Holy Hell

With the passing of Tom Searle (RIP), who was the main songwriter for this innovative band, I was somewhat doubtful that they could recapture the essence of what made their previous albums so special. I was a fan of Hollow Crown and even The Here and Now (a somewhat controversial opinion, I know), but when Daybreaker came out I had started to pay less attention to the band (though there were some great songs on that album too). Lost Together, Lost Forever came out and it breathed new life into the metal genre. This marked the official start of Architects' mainstream (well, at least in the metal genre) success. It seemed to me that they were taking influence from the most modern progressive parts of the scene while still retaining their own identity. This album was groundbreaking in the sense that it updated and reinvigorated metalcore so that it wasn't retreading familiar ground. Many young musicians, such as myself, were greatly influenced by this album and it marked the point where the band really came into their own. All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us came out and it was just as good as its predecessor, in my opinion even better. Songs like "A Match Made In Heaven" and "Gone With The Wind" solidified this band as a hallmark of modern metal and allowed people to truly understand this band's identity and why the popularity of it was growing so much. The guitar-work was much more technical than anything they had released, and Sam Carter's vocals were even more emotive than ever before. Sadly, this was the final album Tom had written before he passed away. This came as a shock to many fans, and helped everyone to understand the meaning behind songs written by Tom such as "Gone With The Wind".A Year after, "Doomsday" was released and is, in my opinion, their finest work. A hugely emotive experience, it was written about Tom's death and used riffs written by Tom. Josh Middleton from the band Sylosis joined the band, helping to write "Doomsday" and subsequently Architects' next album, Holy Hell. It was Josh and Dan Searle (Tom's twin brother, drummer in Architects), I believe, who wrote the bulk of the album. While not trying to exactly imitate Tom's playing in a way which is derivative, they use Tom's style to create something truly unique and beautiful. This album begins with an extremely emotional "Death is Not Defeat". This song, and every song after it is a testament to the amount of talent this band still has. Tom's spirit has given this band the motivation to continue writing songs which inspire and provoke the minds of many. Banger after banger, this album is relentless, never becoming boring or stale. It takes the foundations which their previous albums formed and built on them in a way that keeps their music sounding fresh and exciting. There isn't a single song on this album that doesn't make me feel something. It is, in my opinion, a truly exceptional piece of art. I won't be skipping this one any time soon.

Und wenn man denkt, dass sich eine Band musikalisch nicht mehr steigern kann......dann, ja dann, kommt Architects und veröffentlicht HOLY HELL.Mögen LF//LT und All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us bisher als der Zenit musikalischen Schaffens im Bereich des Metalcore gegolten haben (und für mich kann ich das definitiv so unterschreiben), so packt HOLY HELL eine Schippe drauf. Und zwar eine Schippe Alles: eine Schippe Gitarren, eine Schippe Breakdowns, eine Schippe Bassgenudel, eine Schippe Drumaction, hundert Schippen Wut und hundert Schippen blutende Emotionen. Von den ersten Sekunden von Death Is Not Defeat bis zum endgültigen Ende von A Wasted Hymn macht das Album süchtig, es packt und zieht dich hinab in seine schmerzerfüllte und dennoch wunderschöne Welt. Ich hatte bereits beim ersten Hören das Gefühl einer tiefen Vertrautheit - und das meine ich durchaus positiv. Architects geben mir selbst mit neuen Releases das Gefühl, dass ich sie bereits kenne und schaffen es dennoch, mich zu überraschen. HOLY HELL ist wie ein Wiedersehen mit einem alten, wirklich sehr guten Freund. Irgendwie ist man sich noch genauso vertraut wie vor sieben Jahren, als man sich das letzte Mal sah und dennoch überrascht von all den Neuerungen im Leben des Anderen. Ich kann und möchte keine Anspieltipps geben, da das dem Album nicht gerecht wird. Es ist ein großartiges Kunstwerk, bei dem jeder, wirklich jeder Track restlos zu überzeugen weiß. Sei es die schiere Wut von Sams Geschrei in beispielweise Death Is Not Defeat oder Royal Beggars, die triefenden Emotionen im Titelsong, A Wasted Hymn oder Doomsday, Sams Fall in einen tiefen Abgrund in Dying to Heal... es ist ein wunderbares Werk, dass Alkaloids "Liquid Anatomy" tatsächlich von meinem Album-des-Jahres-Thron schieben oder sich zumindest gemütlich dazu schmiegen könnte. Das Booklet ist auffaltbar und ergibt auf der Rückseite eine große Version des Covers, das ist mal etwas anders. Die Texte sind schnörkellos wiedergegeben und - Tom Searle ist in den Credits erwähnt. Da lief es mir dezent den Rücken herunter. Alles, was diese Band ist und tut, ist und tut sie für Tom. Auf eine solche Art, wie diese Herren es hier vorleben, sollten Emotionen verarbeitet werden.

This album is amazing! I can't really say anything else, other than Wow! Just listen to it and you'll know what I mean.

architects best album to date in my opinion, absolutely love it!

Heavy, powerful and emotional. A superb but intense album.