LIVE(STREAM) REVIEW: Architects @ Royal Albert Hall, London
Royal Albert Hall; One of the United Kingdom’s most cherished venues. In the heart of Kensington, the infamous building has opened its doors to performers and audiences from all over the world. With some of the finest artists having the chance to perform on its stage, this is a special moment for the career of ARCHITECTS. Over the years this metalcore band have captured the hearts of many, it seems only poignant they perform at this incredible venue.
As Sam Carter walks through the venue halls, there’s this atmosphere that it is the calm before the storm. In spectacular ARCHITECTS fashion, that feeling proves right as they blast into Nihilist when Carter approaches his bandmates. This is when the band take their moment to show that they are worth the stage they stand on.
Modern Misery comes bounding in straight after. It’s unsettling to not have an audience meet ARCHITECTS with what should be a chaotic racket of noise to this track. The eerie silence is not what any band should perform to, but it’s a testament at how these five guys can still fill the venue with an equal level of noise on their own. It’s understandable if a band can feel disheartened to not have an audience in front of them, but it’s clear that ARCHITECTS are performing as though everyone at home is in the room with them. Just because we’re here through a screen, it doesn’t mean they won’t give us their all.
Taken from their upcoming album, For Those That Wish To Exist, Discourse Is Dead makes its live debut. Along with Animals and Dead Butterflies, they use this moment to show that their new material will be just as powerful as anything else they’ve released. With some expert-handed lights and background visuals, they perform these as though they’ve been in their catalogue for years and they’ve perfected how to deliver them to the crowd. They stand just as tall as giants Broken Cross, Gravedigger and Holy Hell.
It’s only fitting to see the band bring the memory of Tom Searle to the stage with them as they perform Gone With The Wind. This is a moment they should have been sharing with him, and you can hear that emotion come out with such force it knocks you for six. The illuminated initials hang over the dimming lights as there’s a brief silence of remembrance before a furious spectacle that is Mortal After All.
After a few more songs that serve as a reminder that these are one of the best UK metalcore bands for a reason, they strip things back for a whole new level of emotion. Memento Mori and A Wasted Hymn serves as a moment for everyone involved in the show to just sit and feel. The vulnerability of each member is displayed across their faces for all the world to see, nothing is held back. There’s a gratitude in their eyes for this achievement, but there’s also a heavy grief where you can see that they wish they was sharing it with Tom Searle. Moments like this are rare, when for a brief split in time everyone shares the magnitude of what’s going on in each others mine. It’s rather special when you’ve been delivered blistering riffs and ferocious vocals and it’s the stripped back performance that serves as one of the heaviest points of the night.
As ARCHITECTS take to the stage again, they waste no time in going back to delivering utter carnage. A Match Made In Heaven is blistering and it packs a fierce punch. Hereafter confirms that they’re going to go out with a band as the penultimate track of the night. You can only imagine the amount of people sat at home forgetting for a brief moment they’re not stood in a sweaty venue and belting out the words alongside Carter. Doomsday is where you realise just what this band have achieved, you can almost hear the echoes of voices around you from what should be a packed audience. Despite giving us their all from the beginning, Doomsday is where you forget you’re at home and you’re transported on this devastating, tear-inducing journey. A perfect end to a perfect night.
Any other time ARCHITECTS would have graced the stage to a sold out audience and an energy very few bands could muster up. COVID-19 may have put a stop to that but rest assured this is another example on the reckoning force that this band is. This show is from start to finish the embodiment of what makes this band the love of many of our lives. It’s because at the heart of this band is a resilience that has stood the test of time and incomprehensible pain. They work with the feeling of the venue to put on one of their most emotive performances, they prove with every second why they deserve to stand on this stage and why they’ll one day play there again, next time with the sound of us all screaming along.
Rating: 10/10
