Written by Tom Bedding
The overall response by many, for this newly crowned number one album, is strong and overjoyed with the success it has already got. So I was left curious to check the record out, by a band that I listened to for 4 months nearly a decade ago....and in truth,I totally forgot they existed and that is purely down to a memory lapse on my part.
However going through this record reminded me why I wanted to give this band a proper shot as a young teenager but ended up feeling like I was left short changed. Not due to the bands talent but their eventual outcome from certain decisions to fit in with the style. Overall, Architects latest record has a lot to offer but the execution feels messy and very ashamed.
The cheesy opening of ‘Do You Dream of Armageddon’, includes some really nice strings and a gentle piano line. Yet with the heavy production, the vocals get lost in the mix. All in all, the album opener plays a lot to the cliches from metalcore but I am confident that a lot of fans, are going to be eating this track up.
Then the riff found on ‘Black Lungs’, packs one hell of a punch but the substance does not match its tone. We are given a very solid chorus though and naturally a Linkin Park post-chorus moment occurs after but does not feel overdone. Sadly, the vocals do not feel authentic and if you asked me what singer it was from any of the bands and outfits from the UK Heavy Metal scene, I would very much struggle.
The siren like guitar are freakin wicked on ‘Giving Blood’, it creates an incredible tone that gives the track a strong start. To my surprise after the sold start, we are then given a cringy shift to a more of a synth passage in the song? It is really uncomfortable in truth when compared to the great textures found when the song is going full on rock.
I do admit, the Architects are a very assured impressive band since their inception and there are indeed moments here that show this, in particular on ‘Discourse is Dead’. The band show of their chops during this track and the orchestral fetish on this album starts if off well, before some solid drumming kicks in.
The vocal mix is immense, sounding clear and offering such a metal diction to it, that takes this song to an impressive place. However the chorus feels like way too much of what we have heard again and again and again from metalcore bands and outfits like them and Bring Me The Horizon.
‘Dead Butterflies’ has some pretty and futuristic like synths which follows next, it starts off with a very dramatic horn explosion (possibly the best moment for this type of inclusion on the record). Despite the transition from the verse to chorus being solid, the chorus itself lets everything down and does not stick in your head or inspires you to hum it or scream it or whatever you do to it.
The drumming on ‘For Those Who Wish To Exist’ is the only standout for me throughout the entire record and it really shines on ‘An Ordinary Extraordinary’. The synth vibe is cool too, offering a different dimension and the verses weirdly, feel like a rip off of the icon that was, Sam Sparrow. Its industrial aesthetic could have been better though, it feels half hearted and ruins what could have been a cool song!
I do enjoy a variety of ideas on this record, however I lose all interest when ‘Impermanence’ comes on as it falls flat and makes it harder for me, to keep my mind focused, on judging the whole record objectively. This song feels lazy and tiresome, I don’t know how the band could just slump through this cut? Though things do improve on ‘Flight Without Feathers’, as the variety on offer feels well thought out. The guitars return to some form, capturing a magical feeling and the synth drums are very pretty too.
Fans of UK rock were given a little treat with Mike Kerr of Royal Blood featuring on they dancey cut called ‘Little Wonder’. It includes some immense drumming and some fine production in truth, it really shines out well. The lyrics feel a bit bland but the vocals by all involved are good, with Mike’s tempo of the delivery being a standout. Following on we have a great chorus on ‘Animals’ and the drama felt on ‘Libertine’ comes across of being a soon to be crowd pleaser.
The energy from all the band is a nice wake up call on ‘Goliath’, as the record is coming to its closing moments. The chorus is something that I actually remember playing back around in my head after listening to it.
However the unmemorable melody in ‘Demi God’ just reminds me how the ideas on this record are well intended but are not overly impressive, you go back and forth from being impressed to frustrated A LOT. The song itself gives us that token ‘orchestral’ opening and then we go through the motions we have heard plenty of times on the record. Then soon after is ‘Meteor’, a song that has left with no opinion, even after multiple listens.
Yet Im left intrigued with the shift found on the closer, which was a nice surprise. ‘Dying is Absolutely Safe’ has an acoustic guitar that offers a great tone to conclude everything, especially as the strings are actually used well at last. The song may go on a bit but it finishes the album in a very sweet way, which is a tad confusing but more importantly a good thing.