Oli Sykes has spoken about emptying the “archives” for a ‘Director’s Cut’ of Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘Next Gen’ album – sharing that there are 12 songs that could be arriving soon.
Hope for more music from the Sheffield metal icons arose last year, when the frontman said that he had some unreleased material from the writing sessions for their 2024 album ‘Post Human: Nex Gen’ waiting to be shared – hoping to release a “‘director’s cut’ version of the record”.
Now, Sykes has shared another update, catching up with NME backstage at Reading & Leeds last week and revealing that there could be as many as 12 songs on the way from the ‘Next Gen’ writing sessions.
When asked if becoming a father had impacted his approach to making music, Sykes said that while it was “a little too early to tell”, he has felt “a renewed sense of the pressure being off”.
“I had to have that as we were leading up to the birth, because I wanted new music out this year,” he added. “I’ve got so much from the ‘Nex Gen’ archive that I want the world to hear. I literally phoned my label and management and said, ‘It’s nearly here, I’ve got 12 songs and they’re all bangers. They’re so close, we’re going to get the first single out before Rock Am Ring and the second before Reading & Leeds.’”
He added that his focus shifted towards being there for his wife, Alissic – who gave birth to twins in July – and that the songs might take a little longer than expected.
“The music will come, but it’s just not the be-all and end-all,” he said. “We’re realising that we don’t have to put another record out; we just put one out. Most bands would go away for two years, have an actual break,” he shared. “You don’t have to do this, but I want to and I enjoy it. If it doesn’t happen, then it doesn’t happen.”
He then said that while he feels like he owes it to the fans to share new music, he has started to realise that “there are other things that are important in my life now and I’ve got to make sure that they come first”.
“Ultimately, that’s going to help the process and help us make some really good music,” he affirmed. “I can already feel that. I feel comfortable that the band is fine and we’re doing alright. We don’t need to do better. That will help with the output.”
When asked if the new material would be the ‘Director’s Cut’ he hinted towards in December, Sykes said: “Yes. I’m already craving a fresh sound and making stuff like, ‘Oh, that’s sick but not now – that needs to be honed and crafted’. There are songs I’m sitting on that are so sick, but it’s not ‘Nex Gen’, it’s something else. I still don’t know what that’s going to be.”
“I know for a fact that I can’t write that now,” he continued. “I have to write that in a year when I’ve been away, and let my mind decompress and go, ‘What is the theme? What is the world? What is the sound?’ We need that, definitely, but in terms of a strategic play, I just can’t see it happening because I just love it too much. Just accepting that it is what it is feels really good.”
‘Nex Gen’ was the second in the ‘Post Human’ series, following from ‘Survival Horror‘ as the first in a string of records launched in 2020, originally intended to be released in quick succession but now with the narrative arc to follow on future albums in years to come.
Check out the full interview with Sykes here, where he also spoke about the chances of Bring Me The Horizon playing at Glastonbury, what’s next in the ‘Post Human’ series, how fatherhood has shaped his approach to playing live, and if he can imagine the band following in The Rolling Stones’ footsteps and touring into their 80s. You can also watch the interview in full in the video above.
While at Reading & Leeds, Bring Me The Horizon brought their immersive set to the main stages at Little John’s Farm and Bramham Park. It marked the second time that the band have headlined the dual festival, following on from a co-headline slot with fellow Sheffield rock giants Arctic Monkeys back in 2022.
Their set at Reading 2025 was given a five-star review by NME, which read: “The sci-fi blockbuster cinematography and immersive graphics of the show (peaking with Sykes turning into a demon in real-time) are overwhelming enough, not to mention that each song is delivered with enough pyro and energy that they all feel like a finale most other bands would kill for.
“Those scrappy skinny-jeaned metalcore brats from way back then are unrecognisable from this tour-de-force before us tonight. In terms of spectacle, they out-pomp Muse. For performance, they couldn’t give more. A hiatus and long wait to the follow-up to ‘Post Human: Nex Gen’ awaits, but what a parting gift that was.”
