Bring Me the Horizon’s Jordan Fish Plays His Favorite Samples
For this edition of Gear Factor, Bring Me the Horizon keyboardist/programmer Jordan Fish explains the stories behind his music, origins, and the wide array of sounds that have influenced BMTH's genre-bending style.
Fish details that while he plays a number of instruments, he never really felt tied to one. “I initially started on guitar and then I played bass because I wasn’t good enough on guitar and then, in the band I was in before Bring Me, I started playing a bit of keys just because it had some electronic stuff in it."
His early inspirations on guitar included Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge" and Green Day's Dookie album, but it was Deftones that really hooked him. Pulling up a bit of "My Own Summer," Fish explains, "This is one of those riffs that is unrepeatable, I find. It’s just so iconic and it can’t be done again."
He also likens Bring Me the Horizon to bands of the nu-metal era, adding, "We’re a nu metal band in my opinion. Obviously we’re a little different and there’s different influences and stuff, but I think we’re the equivalent of that era because we grew up on it.”
Prior to Bring Me the Horizon, Fish played keyboards for a mournful rock band called Worship that counted Oli Sykes amongst its fans. "It’s kind of Radiohead-y but with real drums with gritty, choppy synths."
With Sykes being a Worship fan, Fish was invited to add some electronics to their Sempiternal album. "I was just helping out," says Fish. "But then as that progressed, it was just like, obvious that I was going to be in the band, I guess. No one really asked me. I just kind of invited myself, I think.”
During this Gear Factor session, Fish cites "Doomed" from That's the Spirit as one of his favorite pieces, pulling back the curtain on the songs and artists that influenced BMTH's approach. He also calls out "Why You Gotta Kick Me When I'm Down" as a deeper cut favorite from Amo, sharing where the idea for its hypnotic loop came from.
As for their most recent album, Post Human: Survival Horror, he points to "Kingslayer" which features a guest spot by Babymetal. "I’d say it's a highlight for me just 'cause the way that we were able to get Babymetal into there and it feels natural," says Fish, before revealing the '90s dance influence that inspired the track. "I’m proud of the way we were able to get them on it and still have it feel like one of their songs. It feels like them. It also feels kind of futuristic to me.”
You can pick up Bring Me the Horizon's Post Human: Survival Horror album here (As Amazon affiliates, we earn on qualifying purchases) which features Loudwire's pick for 2020 Song of the Year, "Parasite Eve." Check out Jordan Fish's full Gear Factor episode below.
Bring Me the Horizon's Jordan Fish Plays His Favorite Samples