Album Review: Architects - 'The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit'
Architects have long established themselves as one of the nation’s proudest exports for alternative music. The five piece hailing from Brighton are rightfully (and finally) getting their flowers; with their 2021 release, For Those That Wish To Exist, securing the band their first ever UK Number One album.
Unfortunately as is the case with alternative music, and metal sometimes more specifically, there is a lot of gatekeeping. Their most recent album, their most commercially successful yet , left some few (but vocal) critics and fans displeased at the change of direction. In my opinion, these are unfair. After the tragic passing of lead guitarist and songwriter Tom Searle in 2016, I think it’s safe to say it didn’t come as a surprise to anybody the band would obviously undergo some changes in terms of sound and style. Many bands cease to make music after losing a member; Architects, adversely, and against all odds, not only carried on - but carried on getting better.
This success, in my opinion, came at no cost to their integrity, nor their creative process. Instead it came from the best part of two decades and ten albums continually changing and influencing the course of alternative sound.
The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit is a cohesive continuation of a winning formula - and fans of the band recognised this from the jump. The anthemic, When We Were Young, which was released back in April of this year, is a powerful ode to nostalgia. Instrumentally, this song is what we’ve come to expect of late; it’s loud, rhythmic, memorable, and importantly it’s as riff heavy as ever. The vocals are as raw as Architects earlier work yet the end product sounds much more polished, pristine and palatable for those whose playlists aren’t exclusively metal. It’s incredible how Architects have managed to create such a distinctive and instantly recognisable sound.
Spit The Bone starts with a tense, atmospheric dread that will draw the feral nature out of crowds both at home and abroad. Sam Carter’s guttural growls here, and on the closer, Be Very Afraid, demonstrate his willingness to dabble a little more into the vintage Architects sound here and there.
Burn Down The House is a real change of pace and a breath of fresh air. The slower tempo, powerful chords and generally uneasy sound creeps into balladic, energetic choruses - which seems to be a recurring theme on this album. On first listen, I was knocked aback by the explosiveness of the instrumentation in these tracks. Yet on the second and third, I live in those elongated, eerie and intense sections. It falls away from the distinctive Architects formula of late - but it’s just as captivating and interesting as any other track on the project.
The breakdowns are as heavy as they ever were, I have to admit, the one at the end of Deep Fake already has me in both fear and awe, envisioning chaos and calamity at live events. This, like the majority of the other Architects albums, is one I just can’t wait to experience live. I’m envious of anybody who managed to secure tickets to their Album Launch show at Chalk in Brighton; I’m equally jealous of anyone who managed to get tickets to any of the eight shows they’re opening for Biffy Clyro in November.
Living Is Killing Us starts in traditional Architects fashion, hard and fast. “We fell in love with a death machine” is Sam Carter’s battlecry “so much will never be enough” which is accompanied by some of the heaviest instrumentation on the project. If you liked either of the last two Architects albums, Holy Hell and For Those That Wish To Exist, this one is for you. I’d hedge my bets Doomscrolling will find its way into your playlist too.
Architects are a band far too long established to be considered victims of a sophomore slump but having seen such success on their last release, this album felt like it had an awful lot to live up to. Stylistically it’s not dissimilar to its predecessor, which given the amount of time between the two releases is no surprise. It packs a punch while venturing into new territory. Bands don’t get to this size without taking sizeable risks. There’s only so many times you can hash out similar sounding album after similar sounding album before your most loyal fans become unsatisfied with the lack of creative direction. Equally shifting lane too fast or too harshly can alienate a fan base. Architects, on this project, find themselves perfectly positioned in the sweet spot, it’s enough to keep old fans satisfied whilst simultaneously drawing in new listeners.
Words by Cameron Miller
