Rocker (feedbot)
Platinum Member
There’s something visceral about watching Sam Carter lose his mind on stage while 20,000 people try to keep pace with his brutal vocal delivery. Sunday night at The O2 Arena is a masterclass in controlled chaos, with Brighton’s Architects proving exactly why they’re still leading the pack a decade-and-a-half into their career.
Fresh off their chart-topping ‘The Sky, The Earth and All Between’ release (number two in the UK, cheers very much), Architects roll into Greenwich with American heavyweights Wage War and rising stars House of Protection in tow. By the time the lights dim at 9pm, the arena is already buzzing with anticipation.
Wage War and House of Protection both earn their spot on this tour. Wage War bring their brand of American metalcore intensity, warming up the crowd with relentless energy. House of Protection prove why they’re ones to watch, holding their own in front of an arena crowd and making it clear they won’t be playing support slots forever.
Architects open with Oasis’s ‘Fuckin’ in the Bushes’ on tape ramps up the tension before the band explodes into ‘Elegy’. No warm-up, no gentle introduction; just diving straight into the deep end. The production is huge, all thundering drums courtesy of Dan Searle and those signature tech-death-meets-melody riffs. ‘Whiplash’ and ‘when we were young’ keep the momentum brutal, before ‘Black Lungs’ gives everyone a moment to catch their breath. The emotional weight of the set is tangible throughout; you can feel the moments where thousands of people connect to something bigger than just heavy music.
What’s clever about this setlist is how seamlessly the band weave their newest material in amongst the established classics. ‘A Match Made in Heaven’ flows naturally into ‘deep fake,’ proving that ‘The Sky, The Earth and All Between’ is an album that holds its own in the live setting. When Wage War vocalist Briton Bond joins for ‘Impermanence,’ the place erupts. The middle section, which includes ‘Red Hypergiant’ and ‘Gravedigger’ – both part of arguably one of the best metalcore albums of all time – features House of Protection, displaying Architects at their collaborative best; still hungry, still experimenting, still pushing forward rather than just milking the hits.
‘Brain Dead’ goes off, and the snippets of older material peppered throughout keep long-time fans satisfied. ‘Doomsday’ is the inevitable tear-jerker moment, hitting exactly as hard as it needs to. By the time ‘Animals’ closes the main set, the pit is a write-off and everyone’s voices are shredded – but nobody is leaving without the encore. ‘Hereafter’ and ‘Meteor’ send everyone home spent, before a remix of ‘Everything Ends’ plays them out.
This show proves, if proof were ever needed – which it’s not – that Architects have the technical chops, the emotional depth and the determination to keep evolving. The O2 Arena is a beast of a venue to fill, but they make it feel intimate when it needs to be and massive when the moment calls for it. Condolences to anyone that missed this one.
KATHRYN EDWARDS
Fresh off their chart-topping ‘The Sky, The Earth and All Between’ release (number two in the UK, cheers very much), Architects roll into Greenwich with American heavyweights Wage War and rising stars House of Protection in tow. By the time the lights dim at 9pm, the arena is already buzzing with anticipation.
Wage War and House of Protection both earn their spot on this tour. Wage War bring their brand of American metalcore intensity, warming up the crowd with relentless energy. House of Protection prove why they’re ones to watch, holding their own in front of an arena crowd and making it clear they won’t be playing support slots forever.
Architects open with Oasis’s ‘Fuckin’ in the Bushes’ on tape ramps up the tension before the band explodes into ‘Elegy’. No warm-up, no gentle introduction; just diving straight into the deep end. The production is huge, all thundering drums courtesy of Dan Searle and those signature tech-death-meets-melody riffs. ‘Whiplash’ and ‘when we were young’ keep the momentum brutal, before ‘Black Lungs’ gives everyone a moment to catch their breath. The emotional weight of the set is tangible throughout; you can feel the moments where thousands of people connect to something bigger than just heavy music.
What’s clever about this setlist is how seamlessly the band weave their newest material in amongst the established classics. ‘A Match Made in Heaven’ flows naturally into ‘deep fake,’ proving that ‘The Sky, The Earth and All Between’ is an album that holds its own in the live setting. When Wage War vocalist Briton Bond joins for ‘Impermanence,’ the place erupts. The middle section, which includes ‘Red Hypergiant’ and ‘Gravedigger’ – both part of arguably one of the best metalcore albums of all time – features House of Protection, displaying Architects at their collaborative best; still hungry, still experimenting, still pushing forward rather than just milking the hits.
‘Brain Dead’ goes off, and the snippets of older material peppered throughout keep long-time fans satisfied. ‘Doomsday’ is the inevitable tear-jerker moment, hitting exactly as hard as it needs to. By the time ‘Animals’ closes the main set, the pit is a write-off and everyone’s voices are shredded – but nobody is leaving without the encore. ‘Hereafter’ and ‘Meteor’ send everyone home spent, before a remix of ‘Everything Ends’ plays them out.
This show proves, if proof were ever needed – which it’s not – that Architects have the technical chops, the emotional depth and the determination to keep evolving. The O2 Arena is a beast of a venue to fill, but they make it feel intimate when it needs to be and massive when the moment calls for it. Condolences to anyone that missed this one.
KATHRYN EDWARDS