It's scary to think that British metalcore outfit Architects are just hitting their stride eleven albums in.
Having completed two Summer runs with Metallica in the lead up to their latest masterpiece The Sky, The Earth & All Between, Architects took stock of their career to date and set out to make the definitive Architects release.
“It wasn’t about just putting out another Architects record. It had to be the record—the one people talk about when they talk about our band,” frontman Sam Carter said at the time. Bandmate Dan Searle echoed this sentiment: “What we’re trying to say is that we had to make the quintessential Architects album—bringing together all our best qualities and everything we excel at.”
Their last couple of albums - For Those That Wish To Exist and The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit - had been about attempting the new. When those records performed well critically and commercially, that was their green light to pursue whatever they wanted to. So, they resolved to channel the lessons learned from innovation into making something that felt like the pinnacle of what Architects have long been evolving towards. And they achieved that emphatically with The Sky, The Earth & All Between winning over fans and critics around the world.
Now, Australian fans get to experience that rebirth in the flesh with Architects headed this way for three select dates starting in Melbourne on December 11. Not only that, they will be bringing House Of Protection, who recently wowed crowds over here on a support run with Bad Omens, and emerging outfit President, who promise to balance the trifecta. HEAVY caught up with Architects bass player Alex Dean to get the full rundown.
"It's been a little while since we've been over, so yeah, we're really stoked to get back," he enthused. "We're having a lot of fun playing these tracks. It's always fun getting out and playing new records, but it feels really like people are engaging with the songs."
Architects are a band who, despite having their core sound, have always been unafraid to experiment musically on each record. We ask Dean about that approach and how much musical growth he feels the band have left in them.
"We're always trying to push ourselves," he replied. "And I think as soon as - for a metalcore band with two guitars, bass, drums - as soon as you start adding electronic elements to it, the musical world is your oyster, because there's just so many things you can try. We've done records where we experiment a lot with orchestral sounds, and that might be something we revisit again. But we just try and do what's exciting for ourselves, really."
In the full interview, Alex expressed excitement about returning to Australia after a couple of years and highlighted the positive reception of their new album, The Sky, The Earth and All Between. He elaborated on the band's evolution in sound, emphasizing their confidence in creating music driven by instinct rather than external influences. He mentioned their willingness to experiment with various musical elements, facilitated by advancements in technology.
We spoke about what has changed with the band since they last toured Australia, what we can expect from their shows, and more.
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