Review Summary: Lightning has struck twice.
After the gargantuan success of
Lost Forever // Lost Together -- Architects' sixth and most successful full-length album to date -- it'd be easy to assume that the Brighton-based metalcore quintet had hit their definitive stride, destined to fail to live up the lofty expectations set by said album. Although by no means a groundbreaking body of work,
LF//LT did tick each and every single box that exists in the "generic metalcore" rulebook, while elevating those tropes to new and exciting heights. Complete with brooding riffs, colossal breakdowns and the most memorable choruses the band had ever penned, Architects left behind the clumsiness of their past outings in favour of a fully a honed sound -- spearheaded beautifully by vocalist Sam Carter's signature and haunting, ear-piercing shrieks. Fast forward two years and the band hasn't rested on their laurels one bit, and has once again enlisted the help of duo Henrik Udd and Fredrik Nordström (Sweden represent!), to helm the production for their seventh full-length album, entitled
All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us. With the hype having built to a fever-pitch amongst fans, and with so many metalcore bands either battling an identity crisis or treading down a softer route entirely, it's hard not to burden the band with the exhaustive task to spark excitement once more in this ill-fated genre. Fortunately, save for some needless bits of fan-service, Architects have accomplished this task with flying colours.
All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us is by far the darkest and most menacing album the band has ever written, featuring a new-found emphasis on ominous synthesizers, choirs and string arrangements that were first introduced on 2012's
Daybreaker, and have been elaborated upon to great effect on album number seven. The band also treads much darker territory lyrically as well as sonically, creating apocalyptic soundscapes that vividly recall some of their earliest albums, evidenced on tracks like "Phantom Fear" and the cathartic "Gone With The Wind". Architects wastes no time shoving its sinister atmosphere in the face of the listener, as the opener "Nihilist" announces the album with a blistering pace and a monumental climax that explodes around the listener in a flurry of palm-muted chugs, arrangements and meandering lead-riffs, that are equal parts melodic and heavy. One of the standout tracks, "Deathwish", even boasts a Thrice-esque chorus and sounds like a mash-up of all the best tracks from
LF//LT. In fact, the entirety of
All Our Gods... sounds like a much darker pastiche to every Architects album that preceded it but in the best possible way, and any crippling sense of familiarity is easily forgotten when the band decides to fire on all cylinders on tracks like "From The Wilderness" and the rousing, sing-along number "Gravity". Sam Carter and co. also spares no expense in the lyrical department -- reaching into some of the darkest recesses of political, historical and socio-political issues, while some tracks are far more introspective and deal with personal struggles amongst the band members.
"Of all the patterns I could create
I built a labyrinth with no escape
To keep myself under lock and key
I am my own worst enemy"
Sam howls on the single "Gone With The Wind", which co-exists beautifully with the call-to-arms, anti-slavery anthem "All Love Is Lost", which has a decidedly industrial feel to it.
"The workers all march to the beat of the drum
Their spirits are broken they have nowhere to run
They dream of courage and a loaded gun
but the slaves all know they better bite their tongue"
The entire album is back-loaded with quotable lyrics that are delivered with admirable conviction from Sam Carter, whose frenzied screaming sound more aggressive here than ever before. They're also interspersed occasionally with clean singing sections that, alongside the subdued synthesizers, provide some excellent respite from all the chaos. Guitarists Tom Searle and newcomer Adam Christianson also do a good job of supplementing each song with increasingly darker sounding riffs that hinge on being technical but not intrusively so. Although I've would liked a little bit more variety during the album's heaviest moments, the guitars are interesting enough to guide you along, with "Downfall" and "The Empty Hourglass" being particular standouts. My biggest gripe with
All Our Gods... is how the band seemingly tries too hard to please long-time fans on a number of occasions. The lead single, "A Match Made In Heaven", sounds like it's desperately trying to be this album's version of the song "Gravedigger" from their previous record, both in terms of structure and lyrical content. Lastly, when Sam employs his goofy, all too entertaining "Blegh!" manoeuvre for the sixth or seventh time, the novelty starts to wear more than a little thin.
However, none of these issues detract from what is, impressively and on the whole, a marginal improvement over their best outings.
All Our Gods... honours the band's past while imbuing their musical palette with a healthy dose of atmosphere and electronic ambiance, while cranking up the intensity at seemingly every turn. Architects' seventh full-length album hits harder, moves faster and evokes a sense of immediacy and urgency few other metalcore bands can accomplish today. Whether you're new to the band or not,
All Our Gods... is a must-listen for those weaned on heavy music with more on its mind than breakups and one-dimensional song writing.
Standout tracks:
Nihilist
Deathwish
Downfall
Gravity
From The Wilderness
