“They only love you when you’re seeing red.”
The third chapter in Architects’ quest for sonic evolution is finally here. Beginning with 2021’s For Those That Wish To Exist, the British metalcore forerunners have seen a departure from their iconic downtuned, progressive metalcore-inspired sound to a more streamlined arena metal sound. Following mixed reception on 2022’s the classic symptoms of a broken spirit, Architects strive towards a heavier metalcore sound with The Sky, The Earth & All Between. Teaming up with producer heavyweights Jordan Fish and Zakk Cervini to help them accomplish this task, the group seek a refresh to their sound.
First single “Seeing Red” saw the dawn of this new era, led by punchy, aggressive riffs and impressive low screams from frontman Sam Carter. With a strong impact to its heavy verses and a strong chorus, the song is waylaid by its lyrical content. An attempt at a clapback at their detractors, the song comes across as dramatically bitter and resultingly whiny. Despite all this, the foundation laid for the album proved to be a more favourable direction than the previous album.
The subsequent singles hit with varying levels of success. “Blackhole” comes off as the strongest of the bunch, with a flurry of double kicks and massive chugs forming the verses. It boasts one of Architects’ stronger choruses in recent times and even features a solo from guitarist Adam Christianson. The track feels hollow despite its strengths, owing to its overly polished production. The snap-accurate precision of its elements and the heavy use of autotune gives the track a rather artificial feel, making for an undeniably well-produced track that unfortunately lacks any sort of identity.
On the other end, “Whiplash” employs similar tactics, but the tired tropes of blunt retorts towards critics become wearisome. The distasteful use of gang vocals on the pre-chorus and its contrived chorus melody weighs the song down. Instrumentally, it’s definitely in-your-face heavy, but it sticks to a predictable structure and uninspired songwriting that hinders its creative heights.
Album opener “Elegy” attempts to begin the album on a triumphant note, with Carter singing about rising above the criticism. The layers of electronics building in the first verse are admittedly interesting, but it soon devolves back into more of the usual Jordan Fish fare, with a familiar frenzy of double kicks and riffs reminiscent of something Bring Me The Horizon did before. Pushing for an epic sounding, cinematic chorus, it does a serviceable job, but I can’t shake how empty it feels.
The majority that this album has to offer is more of the same. The hackneyed song structures plague nearly every song, sticking so rigidly to the same flow that each song starts to blend into each other. While Carter’s performance has arguably shown improvement, particularly in his singing, the overuse of melodies crafted for catchiness starts to wear on you heavily. “Everything Ends” goes all in on a pop metal sound, creating for one of the most unimaginative songs Architects has ever made. In what I can only assume to be a misguided attempt at varying the intensity of the album, the song is so inoffensive to the point of manufactured drabness.
There are points where the album attempts to go in heavier directions ironically go much worse. “Brain Dead” attempts to use harsh electronic samples and punk rhythms to create a more aggressive track, but it once again gets derailed by this album’s slavish commitment to having catchy choruses. Fellow Fish collaborators House of Protection make an appearance on the song to not much meaningful effect as the song speeds along to its contrived, modern metal breakdown. At just five songs in, Carter’s platitudinous overused of guttural growls starts to become irksome. “Judgement Day” makes a swing for an industrial-inspired sound, bringing singer Amira Elfeky along for the ride. The vocals are mixed uncomfortably high, potentially to create an abrasive sound, but this works against the song as it becomes a rather unpleasant listening experience. Musically, it sounds like a rehash of Void of Vision’s recent work, executed which much less finesse. Elfeky’s performance is functional, but it does nothing to elevate the song.
The biggest struggle this album presented me with is the jarring mismatch between its intent and its execution. It’s clear that the band are affected by the criticism over the years, and there is certainly validity in wanting to respond, especially to the more unreasonable of the would-be metalcore pundits. I can’t help but find this a misguided swing and a miss, backpedalling into a safe, heavy sound that never pushes status quo. For an album that desperately wants to display fortitude and a newfound resilience, there is instead an unresolved spitefulness that is unpleasant to witness.
There is no doubt that The Sky, The Earth & All Between will be heralded as many as a return to form for Architects, but it is rather a fitting representation of a band with a missing identity. I intentionally refrained from making comparisons to the band’s older works, as I truly wanted to let this album stand on its own. Unfortunately, in isolation, what’s left is an album so sterile and afraid to take risks, it is barely recognizable as an Architects album. Fish and Cervini definitely do their job to make the album sound as massive as possible, but regrettably fail to inject any substance into it. For a band who were once trailblazers, influencing an entire generation of metalcore bands after them, it’s rather disappointing to see them spiral down this path of confusion and predictability.
3/10
The Sky, The Earth & All Between releases on the 28th of February, via Epitaph, and can be pre-ordered here.