Written thoughts: Architects‘ „HEREAFTER“
Written thoughts: Architects‘ „HEREAFTER“
Artwork of Architects' new album HOLY HELL.
Hey everyone! Actually, I can’t really believe what I discovered today. Why? Let me start with a little off-topic: Remember my last post about Napoleon’s “Ignite”? I told you about the “soon TM” jokes and memes, whilst we were all waiting for Newborn Mind to come out. As soon as it was officially announced, my brain exploded: It was set to be released on 27th May 2016 – the exact same date Architects’ All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us was supposed to come out. Believe me, music-wise, this was one of the best days of 2016 for me.
Of course, it feels like a little déjà-vu now… Napoleon released a brand new song a few days ago, announcing their album “epiphany” for 2nd November this year. And just a few days after – ARCHITECTS RELEASE A NEW SONG AS WELL?! …and their next album HOLY HELL will be out on 9th November? Either this is just a lucky incident for fans of both bands or it was meant to be. Two of my favourite British bands releasing music almost simultaneously. I love it already.
But let’s focus on the actual story now: Architects’ “HEREAFTER”.
This is in fact, spectacular. I still remember that in August 2016 when I read the news of Tom Searle having passed away, I started crying really hard. I just “lost” my idol. Since I discovered Architects, their riffs have always been very influential to me. They are the main reason why I love throwing hammer-ons and pull-offs all over the place in odd time signatures whenever I can. Learning to play their songs on guitar did not only bring me joy as it was loads of fun, I also learned a lot and was forced to work on my technique in order to play everything correct. When Tom passed, it felt like I lost my mentor, and it was one of the saddest days music wise for me.
Of course, the fans did respect the privacy everyone needed in that time. And we were all wondering how Architects are going to continue, as Tom was the mastermind of this brilliant band. There were a lot of articles around the internet on how Tom’s style of writing songs and riffs was setting new standards for the entire metal scene.
Architects announced that they would be playing the remaining booked tours without Tom - but also said that they are not sure if or when they will be releasing new music. Tom left a big legacy for this band.
In 2017, Architects released a single named “Doomsday”. It was the first output since All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us. Doomsday was a song that Tom was not able to finish. But the band finished writing the song and it turned out to be one of their most expressive songs ever. There’s so much emotion in it – not just in the vocals, but the entire spectrum of the song. The drums were hitting with devastated pressure, the guitars and bass rumbling around in agony, accompanying the vocals’ sadness and desperation but in fact, leaving space for little sparks of hope and reflection.
Since Doomsday, it was quiet around Architects releasing new music. They were touring and playing many many shows, but the topic of new music was rarely mentioned.
A few days ago, the website architectsofficial.com was turned into “just” a video. There was no information on it, it was only a mesmerizing animation with orchestral music in a loop. Everyone was wondering what this means and many online magazines were writing articles about it and fans had discussions and theories.
…now finally… Today, Architects released a new song. HEREAFTER. When I heard about it, I instantly had goosebumps and could not wait for listening to it for the very first time.
Although the song in general sounds definitely like Architects sounded over the last two albums, there are a few things that actually surprised me.
First, the intro of the song sounded like the intro of an EDM dance hit to me and could have perfectly evolved into a massive trance tune as well. But instead of a drop, the drums, bass and guitars kick in. And holy **** they punch heavy!
After the classic "main riff and the following connecting pause"-structure to the verse, the verse starts off and I actually think that this is the heaviest I've ever heard the Architects. It's short and on point. Because what follows next is an evolution into a cinematic metalcore Chorus. Since their album Daybreaker, Sam mastered the technique of "screaming notes". Although it's harmonic, you can't really tell if he's singing or screaming - and it suits the atmosphere oh so well.
After the chorus, the main riff comes again - expected, but well executed.
The second verse on the other hand... Wow. Since their third full-length Hollow Crown, I felt like there was a constant decrease of using odd time signatures. They are not using an odd time signature here either BUT: the articulation of the second verse riff paired with a breathing drum groove that is actually taking little breaks felt shaking. I re-discovered the feeling I had when I first listened to Early Grave back in 2009. Wow. It is actually a little scary for me how well the guitars were played in terms of articulation. What a tight performance! And of course, I was expecting it to get even heavier from then on - but instead, soft clean vocals and the trancy synthesizers take over once again and prove to be the right decision in terms of arrangement. They let you breathe in and then shoot you into the second chorus.
The only thing that I did not really like about this song was the following breakdown. It just sounds a little too similar to the ending of A Match Made In Heaven. It fits the arrangement of the song, but that part being that similar made me enjoy it a little less almost instantly...
However, I like that they did not end the song after the breakdown. They made the "mainstream" decision and added another impressive chorus and ending the song abruptly after that. Wow. What a banger.
In terms of lyrics, this song is pretty dark and sad. Clearly, how Dan states in this Kerrang article, it is about pain and growth. As they are pretty personal, I will not make further interpretations here.
Productionwise I really must say, this is the best production I've heard so far in this genre. So they did it another time: Setting the standards a little higher. I remember how amazed everyone was with the sound of Lost Forever // Lost Together in 2014, believing a new maximum has been reached. And the same happened in 2016 with All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us which sounded even better. But the sound of Hereafter already shows, that we can expect an even more powerful but still transparent and dynamic sound from their forthcoming album HOLY HELL.
...so... I am really impressed. This would have been a 10/10 if they had put in a different breakdown, but it's definitely bearable. If you are a fan of hard music, you MUST listen to this song. Not only finding out about it gave me goosebumps. The song itself did it as well and I loved it. Welcome back Architects. I'm excited about where you will navigate your journey now.
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