Year: 2021
Total Time: 58:21
Label: Epitaph
I think it was inevitable. Anyone who has been paying attention to the band should have seen it coming. Anyone who has been following the scene up close should have seen it coming. England’s finest, ARCHITECTS, have returned with a new album and a new sound.
Having started on the musical paths set by the mighty THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, with each album ARCHITECTS began to adopt a more straightforward Metalcore approach. They stood out somewhat from the pile as their music was quite emotional while their well-written lyrics were navigating between socio-political and personal themes. The identity of their sound was shaped by the addition of Djent influences (mainly in riffs), electronics, strings, piano, synths as well as clean vocals. The end result, however, was very meticulous as they never veered off the aggressive and technical nature of the genre, despite the “foreign elements”.
But all this comes to change with “For Those That Wish To Exist”. The Metalcore character retreated while the aforementioned “foreign” elements became the protagonist! Following the death of the band’s principal composer and lyricist Tom Searle and the cathartic “Holy Hell” of 2018, ARCHITECTS decided to turn the page and write a new era. As I said before, anyone who followed the scene was probably expecting it just by looking at the course of BRING ME THE HORIZON, a band which seems to lead the changes in modern Metalcore.
Carter’s vocals are for the most part clean and the choruses anthemic – perfect for sing-alongs in big arenas. Strings, synths and electronic experimentation dominate the album and give it a more dramatic dimension, while their combination with Djent riffs brings to mind Mick Gordon and his soundtracks for the Doom video games (listen to the intro for example of “An Ordinary Extinction”). The heavy parts are mostly made up of groovy breakdowns while sometimes skewed into RAMMSTEIN’s industrial metal (“Animals”).
ARCHITECTS do not hesitate to explore more EDM/Dark Pop paths (“Flight Without Feathers”) while on tracks such as “Meteor” mixing guitars with up-tempo pop melodies could have been easily lifted of the Gothic pop-metal groups of the 00s.
The heavy side of the band is represented by about three or four tracks where we meet Carter’s harsh vocals and the typical breakdowns of the band. In “Impermanence”, the participation of Winston McCall of PARKWAY DRIVE wakes up the dead with his brutal vocals while in “Goliath” Simon Neil of BIFFY CLYRO contributes nicely with his clean and surprisingly his hardcore vocals.
Listening to the album, it feels like a modernized version of the first two LINKIN PARK records. Listen to “Little Wonder” and “Libertine” and try not to think about the American mega stars of Nu Metal. I would be very surprised if the late Chester Bennington is not one of Sam Carter’s influences.
Putting in the equation the history of ARCHITECTS and the different genres you come across in “For Those That Wish To Exist”, we have a bit of a confused record; Which according to the band is perfectly normal as they feel confused themselves experiencing the developments of recent years. They are very much influenced by the destruction of the planet caused by humans and this is also the main lyric theme of the album.
If there were fewer “softer” tracks, we would have definitely had a more balanced record. But in the 58 minutes of “For Those That Wish To Exist” you don’t easily recognize the ARCHITECTS of the last ten years. They may have worn a new mask, but they’re not the first band to try this recipe. The above mentioned LINKIN PARK, BRING ME THE HORIZON, as well as STARSET and SLEEP TOKEN (with their excellent Dark Pop/Djent hybrid) have preceded them. So, the dear English gentlemen may not win in originality, but they have a talent for writing big hooks and addictive melodies. And these few breakdowns hit the nail exactly on the head! Anyone looking for an Alternative Metal (core?) suggestion, this might be your new favourite album.
Rating: 7/10
Editor: Dimitris Benetatos
Related Link: ARCHITECTS – Official Page
