Metal/hardcore isn’t really the thing you’d naturally associate with Brighton. The South Eastern holiday/lads on tour spot has been “better” at kicking out Indie throwaways and short lived scene celeb punk bands in recent times, but Architects stand tall as one of the swift rising forces in British metal.
Dodging the subject of musical ‘progression’ and ‘lowest common denominator stylistic changes’ altogether (blah blah blah perceived musical integrity), the new Architects record is a different approach than their previous records. But what’s important is the quality, and fortunately: it’s rather good.
Towering breakdown after towering breakdown, cascading balls-to-the-wall riffs, and army inducing gang vocals are consistent, and there’s been plenty of time and effort put into making the record feel ‘complete’. The first single from the album sounds a bit strange standing alone, but makes more sense nestled in within the rest, and there’s every indication that this could be Architects‘ breakthrough record.
If there’s a particularily lazy comparison to be made, it’s that ‘The Here and Now’ sits somewhere in between Young Guns‘ 2010 debut ‘All Our Kings Are Dead’ and Bring Me The Horizon‘s ‘There Is A Hell…’ from the same year. It most definitely marks a step a more commerical direction for the band, which might alienate a few listeners (most definitely in the case of songs like ‘An Open Letter To Myself’ and ‘Heartburn’, being borderline rock ballds), but it’ll pick up three for everyone that gets in a huff about it.
‘The Blues’ is the most impressive example of stylistically synergy from the band, but the album as a whole is a great listen. There’s plenty to satisfy and piss off a few of the long term fans in equal measures, but without doubt, it’s going to grab many curious newcomers by the balls and turn the band into a real force to reckon with in the future.