Album Review: Architects - 'All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us'

Two years ago we were completely blown away, a la Woody Harrelson in that graveyard scene from Seven Psychopaths, by Architects' previous album, ‘Lost Forever/Lost Together’. It was the sonic culmination of the entire band's blood, sweat, and tears, and simply put, it was near perfect. Flash forward two years and about four months, and all of that hard work and success has now resulted in their next big step forward, ‘All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us'. Before we go any further, let us just say that this is easily the best follow-up record the band could've made and is perhaps the greatest example of perfection in today's modern metal scene.

And while I love this record let’s not kid ourselves here - Architects aren't that much of an original band nowadays. But what they do have, however, is a fucking tight and well-polished sound. When that’s backed up by their grand musicianship and impeccable songwriting, you get not some of, but THE greatest metalcore around. Think of that genre as a dirty word all you want, but it’s damn near impossible to deny that the lads have knocked it right out of the park and then some with ‘All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us’.

This new 11-track release pushes their music to the very peak, with their vast melodic and atmospheric elements perfectly moulding with the vicious, heavier side of the band. Sure, the quintet has been doing that since 'The Here And Now' and 'Daybreaker', but it has never been so potent as it is here on their seventh outing. Whenever they lean towards their slightly lighter moments (like on the heavy and restrained  ‘All Love Is Lost‘ and the melodic ‘The Empty Hourglass‘) or their far heavier and aggressive side (such as opener ‘Nihilist’ and crushing single ‘A Match Made In Heaven’), each and every song is an epic soundscape in itself, and every instrument - vocals included - are all delivered elegantly and powerfully. The guitars are so well-rounded and smooth (that may have something to with the band's new guitarist, Adam Christianson); Dan Searle's drumming is as always that great mix of the fast and technical with the simple and solid; and Sam Carter's vehement, passionate vocals strike a perfect balance between raw emotion and powerhouse delivery. Basically, the band is musically and instrumentally absolutely on-point is what I'm trying to say here.

Lyrically and thematically, this is standard fare for the group, with lyrics about life and hope, death and disease, and bleak yet hopeful outlooks on how strong and resilient the human race can be. But also just how much of a pure shitstain our species can also be at times. It’s not quite a defeatist attitude, and it’s not really optimism either, it's more of a cautious, open-minded contentment for the world, but we dig it all the same. (This record's lyrics have taken on a whole new light since the passing of Tom Searle, making it even more impactful and gut-punching).

I've been riding this group's dick for the whole review at this point without any real criticism, and that's because this album is indeed the pinnacle of what the current scene has to offer. Architects may once struggle to find any poetry in this world, but now I'm struggling to find any faults in this new LP. It's not as much of a one-note record as 2008's 'Hollow Crown' was, it's far more consistent than 'The Here And Now' ever was (which is still a bloody good record), and it has so much more impact and courage than 'Daybreaker' did. It's basically 'LF/LT' on crack; it's truly exceptional. Quite frankly, this album has some of the best songs that Architects have ever created, such as 'Memento Mori', 'Nihilist', 'Gone With The Wind', and 'All Love Is Lost'. So make no mistake, this is the album to beat in 2016.

In my write-up of ‘Lost Forever/Lost Together’ in 2014, I claimed that it was Architects' magnum opus. Turns out, I spoke far too soon. 'All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us' is the band somehow managing to make lightning strike twice, and offering even greater intensity, heart, riffs and emotion to create their best effort yet. Basically, if you’re in a band, of any kind, and you wanna see how it’s done right in today’s heavy music and metalcore landscape, look no further than Architects.

1. Nihilist

2. Deathwish

3. Phantom Fear

4. Downfall

5. Gone With The Wind

6. The Empty Hourglass

7. A Match Made In Heaven

8. Gravity

9. All Love Is Lost

10. From The Wilderness

11. Memento Mori

'All Our Gods Have Abandoned By Us' is out now.