{"id":3252837,"date":"2018-11-16T17:34:42","date_gmt":"2018-11-16T21:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/?p=3252837"},"modified":"2018-11-16T17:34:42","modified_gmt":"2018-11-16T21:34:42","slug":"album-review-architects-holy-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/general\/album-review-architects-holy-hell","title":{"rendered":"ALBUM REVIEW: Architects &#8211; Holy Hell"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"3252838\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/general\/album-review-architects-holy-hell\/attachment\/46474657_2128427927420552_563698639235448832_n-1\" data-orig-file=\"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/46474657_2128427927420552_563698639235448832_n-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"925,925\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"46474657_2128427927420552_563698639235448832_n (1)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/46474657_2128427927420552_563698639235448832_n-1-800x800.jpg\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3252838\" src=\"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/46474657_2128427927420552_563698639235448832_n-1-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/46474657_2128427927420552_563698639235448832_n-1-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/46474657_2128427927420552_563698639235448832_n-1-100x100.jpg 100w, http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/46474657_2128427927420552_563698639235448832_n-1-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/46474657_2128427927420552_563698639235448832_n-1-800x800.jpg 800w, http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/46474657_2128427927420552_563698639235448832_n-1.jpg 925w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The eighth studio album for UK metal-core outfit Architects proves that they remain one of the most relevant groups in their genre and that the emotional knife they carve their music with is still sharp.<\/p>\n<p>The record is a 42-minute ode to founding member Tom Searle, who died on August 20th, 2016, three months after the release of the bands last album \u201cAll Our Gods Have Abandoned Us.\u201d Searle had been living with skin cancer for the previous three years.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/architectsuk\/posts\/10154493260084433:0\" data-width=\"552\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block;\"><\/div>\n<p>This album is lyrically driven and doesn\u2019t pummel the ear with as many buzz-saw guitar riffs as their previous work. They instead capture those moments in a much more efficient manner and demonstrate a keen sense of melody. There are also obvious sacrifices made in the layering of the instrumentals to give the lyrics the main stage and above all deliver a beautiful tribute to their fallen band-mate.<\/p>\n<p>The album starts with \u201cDeath Is Not Defeat\u201d which begins with orchestral strings that are a theme throughout the track list. The lyrics attempt to make sense of the band\u2019s loss, the most gut-wrenching being \u201cWhy do we fight what we can&#8217;t define?\u201d, likely referring to the enigma of cancer.<\/p>\n<p>The track \u201cHereafter\u201d wrestles with being unprepared for the worst. Every member gives their all with vocalist Sam Carter\u2019s screams ringing out, taking every ounce of his breath and Dan Searle (Tom\u2019s brother) hitting this physical drum fill at each climax of the song.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Architects - &quot;Hereafter&quot;\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WqRYBWyvbRo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMortal After All\u201d is a sobering reminder that life ends in a grueling way. The strings come in again at the beginning of each chorus which leads with the line \u201cAnother part of this symphony, lost between eternity,\u201d adding dimensions to the song\u2019s aesthetic.<\/p>\n<p>The title track brings the most anger with frantic chord progressions and pockets of madness where Carter\u2019s voice takes over, cutting deep with lines like \u201cDon\u2019t forget to breathe when the knife begins to twist.\u201d The words in the pre-chorus are almost inaudible as Carter pushes the strength of his vocal chords. The song references the track \u201cBroken Cross\u201d off the band\u2019s 2014 album \u201cLost Forever\/Lost Together&#8221;\u201d, the opening line of which is \u201cGod only knows when we were born to burn\u201d to which Carter asks on this track \u201cRemember when we were born to burn?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While tracks like \u201cDamnation\u201d and \u201cRoyal Beggars\u201d handle more common messages like seizing the day and fighting complacency, the track \u201cModern Misery\u201d shines the spotlight on first world problems. This song hits another passionate vein, touching on the bands environmental activism and discussing how world resources are being abused.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Architects - &quot;Modern Misery&quot;\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_kC_xaRs9lM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cDying To Heal\u201d ponders why life is fleeting and how Searle was taken at the pinnacle of his career. The track mixes racing instrumentals and soaring open chords paired with the painful imagery of false security. Carter belts out a powerful scream at the end of the final chorus which bleeds into a climbing guitar outro, chugging the song to a slow, furious halt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Seventh Circle\u201d is the shortest track on the album and the rawest. The band strips back to a brutal sound to convey the pure hell the band has suffered. Buzzing notes between each release help the track seethe with rage as the band hits their breaking point, rejecting the reality around them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoomsday\u201d was the first single off the album, originally released alongside a music video which brought Searle back through special effects to give him a proper goodbye. Instrumentally, the track didn\u2019t seem strong as a single but made perfect sense in its place on the album. The band accepts that no amount of mourning will ever change things, that their doomsday will persist, and they must push their lives forward despite it.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Architects - &quot;Doomsday&quot;\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RvWbcK3YQ_o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Wasted Hymn\u201d is the band laying Searle\u2019s spirit to rest, further accepting that all is not lost and understanding the impermanence of life itself. Carter\u2019s range provides beautiful transitions between glistening cleans to emphatic screams as the string section adds a final golden touch as the record concludes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best Tracks: Mortal After All, Holy Hell, The Seventh Circle<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Worst Tracks: Damnation, Royal Beggars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Rating: 8.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The eighth studio album for UK metal-core outfit Architects proves that they remain one of the most relevant groups in their genre and that the emotional knife they carve their music with is still sharp. The record is a 42-minute ode to founding member Tom Searle, who died on August 20th, 2016, three months after<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"excerpt-more blog-excerpt\" href=\"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/general\/album-review-architects-holy-hell\">Read more&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":3252838,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,523,522],"tags":[10944,10957,10945,10948,8312,10953,10954,10956,3612,3878,10952,10949,827,7774,10950,10951,10946,10947,2178,10955],"class_list":["post-3252837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-mr","category-reviews","tag-architects","tag-british-heavy-metal","tag-british-metal","tag-dan-searle","tag-djent","tag-doomsday","tag-epitaph-records","tag-european-metal","tag-hardcore","tag-heavy-metal","tag-hereafter","tag-holy-hell","tag-metal","tag-metalcore","tag-modern-misery","tag-royal-beggars","tag-sam-carter","tag-tom-searle","tag-uk","tag-unfd-records"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/46474657_2128427927420552_563698639235448832_n-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3252837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3252837"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3252837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3252841,"href":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3252837\/revisions\/3252841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3252838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3252837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3252837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chsrfm.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3252837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}