Deliver Me The Horizon weren’t at all times the arena-straddling, genre-splicing provocateurs they’re now. Again across the time of 2006’s debut album Depend Your Blessings, they had been a bunch of fast-rising deathcore upstarts whose repute for cockiness – correct or not – preceded them. Metallic Hammer sat down with Oli Sykes and co on the time to search out out the reality.
Take a protracted laborious have a look at Deliver Me The Horizon. Stare deep into the heavy-lashed eyes of their tattooed frontman Oli Sykes. Seek for which means behind the perimeter of their guitarist Curtis Ward. After 30 seconds spent gawping at their closely coiffured bonces, it’s attainable that you simply already hate them. Or you’ll have merely written them off as younger, picture obsessed, pretty-boy weeds with no place in your heavy steel life. Give them likelihood to clarify. For, as Oli himself admits: “If I wasn’t on this band and I simply noticed us I’d in all probability be slagging us off too…”
Certain, they’re younger (two are simply 19). They like their hair spray. And no, they haven’t ever had correct jobs (bar drummer Matt Nicholls, who was a part-time hairdresser). However earlier than you dismiss them you would possibly need to peruse Deliver Me The Horizon’s mini-album This Is What The Edge Of Your Seat Was Made For and their new full-length Depend Your Blessings. They’re chock filled with brutal, thrashing, mind-melting steel. Put merely, they’re too heavy to disregard.
“Individuals can’t consider how amazingly brutal we’re from us,” says Oli with the type of grin that tells you he’s very, very pleased with himself. “They assume we’re going to be shit ‘cos of how we glance, then they watch us play and like it.”
“Yeah. however we get that on a regular basis,” smiles Curtis shrugging from throughout the room. “We’ve had it since day one.”
They’d humble beginnings. South Yorkshire lads Oli, Curtis and Matt (joined by guitarist Lee Malia and bassist Matt Kean) shaped their ear-bleeding noise outfit in early 2004. Signing to small indie-label Thirty Days Of Nights later that very same yr, the band launched the mini-album the next Valentine’s Day.
In 2005, BMTH connected with Seen Noise, house of steel new-kids-on-the-block Bullet For My Valentine. Having no actual commitments again house (the band had been solely 16 on the time of writing the 4 observe mini-album), they instantly set out on the highway enjoying each dingy venue that might take them. “We simply play wherever and for whoever,” grins Matt Nicholls. “There was a time we needed to get our mother and father to drive us to reveals!”
They’ve since gigged with the likes of Zao and Johnny Truant, toured all throughout the nation with Bleeding By way of, and have packed out a large 6,000 capability tent at Obtain 2006. Tonight, simply over two years since their ball began rolling towards stardom, Deliver Me The Horizon are backstage on the London Underworld, able to be the one and solely assist act for Massachusetts steel titans Killswitch Interact’s uncommon and intimate UK reveals. Whether or not you want them or not, that they’ve come a good distance is not possible to disclaim.
Nonetheless, two days in the past, BMTH performed a present supporting Killswitch in Wolverhampton, and – as they inform it – the response from the gang was hostile to say the least. Presumably, followers had been there to see their headlining US heroes, not some cocky bunch of UK style youngsters.
“There have been just a few individuals there that we knew appreciated us,” explains Oli, “however after we’d performed, followers had been coming as much as us saying how a lot they loved it. It’s like they had been stunned…
“I believe that individuals anticipated us to be emo or one thing, for our songs to be gentle,” provides Curtis. “Once they then hear that now we have no singing in any respect, and that we’re so brutal all through, they will’t consider their eyes or ears.”
Sitting backstage being interviewed, the 5 members of Deliver Me The Horizon appear barely misplaced. Listening to their wide-eyed replies, it’s laborious to visualise the ear-busting steel that they so energetically bash out as usually as 4 nights per week. Wearing tight black t-shirts and torn denims, the nonetheless of the room is barely damaged by the odd hand sweeping at a fringe to maintain hair out of a watch, or an ungainly shuffle on a chair.
It’s apparent that they consider strongly in what they do, however there’s no actual proof of the ‘cocky swagger’ that the members are mentioned to hold – and that’ simply certainly one of a listing of insults that the band get bombarded with every day over Myspace. For, as a lot love as there’s for this bunch of younger screamers, there’s an equal quantity of backlash. The group’s Myspace profile (presently racking up 51,000 pals and effectively over 1,000,000 performs) receives messages of reward simply as usually as torrents of nasty emails, hateful messages and renaming them to Deliver Me The Haircut. Why do you assume individuals get so pissed off with you?
“I suppose it’s our hair and our tight trousers,” shrugs Oli. “Individuals primarily assault us about our picture. However it’s additionally as a result of we’re a bunch of children. Earlier than we had been on this band, we already dressed like this, cos we had been simply day by day youngsters, and we nonetheless are actually. We’re not going to vary simply so that everybody else is joyful. Individuals at all times assault us saying that we care about picture and stuff, however we don’t actually care about picture. It’s these others that care about picture as a result of they’re letting it get in the way in which of the music.”
Uh, yeah. Perhaps they’re simply jealous.
“I suppose. As a result of we’re so younger and we’re doing very well,” agrees Oli. “I imply, it’s fairly loopy how younger we’re, and the way effectively we’re doing.”
The person has a degree. Not solely does their younger age have older, less-established bands quaking of their boots, however who would ever have thought {that a} music fashion so vicious and unsightly to virgin ears may have ended up being so in style?
“I by no means thought a label like Seen Noise would signal a band like us,” admits Oli, sounding genuinely humble about his accomplishments “It’s simply so bizarre. However I believe that they made the suitable determination. We’re doing effectively, and we do work laborious.”
Throwing each ounce of effort and each morsel of time into Deliver Me The Horizon, the band have swifty (and gladly) left behind the council estates of house. They’ve given up their training (although Lee research guitar at school when he’s not on tour), and have thrown themselves headfirst into the rock’n’roll dream of touring and boozing. Oli has even lined round 1 / 4 of his physique in extremely seen tattoos – just about severing any likelihood he may ever have of returning to a ‘regular’ life if the dream goes bitter. Have you ever thought-about what you’ll fall again on if the band goes tits up?
The lads fall silent, nearly as if the thought has by no means crossed their minds earlier than at present.
“I suppose I’ll be within the name centre,” smiles Curtis – weirdly chirpy concerning the proposition. “I imply, there are folks that we all know that labored actually laborious at college, and now they’re within the name centre. We may get a job doing that subsequent week.”
“It’s apparent that someday this’ll all die out, similar to each form of music does,” shrugs Oli, sounding practically nonchalant sufficient to make you assume he doesn’t actually give a fuck both manner. “There isn’t any level in worrying about it now. Within the meantime, within the immortal phrases of Andrew WK, we’ll simply celebration laborious.”
Initially printed in Metallic Hammer subject 160, November 2006