Architects' legacy is well known, their journey from Brighton & Hove taking them around the world (quite literally) and spanning just over thirteen years, but now there begins a very new chapter in their story.
Doomsday is the first single to be released since the death of guitarist Tom Searle last September. I was fortunate enough to see Architects play at Rock City (Nottingham) on their home run, the following spring, albeit without Tom, and there was a feeling both from the crowd, and the band themselves in their performance, that this was most definitely not the end.
While there was a lot of uncertainty amongst fans as to whether Architects would cease to be, as Tom was the main songwriter and particularly on later albums the main lyrical influence also, the band were somewhat quick to alleviate those fears. Dan, Tom's brother and drummer of Architects, appeared on Daniel P Carter's SWIM podcast in March of this year in what I thought was an eye-opening, informative, funny and heart-warming interview. He spoke of the collective drive of the band to continue, to do Tom and his work proud and to endeavour to continue to make music that he would have been proud of. Particularly relevant to this single was Dan's admission that future Architects material would of course revolve around the experience that they have shared and as you'll hear, this single sees Dan take over the reigns of lyric writing for the first time and speak about that experience.
So yes, Doomsday.
Well it's honestly hard to know where to begin, what with the weight of expectation that hangs over the song! As soon as you hear the snap of that first beat on the snare drum and the guitars kick in, the riff sails you home, perfectly Architects, until you reach Sam Carter's vocals. Delivering a melody that will make your heart sing is not easy, and neither is ripping a beastly roar and he's able to do all of this and to near perfection! Sam's vocal progression is evident across their work but with Doomsday he sounds so perfectly rounded. If he found his voice with Lost Forever // Lost Together then he has refined it to a tee since. The beauty of his voice during the clean sections juxtaposing the raw power and emotion that can be felt in his scream and growl is something to behold.
On a whole I think the song is brilliant. Well written musically and lyrically, even if this was the first song of Architects you'd heard you will still feel some resonance, I'm sure of that! I also think that the song is a perfect way to help the transition to what Architects will become. Dan's lyrical debut was good and he has certainly done justice to Tom and will continue to do justice to him in later works. No announcement of a new album has yet surfaced (or not to my knowledge at least) however the appearance of Doomsday does start to raise the ideas and questions of what is to come.
Architects will be playing their first show of the new year at Alexandra Palace in London in February, support coming in the shape of Sheffield's While She Sleeps and the infamous Counterparts!!
If you haven't heard Doomsday or seen the video, follow the link and check it out for yourself:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvWbcK3YQ_o
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