Review Summary: Alexisonfire, someones done it again...
Architects - The Here And Now
Brighton lads, Architects, have stripped themselves of their tech-metal mantra, in favor of a more commercial, radio friendly schtick.
Working from a solid blueprint laid down by Alexisonfire in 2006 with their "Crisis" opus, Architects have created an album of mellowed trepidation, high quality songwriting and complex, universal hooks.
Sam Carter pulls out his vocal range throughout the songs, switching from ballsy melody to brutal screaming, in the time it takes for a scene girl to stop fudding herself.
The songs stand their ground, highlights including the first two, "Day In Day Out" and "Learn To Live", holiding highest quality, with hooks that sound like they've been crafted by Funeral For A Friend, then quality control checked by George Petit and Dallas Green in construction goggles.
Other major highlights include the two ballads on the album, "An Open Letter To Myself" and "Heartburn", are both supplied with relaxing minimalist 808 beats, that work as precursors to full band euphoria. Also "Year In Year Out/Up And Away", is a sprawling epic (featuring the genius; Greg Puciato from the Dillinger Escape Plan), that closes the album by shredding all the remains maniacally, engulfing them in electro sludge, eating them, setting fire to them, then proceeding to *** them into the depths of hell....before reforming and lurching towards their demise.
"Delete Rewind" and "BTN", follow the Alexisonfire blueprint a little too much.
"Red Eyes" is the standard, mostly melodic track, that holds a 'youmeatsix-style' chorus. Its cast between "Stay Young Forever" and "The Blues" which are a classic-screamo tune and a hardcore punk style death-march towards a 'much-better-than-the-rest-of-the-song' outro, respectively.
Architects have taken a ballsy risk, perhaps alienating their previous audience, with the intent of gaining a new one, in a move that deserves respect.
The question is: will they will be a 'flash in the pan' for their new found genre, or will they perfect it and become one of the biggest bands in the world?
We will have to wait and see.
3.5
Leo Troy
Must hear: Day In Day Out, Learn To Live, Heartburn, Year In Year Out
For fans of: Alexisonfire, Funeral For A Friend, Youmeatsix
