{"id":72429,"date":"2018-11-08T13:00:05","date_gmt":"2018-11-08T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=72429"},"modified":"2018-11-08T13:27:10","modified_gmt":"2018-11-08T13:27:10","slug":"review-architects-holy-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-architects-holy-hell\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Architects – Holy Hell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Architects<\/strong>‘ eighth album, ‘Holy Hell’,<\/em> was always going to be a heavy undertaking. The passing of guitarist and lead songwriter Tom Searle in 2016 affected the metal community far and wide. As expected, his death casts a dark cloud over the 11 songs on here. While there\u2019s understandably a sense of grief, Architects<\/strong>\u2019 execution is delivered with defiance. Straight away, the album’s cathartic spine appears as mournful strings ease in on ‘Death Is Not Defeat’<\/em> before it erupts with pure angst.<\/p>\n

Stylistically, Architects<\/strong>‘ musicianship is dynamic and razor-sharp as ever with orchestration and synths adding to their momentous sound. ‘Hereafter’<\/em>, ‘Mortal After All’<\/em> and ‘Royal Beggars’<\/em> highlight this early on, proving to be ferocious.<\/p>\n

From start to finish, the pacing and execution are on point, leaving you satisfied. Structurally, the balance of destructive blasts and brief reflection makes ‘Holy Hell’<\/em> a compelling, uncompromising record. Incoming guitarist Josh Middleton complements Adam Christianson, as they bring shredding riffs on ‘Damnation’<\/em> and ‘Dying To Hell’<\/em> along with ‘The Seventh Circle’,<\/em> a venomously delivered 2-minute blast. While Dan Searle’s dense drum work simply adds to the unrelenting heaviness alongside Ali Dean’s bass lines.\u00a0As for Sam Carter, this is considerably his best vocal performance on record. Every soaring scream pours out with raw, honest emotion.<\/p>\n