Obviously I don’t have much of a chance to get out and photograph shows just now, and I don’t really know what to do with the time I’d spend shooting music...so I figured I might as well do it in my bedroom. So here’s some photographs and thoughts on my vinyl collection.
First off, the latest release for UK post-hardcore titans Architects: Holy Hell.
To be honest, I don’t think this record is as good as a lot of Architects records. It’s not as blisteringly, intense and break neck as Hollow Crown, it’s not as anthemic as Lost Forever, Lost Together and it’s certainly not as ambitious, adventurous or as musically accomplished as it’s predecessor: All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, the jewel in Architects (hollow) crown.
See what I did there?
What this record does have going for it though is focus, performances and an honesty that’s pretty emotionally devastating. Which is why despite not liking this album as much as some of their other records...I listen to it a lot.
Architects story is one of loss and carrying on. The band’s figure head, guitarist and song-writer Tom Searle, passed away of cancer in 2016 leaving his bandmates and friend’s, including his twin brother, to tour a record he created based around his own mortality, and then carry on without him as a friend or at the musical or lyrical helm.
If you’ve lost someone, it’s difficult not to immediately relate to a lot of the sentiments of Dan Searle’s incredibly raw lyrics on this record. If you lost someone in a similar way, or around a similar time, as what happened to this band...it’s difficult to not find yourself sucked into that grief as well. In my case, it was the unexpected passing of my grandmother around the time I was listening a lot to that previous record. And though the grief wasn’t the same as theirs, no one’s grief is ever the same, it was a welcome catharsis that was easy to attach myself to. Which meant, bizarrely, there was also a sense of catharsis and closure to those feelings with the release of Holy Hell.
The performances on this record are second to none in the band’s sphere, which lends each euphoric hook and every pummeling break down a resonance that goes beyond simple sonics. It’s an album that feels very real and emotionally raw, even if the pristine modern production means it doesn’t sound raw. Adam ‘Nolly” Getgood demonstrating yet again why he’s in such demand as an engineer.
Arrangement wise, it’s a lot safer than the band’s previous record. The song-writing is tight and sophisticated but all things considered it’s relatively straight forward. A couple of tracks almost sounding like variations on a similar theme: see Doomsday and Hereafter, which are both excellent songs in their own right, but it’s a lot of the same components rearranged. Possibly why they are spaced so far apart on this record.
For me the most interesting tracks on this record are Seventh Circle, Royal Beggars and Modern Misery. Seventh Circle is a sub 2 minute, unrelenting blast of double kick, serrated riffs and distorted vocals. Easily the directly heaviest thing the band have done for some time, demonstrating that a thirst for reactionary, violent, extremity is still in their DNA. A perfect counterpoint to sombre tracks like Holy Ghost.
Royal Beggars is possibly the most obvious time the band’s influence from Deftones comes through. Playing with a quiet to loud dynamic and additional synths in a much more pronounced way than they ever have before. A real insight into where Architects sound might evolve as they age gracefully. Modern Misery does a not entirely dissimilar thing, switching out the dynamic of loud chorus quiet verse for the reverse, again playing with more textured guitar sounds and synths to elevate the contrast beyond simple distortion and melody as so many of their peers do. This track in particular showcases how talented a vocalist Sam Carter is. Demonstrating a power and depth most vocalists could only dream of.
Dan Hillier’s artwork looks incredible on this record, and it’s a shame in the digital age not enough people will take the time to explore the intricacies of it. It’s somehow hugely detailed and yet it feels reactionary rather than calculated. Much like grief itself; hidden depths beneath response that are anything but premeditated. It’s a perfect foil to the music and again sets the band apart from many of their peers, whose sense of aesthetics is either less sophisticated or self-consciously clinging to scene trends.
I also love the limited edition orange and black swirl of my particular vinyl. I’m always a sucker for colour discs, the weirder the better and the oily blacks seeps through the deep orange in a way that’s not dissimilar to the sleeve artwork. Simply, it looks great. I can’t speak as to whether the correlation between the vinyl and artwork was deliberate, but either way it looks incredible.
Anyway, I like this record. I think it’s good and it has an emotional resonance that a lot of bands will never achieve and the vinyl sounds as great as it looks. If you want to have a listen to Holly Hell check out the playlist below.