Metalcore kings

Architects: safety at the throne

Moving forward for more than 20 years: The British Architects with their new album "The Sky, The Earth & All Between".

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Epitaph Records, Ed Mason)

With their new album "The Sky, The Earth & All Between", Architects want to play their way to the top as metal and rock festival headliners. They could succeed because they put courage on the back burner in favor of a career retrospective. Singer Sam Carter gives us a closer look at the band and their sound.

In the expanded segment of metalcore, English bands have taken over the world's top spot in recent years. While Americans such as Killswitch Engage, the forefathers Hatebreed, As I Lay Dying, All That Remains and August Burns Red used to be at the top of the food chain, popularity has now shifted to the Old Continent. While Bring Me The Horizon have even been Nova Rock headliners with their eclectic mix of metal, pop, electronics and innovation, their friends Architects are at least well on the way to becoming one. The years during and after the pandemic have been more than successful for the band from hip Brighton. "For Those That Wish To Exist" (2021) reached number one in the UK charts, and the follow-up "The Classic Symptoms Of A Broken Spirit", which followed a year later, also generated a lot of enthusiasm.

Familiar formula for a new generation
This was accompanied by lavish live gigs such as at Nova Rock 2023 or Brutal Assault and a tour supporting Metallica through the biggest stadiums, which expanded the band's audience many times over. "I don't know if we can pass for veterans yet," laughs frontman Sam Carter in an interview with the Krone, "but after around 20 years, we're definitely established in the scene." Metalcore fans of the early 2000s often wonder about the Architects' hype. All the sound offsets, experiments with electronics and swerves into pop clean vocals would have been around if they had been around for a long time. The fact is, however, that the Architects not only implement a familiar formula in an exciting and versatile way, but also speak from the heart and soul of a completely different generation.

Over the years, the sound has undergone several general inventories. The early albums were tricky and weird, reminiscent of the style rejects The Dillinger Escape Plan. Only when they became more catchy did success follow. A formula that brought them a lot of criticism, but even more encouragement. Band founder and songwriter Dan Searle (drums) lost his brother Tom (lead guitar) to skin cancer in 2016, which only brought the remaining members closer together and strengthened their focus on community and music. "We now do exactly what we want to do and we don't look left or right," Carter affirms the naturalness of feeling comfortable, "we take inspiration from other bands we share the stage with. We let our lives into the songs and set ourselves no boundaries. No one in the band has the attitude of being a professional or an expert. We are constantly learning new things and are hungry. This hunger is far from satisfied."

An album for everyone
Architects are currently releasing their eleventh studio album, "The Sky, The Earth & All Between", and more than ever it is reminiscent of a Wurlitzer from the band's own discography. There are hard-hitting metalcore tracks, emotional depths, Linkin Park set pieces, pop excursions and rare but still present moments with electronic influences. For the first time in years, you get the feeling that the Architects haven't added anything essentially new to their previous oeuvre, but have instead reflected on and subsumed their previous existence. "We wanted to write the Architects album that we as fans of the band want to hear," songwriter Searle announced in an interview. It has become an Architects album for all fans, where everyone can pick out their own favorites. "We're a well-oiled machine that knows exactly what to do after so many years. The relationship with our fans is a special one and this certainty also makes composing easier," Carter adds to the "Krone".

Last but not least, the right cooperation ensures a modern edge in terms of sound. The new album was compiled and worked on with Bring Me The Horizon keyboardist Jordan Fish, a long-time friend and companion. The songs just tumbled out and one lavish live date after the other was confirmed (only Austria, for the time being, is once again left empty-handed). "We've always trusted our gut feeling," says Carter, "that doesn't mean it's always the right decision, but it does mean that we make the decision ourselves and take responsibility for it." The fact that the band is now at the crossroads of becoming a permanent headliner at major rock and metal festivals has had no lasting impact on the songwriting, they insist. "We don't think in those terms and we don't think about our fans when we write."

Room for many approaches
The staunch vegans and Sea Shepherd supporters take a socially critical and political approach in their lyrics. They mix the social with the personal and want to put their fingers in wounds - but not constantly and at all costs. "I love the Beatles, even though they were an apolitical band. But I also love Rage Against The Machine and they were decidedly political. There is enough room for different approaches, styles and content. We want to combine some themes and let our thoughts and feelings guide us." However, the many albums and songs also mean that they now have to rein themselves in live. "We don't go much further back in the setlist than the album 'Lost Forever' from 2014, we have to make compromises." The run of success will definitely continue with "The Sky, The Earth & All Between", however, because if you get all the fans from the past phases of the band on board, you can hope for maximum output.