Architects, Holy Hell, Album Review
Architects
Holy Hell
Album Review
When listening to this record, I remembered what Dan Searle (the founder and drummer of Architects) mentioned on their recently released documentary; "Holy Ghost". He told us that "you can go through terrible things and come out as a better person, or maybe a happier person. Theres growth and evolution in going through those nightmarish situations". I felt that this belief is incredibly apparent with this record. Another brilliant record released this year that I feel shares a similar impact is in fact Parkway Drives' "Reverence" for the way that both albums serve as proof that you can come out of the other side of a terrible situation, gaining inner strength and wisdom from it all. I feel that it is exactly this that has helped both album's become so powerful. In my opinion it's emotion through music at it's most pure and most genuine, and just one of many reasons as to why I absolutely love this record!
"Holy Hell" is far from the first Architects record that I got into. Ever since the days of "Lost Forever//Lost Together", I've been just as big a fan of the band as a lot of other people living in the city of Brighton and Hove, the bands city of origin. The first gig I ever went to was none other than theirs at The Haunt following the release of "Lost Forever//Lost Together". This obviously meant that I was lucky enough to watch not one but two live shows before the unfortunate passing of Tom Searle (the original guitarist and brother to the bands founder). The second show being the one that followed the release of their 2016 album, "All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us" at Concorde 2. After Tom's passing, I can imagine that a lot of people were wondering where the band would go from here. Our answer came in the form of "Doomsday" (a single released in 2017) which not only marked a continuation of the bands work but also evolution.
"Holy Hell" was only announced a couple of months ago, but it certainly didn't fail to get people pumped for their new stuff. We were all able to breathe a sigh of relief that Architects were truly reborn, returning with all the wisdom that they have hatched from their grief. All three teaser tracks, "Hereafter", "Royal Beggars" and "Modern Misery" sounded incredible and today marked the day that the album was finally out. I have admittedly got a couple of albums in the review queue, but this one comes first and foremost as it already holds such a special place in my heart.
Much like "Reverence", there is not a single track on this album that even comes close to being mediocre. However, it will take me some time to distinguish all of the new songs properly. This is actually a good thing as it shows that the album flows incredibly well and has enough atmosphere to get completely lost in. I recall listening to the vinyl in my room, completely silent and thoughtful. It almost felt like a two minute silence (with an extra forty minutes and 16 seconds added on for good measure) In which I would just sit there, remember Tom and recognise just how much his influence blesses the record.
The various tracks on the album express the different feelings one would expect to come from grief. Some being melancholy such as "Hereafter", "Modern Misery", "Dying To Heal", "Doomsday" and "A Wasted Hymn", some expressing frustration and anger such as "Royal Beggars" and "The Seventh Circle" and the remaining tracks; "Death Is Not Defeat", "Mortal After All", the title track and "Damnation".
I can sense that this emotional baggage really is the main driving force of this record as is so easy to notice both in terms of the music and Sam Carter's vocals. And that's really what distinguishes tis album from its predecessors; its just so incredibly powerful, moving, inspiring and really reaches out to listeners who have also lost a loved one or is just going through a hard time. This album doesn't just feel like another brilliant record, It's a record with a spirit; the spirit of Tom.
Thank you for reading, and go and cop this album!
Booth Boy
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