed his previous album. I didn’t get the hate directed towards him then, and I simply do not get it now. YUNGBLUD is a colossal artist. His sound is bombastic, and when you look at his appearance, you certainly wouldn’t think he would be banging out indie/alternative rock. Again, with his self-titled record, he has made a gem. For me, it is better than his previous album.
He also has much darker subjects, as mentioned in ‘the Funeral’, ‘I Cry 2′, and ”Boy in the Dress’. Apart from sounding indie/alternative rock, he has ventured into the metal core arena and seems to take inspiration from Bring Me the Horizon. With his struggles with mental health, he isn’t that dissimilar to their frontman Oli Sykes.
YUNGBLUD also brings energy to tracks like ‘Memories’ and ‘Sex Not Violence’. Going back to earlier and darker subjects, the darkest would have to be ‘Die for a Night’, where he discusses with the listener honestly if anyone would care if this happened to him.
He comes into a lot of hate and ridicule via social media and the general public, but now he has toned down his arrogance and grown up, you can tell there is a very talented artist behind the alter-ego.
Song recommendations: ‘the Funeral’, ‘Boy in a Dress’, ‘Sex Not Violence’
I have to concede that when I heard Architects were number one, I was expecting the Garage collective who released the iconic Garage club classic “Body Groove” back in 2000 featuring vocals by Nana (Nay-Nay is how it is pronounced,by the way.) However, I ended up listening to a band that sounds very much like their fellow English counterparts, Bring Me the Horizon, and vocalist Sam Carter sounds precisely like Oli Sykes. Well, this is the Brighton outfit’s ninth album and the second since their founder and leader, Tom Searle, tragically passed away in 2016.
I’m not going to say from what because I hate the disease in question. Tom Middleton was his replacement, and they pushed on to release “Holy Hell” in 2018. It got a warm reception, considering the absence of Tom Searle. Some say they shouldn’t have continued, but they did, and on this record, it is shown why that was the correct decision. The album is full of rage, anger, passion, and emotion. The record contains many issues, including politics, lasting under an hour. The tracks range from “An Ordinary Extinction” on climate change to “Discourse is Dead” on politics, songs that address the band’s departure from the pre-Holy Hell days and their new standing in the music sphere by playing out at arenas.
There is also room to show their new standing with collaborations from Mike Kerr of another Brighton act, Royal Blood, and Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro. Just like Oli Sykes, Sam Carter has remained steadfastwith his vocals, except this time, Sam is doing it on tracks ready to ring out across the arena air andbecome anthems, which I am sure they will be.
The band is not afraid to do a bit of noodling on the record, and that can be found on “Dead Butterflies” for a better example of them being experimental. I enjoyed “Dying is Absolutely Safe” above all of them because it has two sides to a coin. The song talks about how our world is such a chaotic state, but when strings come in, there is a sense of a brighter day to come out of the ashes of the chaos.
It’s also quite apt for the band at present because they have been in turmoil since losing their original leader, but from that adversity, the band has stayed together and got stronger as the journey continues. Tom Searle will be admiring that character from wherever he may be. However, from a purist’s point of view, this album is a disappointment because the band has lost their edge and sounds too generic now. That’s the impression I got when conversing with a fan of theirs. I recommend it if you have not heard of them or Bring Me the Horizon. You’ll discover new music and a band you may well like.
Song recommendations: “Dying is Absolutely Safe”, “Discourse is Dead”, “Dead Butterflies”
I have been listening to the band from Leeds (I was prettyshocked to discover that until a bit of interaction with the crowd during a Download Festival in 2014.) towards the end of last year. In the first few days of the current year, I watched some of their gigs combined via the playlist function on YouTube. I also watched one of their recent shows from last year (I say current; it was last February or something.) Now, onto the album…well, as you can see, the title isn’t all that cheery, and when you listen to the record, it synchronises with the title. The subject matters are gritty, too, as the band talks about right-wing politics, addiction, mental health, political correctness, and how the world has become dependent on technology. I was instead struck by the odd choice of having less than ten songs, with the album having just nine, which makes for a relatively quick listen. What it loses in length makes up for it in collaborations, being just under half of the record. It also sees a return to the band’s earlier sound with experimental chucked in for good measure.
The opening track, “Dear Diary”, has an air raid siren thrown in, which one could say is quite apt when you consider the album’s title. You can also hear leading vocalist Oli Sykes declare he can’t stomach any more survival horror and is going insane over the heavy metal guitars. The guitar solo is sublime, which comes in after the first chorus, and the frenetic tempo of the drums will be sure to have you headbanging like Beavis and Butt-Head (Funnily enough, I was watching a football match while listening, and the pace of the play matched the speed of the album.).
I remember hearing some of the tracks being teased in 2019 and 2020 during their shows (Especially“Ludens”, which I might talk about a bit later.). I am next going to focus on “Teardrops” because this one comes from the heart, and Oli doesn’t hold back, and he talks candidly about his years of fighting addiction that led to him becoming depressed and suffering from anxiety. This could well be another turning point in a listener’s life because Oli foretells what it is like to feel rock bottom and how your life is slipping away, and you are just numb. We have the typical Bring Me the Horizon sound to match Oli’s distressed yet passionate vocals with heavy guitars and those hooks that get embedded into your soul every time you listen. With Oli talking about such an ordeal, this song will be the most essential song they have written in a long time. Young people will listen and feel encouraged to see health professionals if they are experiencing the same issues. Hopefully, that will lead to them losing the shame of discussing it withtheir friends and family. “Obey”, however, is a more uplifting track but laced with sarcasm as Oli and Youngblud aim at the shambolic British government.
I did like “Itch for the Cure (When Will We Be Free?)”, but it’s a segue into “Kingslayer”. It is quite simply a transition because both tracks have Pendulum-like Drum n Bass sounds. The Su-metal feature from Babymetal more than matches Oli’s acidic vocals, bringing an anime feel.
Now, the title is something of a mouthful: “One Day the Only Butterflies Left Will be in Your Chest as You March Towards Your Death.”…You see? It’s a bloody long titleand could be more pleasing to read.But, despite my love of the Pendulum-Esque “Kingslayer”, the final track with Evanescence’s AmyLee runs away with the victory. Considering her vocals on “Bring Me to Life” by her band Evanescence, Amy Lee is ideal for this. The song has a very hymnal sound that gradually blossoms into slower pop. I love the vocal combination; you can feel how both got intocharacter. It’s not a conventional Bring Me the Horizon song; itis more suited to Evanescence, but it is pretty beautiful despite the title and the ghostly aura.
Song recommendations: “One Day the Only Butterflies Left Will be in Your Chest as You March Towards Your Death”, “Teardrops”, “Kingslayer”
Honest Opinions 