Architects - ‘the classic symptoms of a broken spirit’ - album review
Architects - the classic symptoms of a broken spirit (Noizze)
For many, Architects need no introduction. Since the band’s inception in the early 2000s they have grown to become giants of British music and household names in the worldwide metalcore scene. As their tenth record, the classic symptoms of a broken spirit has a lot to live up to following 2021’s number one album For Those Who Wish To Exist, not to mention the rest of their extremely impressive discography, but Architects make a pretty good case as to why they should score their second consecutive number 1 album.
While For Those Who Wish To Exist took a more standard and ‘traditional’ approach to songwriting, Architects have chosen to throw away their safety net and experiment with their latest release. It begins with ‘deep fake’ and ‘tear gas’ – both tracks that use crushing industrial riffs and electronic synth to echo that Architects sound that loyal fans have come to know and love. The latter of these tracks opens with a riff that wouldn’t sound out of place among the discography of bands like Rammstein or Nine Inch Nails. These tracks especially echo the darker elements of Architects’ sound and emphasise how much synth they have managed to incorporate to enhance the more ‘traditional’ instrumentalism and take their tracks up a level to suit the arena band that they have become.
Most of the riffs on this album would be right at home on the soundtrack to the Doom video games – case in point ‘living is killing us’. It’s a showcase of chunky guitar riffs and wailing synth that when married together create something that Mick Gordon himself should be proud of. The entire album is stacked full of progressive, technical guitar riffs and choruses that deserve to be screamed by arenas and festival crowds. That’s not to say this hasn’t already happened; ‘when we were young’ was the first taste of this new album and sound and was part of the setlist for Architects’ UK tour back in April, so it’s already clear that it was well received when crowds night after night were yelling the lyrics back at the stage. And rightfully so, because this song specifically was made for just that reason. It’s an entire album of catchy pop-inspired hooks and melodies, giving vocalist Sam Carter a chance to showcase his honed talents both as a melodic and metal vocalist.
To close the record, we are gifted with ‘be very afraid’. It’s a standout track but it comes far too late. If this were the opening track then it would work perfectly and set the tone for what is to come, enticing new fans to listen to the following tracks and cementing the love that existing fans already had. In the real-world track listing though, it comes at a point where most people will have turned the album off because in all seriousness, a lot of tracks lack the ferocity and energy that Architects are known for. This isn’t to say that they’re all lacklustre, for the most part they’re all catchy, it just feels a little anti-climactic in some places and could do with some different elements to take them to the next level that they do desperately need.
It’s so hard not to compare artists to one another, but after seeing the almost overnight rise of bands like Bring Me The Horizon you can begin to see the trends that led to this moment repeating among their peers. With the classic symptoms of a broken spirit, Architects have become more experimental in their approach and have felt the need to justify this to fans, as it is clearly something they won’t want to hear as existing listeners. As artists however, they should be making music for themselves and not feel as though they are held hostage by their fanbase and their constant need to hear the ‘old Architects’.
As one of the biggest modern metal bands they have created a successful album that is full of tech-laden guitar riffs and poppy vocal hooks, which is exactly what made Architects successful in the first place. They are a huge band and so its obvious that not everyone will appreciate the music they make and what one part of the audience wants, another despises – there’s a clear divide between those who want to hear the old metalcore sound and those who want to hear the newer techy synth riffs. It’s a real double-edged sword and it’s a battle that Architects will never win, though they have made a good start and come out swinging with this album – let’s just hope they experiment a little more for their next album.
Rating: 7/10
