Architects emerged in the heyday of metalcore and their big break came in 2009 with the release of ‘Hollow Crown’. They toured all corners of the globe in support of the album and since then they’ve played a slew of major festivals. They are credited with helping to reinvent metalcore and their fresh, modern sound has certainly given the genre as a whole a tremendous boost. ‘Lost Forever//Lost Together’ (2014) was a relentlessly heavy album that consolidated their status as a leading hardcore band. Follow-up ‘All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us’ (2016) is an indictment of society and its tendency to focus on non-issues instead of on what really matters. Unfortunately the album title proved prescient as principal songwriter Tom Searle succumbed to skin cancer a few months after the release. Josh Middleton (Sylosis) took up lead guitar duties on the next three albums, which saw the band continue their penchant for experimentation on ‘For Those That Wish to Exist (2021) and the catchier ‘The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit’ (2022). Last year Architects’ longtime guitar tech Martyn Evans took over as lead guitarist. (#GMM24)
