Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

the mix on THAN was way worse so we were ready for it

Album Rating: 1.5

"The mix is DREADFUL"



One of the worst I've heard in a while

Album Rating: 2.0

it is amazing a band this successful produced a mix so bad

like how did no one stop and say guys... EVERYTHING on this mix is TOO FUCKING LOUD

Album Rating: 2.0

"the mix on THAN was way worse so we were ready for it"



It's been a LONG time since I properly listened to THAN, but I just remember it severely lacking bass. Like, it basically had zero bass. But other than that, was it that bad?



This is just a compressed, flat, claustrophobic mess of a mix. Nothing has room to breathe.

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

Zero bass except for a random bass drop(almost) in an open letter to myself lol.



The demos for THAN are actually fucking dope.

Album Rating: 2.0

The last minute of Meteor is so laughably obnoxious

Album Rating: 2.0

impermanence came on a random spotify shuffle playlist and i was reminded about how horrible they sound. i cant believe it is considered a good song on the album.

Album Rating: 1.5

People only fw it cus its heavy but its one of the most boring heavy tracks they've ever done.

Album Rating: 2.0

I feel like the Winston feature is what sold a lot of people on it

just keep on keeping your eyes at me its just wrong enough to make it feel right

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

The winston track is one of the worst lol.

Album Rating: 1.5

booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring

Album Rating: 2.5

I haven't listen to this since March. The desilusion of the year. Boring, bland and a bit pompous. That's a lot for an one hour album. I really tried to love it tho...

Album Rating: 1.5

Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me.

There are a still a few enjoyable riffs here and there, straight to the point and heavy and some of the synth driven verses are quite Muse like. However the drums are so processed and everything sounds so plastic and rigid.

We are let down by boiler plate choruses. In trying to make every song simple and memorable and full of anthemic woah oh oh's they actually make them all forgettable and blandly sounding the same. They forgot to season the songs, add something a little unpredictable or unique. Even the hooks they are focussing on aren't good, for example Gving Blood and Meteor. Compare the two identical chorus' to see how lacking in inspiration they were. Putting them at opposite ends of the album won't fool us.

Some lyrics are poetic, but some try too hard to paint in broad strokes (treading water, glass is half empty, sinking like a stone, moving mountains) and the religious lyrics have always felt like a calculated career move to break the States. Also the hypocritical scalding on climate change grates.

Occasionally the album will go back to its roots with a heavy song like Black Lungs or Impermanence; the former a collaboration with Scottish alternative rock turncoat and Architects' career guidance counselor Simon Neil. Unfortunately these songs fall into the uncanny valley; a sense of unease where it sounds like the old stuff but not quite. Sam Carters processed vocals and autotune sound like a Metalcore Dalek now, when he's not singing in a nasally falsetto whine. Alex Dean's orchestration tries to pull out emotion from some of these insipid songs but it just adds to the clutter.

I believed them when they disowned their first attempt to commercialise their sound back in 2011. They only went heavy again because it didn't succeed. With a UK no 1 album this will be a permanent switch in style this time. That is until the inevitable marketing of a counterfeit 'back to their roots' album, when one night stand lovers SiriusXM discards them for the next pretenders, willing to compromise their identity to achieve fleeting fame.

For rock musicians who want to feed their families there are two options. Quit and get a straight job or sell out. Architects chose the later which is unfortunate for their legacy but will reap them rich reward in the here and now. For every hardcore fan Sam Carter has arrogantly dismissed in the press,they will gain a 1000 casuals. I doubt they stick around for the next 18 years though. For me, they should have pulled the pin after completing Tom's legacy with Holy Hell.

Album Rating: 2.0

Welcome to the show BigWill! That is one BIG comment

Album Rating: 1.5

Haha thanks long winded album deserves long winded review lol I was glad to find some like minded people here. I wasn't going to listen to this after the dreadful singles but curiosity eventually got the better of me. Absolutely baffled by the reviews and positive reactions elsewhere!

It's not often I read multi paragraph comments (hell, even multi line comments can be a bit much at times), but I read your entire speech and agree with all of it.

Album Rating: 2.0

Yeah I read the whole thing too and its a pretty good soundoff/summary of the issues here. Bummer that this is the direction they chose.

Album Rating: 2.5

It even brought "pull the pin" and "here and now" tongue in cheekiness



Edit: Page break

Album Rating: 1.5

Thank you very much. I appreciated all your previous comments too and gives me faith we won't accept letting corporate radio shape our tastes.

It was written with the intention of a review but I'm a noob and didn't know how to post one in the right place