Architects 'The Here and Now'

I approached this album joylessly, expecting to find the inevitable smash, pound, screaming wail and explosive amalgamation of petulant noise that has rapidly become the recognisable backdrop to our raging, dissatisfied and disheartened British youth. It is this generations’ discontent vocalised; the striking of the match, the call for unbridled reformation, the dogged masses piling up to the palace gates like the dead against the gates of hell. As Byron noted, music is the most irresistible force in the dictation of emotion, in the commanding of man’s will. My love of music is locked into its capacity for inspiring, changing and inciting. However, when music loses this capacity because of an absence of innovation or feeling then it serves to discredit the entire cause that it has been (supposedly) championing.  Metalcore had once looked to be the successor to the anarchist throne, the grimy heir to punk and social dysfunction, but in recent times its crown and sceptre have been gathering dust, with bands instead opting to chase a sound that has become all too predictable and lucrative; it had appeared that this marked the end of a feeling that had started with riotous bands such as Misfits and Black Flag, all those years ago. 

Thankfully the 2011 release from Brighton upstarts Architects, The Here and Now, is a refreshing and exciting reinvention of the genre. It certainly lacks the aggression of their previous effort, the biting Hollow Crown, but, as their current album title suggests, they are firmly living in the moment, much to the listeners benefit. To purists, this will no doubt look like ‘selling out.’ It certainly is a step down in intensity from their last album; the clean vocals are prevalent through The Here and Now and the musicianship doesn’t always gallop at top speed. These are two highly endearing factors though. This is a band who may look like they’re trying to break into the mainstream, but who are actually doing the opposite. In my opinion, the negative connotations of the ‘mainstream’ should lie with the reams of identical extremists and the musical ‘hardcore’ who imitate the successes of KSE, Underoath and other genre-dominating monoliths. Architects have had the cajones to mature a sound that is dark and still as full of angst as before. This step has made them more identifiable, dangerously relevant and increasingly capable of being able to play with the big boys.

Album opener, and Architect’s newest single, Day In  Day Out is a fantastic statement of intent; Sam Carter spits disaffectedly ‘The years I put into this’ before the song ploughs into a huge and devastating groove, with the vocalist shifting with ease between his throaty accusations and melancholic clean lyrics. At no point does it seem that these complaints against our society are contrived; the sincerity is clear, the point is not lost. Moreover, Architects exude their youth and passion through themes such as relationships (An Open Letter To Myself), self-decomposition (Red Eyes) and love (Heartburn), without sounding self-deprecating or sickly-sweet at any point.  Why can’t more bands sound like they are as genuine as this Brighton outfit? This record is cliché free, absent of any unnecessary breakdowns or fuckwit lyrics. After three or four listens, Architects’ insistent and passionate outlook will have attached itself to you.

If you’re looking for another Hollow Crown, then you will be disappointed. This is a band who have moved past their musical adolescence and have found a maturity that has been missing from their previous outputs. However one truth remains standing as solidly as before; changing pace, tone or tact is not an indication of compromise. Don’t believe me? Then you’ll end up as unimaginative and restrained by your boundaries as metalcore has become.

Always looking in,

The Outsider