British metal-core band Architects released their new album, “The Sky, The Earth & All Between,” on Feb. 28.
The band consists of drummer Dan Searle, bassist Alex Dean, singer Sam Carter and guitarist Adam Christianson. The band was formed in 2004, and “The Sky, The Earth & All Between” marks their eleventh studio album.
The album follows a similar style as their previous releases: 2021’s “For Those That Wish To Exist” and 2022’s “The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit.” It fuses the mannerisms of pop music with the guitar riffs, screaming vocals and breakdowns of metal-core.
The album starts off strong in the first half with songs like “Elegy,” “Blackhole” and “Brain Dead,” but it falls flat on its feet during the second half. I’d rate the “The Sky, The Earth & All Between” seven out of 10 Terrier Paws.
The production of this album is mediocre, in that it creates a muddled sound.
Often times, everything but Carter’s vocals and Searle’s drumming blend together or are drowned out by the vocals and drums. A prime example is where the guitar solo in “Blackhole” is much quieter than the vocals and drums. It leads to some sections of the solo being harder to hear. However, when you can hear the instrumentation, it has a clear, crisp and full sound.
The instrumentation is one of the stronger aspects of “The Sky, The Earth & All Between,” even if many parts are not very memorable. The songs “Whiplash,” “Blackhole,” “Curse” and “Brain Dead” contain some decent guitar riffs, but many riffs throughout the album sound like a bunch of noise, or are very generic sounding, such as in “Judgement Day.” The guitar solo in “Blackhole” is a nice addition to the song, and the drumming in “Brain Dead” is powerful and adds to the song and its style. Overall, the instrumentation is enjoyable, even though at times it is a little uninspired.
Also a little uninspired are the lyrics for “The Sky, The Earth & All Between,” which are average and nothing good sticks out lyrically. There are many bad lyrics, however, such as in the chorus for “Judgement Day” and the beginning of “Seeing Red“: “Rain, rain, go away” and “R.I.P. they commented.”
Despite the lackluster lyrics, the vocals make up for them. Carter puts on a great performance; however, his vocals are weaker than in previous albums. He also utilizes autotune throughout, making his vocals too similar throughout the album. The guest performances are great additions to the album, with Amira Elfeky and House of Protection both contributing to the vibe of “Judgement Day” and “Brain Dead,” respectively.
“The Sky, The Earth & All Between” is a step forward for Architects. However, they continue to cling too much to a more radio-friendly sound than their previous material that makes most of the songs on this album sound homogenous and generic, albeit with some standouts like “Elegy,” “Blackhole” and “Brain Dead.” Despite this, “The Sky, The Earth & All Between” is a worthwhile listen.
