Architects (British band)


Architects are an English metalcore band from Brighton, East Sussex formed in 2004 by twin brothers Dan and Tom Searle. The band now consists of Dan Searle on drums, Sam Carter on vocals, Alex Dean on bass, and Adam Christianson on guitar. They have been signed to Epitaph Records since 2013.
Strongly influenced by bands such as The Dillinger Escape Plan, the sound of their first three albums was coarse, chaotic, and rhythmically complex. In 2011, Architects went in a more melodic post-hardcore direction with The Here and Now, alienating some of their fanbase. The following year, they returned towards their original style with Daybreaker, establishing a balance of melody and technical harshness while introducing more politicised lyrics. With the release of their sixth album Lost Forever // Lost Together in 2014, the band achieved lasting popularity and critical acclaim.
Soon after the release of their seventh album, All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, in 2016, guitarist and principal songwriter Tom Searle died after three years of living with skin cancer, making Dan Searle the only original band member. In September 2017, the band released the single "Doomsday", the last song he was working on before his death, and announced Middleton as their new lead guitarist. The single is featured on Holy Hell, their first album recorded without Tom Searle, which was released in November 2018. Their ninth studio album, For Those That Wish to Exist, was released in 2021, and became their first chart-topper on the UK Albums Chart. Its follow-up, The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit, was released in October 2022. Their eleventh studio album, The Sky, the Earth & All Between, was released on 28 February 2025.

History

Formation, ''Nightmares'' and line-up changes (2002–2007)

All of the original members of Architects grew up around Brighton, East Sussex and were very active within the local music scene prior to forming the band. Sam Carter, who was a drummer and studied drums at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music before joining the band, had performed in multiple local bands as a drummer and sometimes a singer; one of these bands had supported Enter Shikari in Brighton.
Architects was founded in 2004 by drummer Dan Searle and his twin brother, guitarist Tom Searle. The project was called "Counting the Days" until it blossomed into what is now known as "Architects" with original vocalist Matt Johnson, guitarist Tim Hillier-Brook and Tim Lucas on bass guitar. In 2005, the band released a demo which would contain their first recorded material under the name of Architects. It was made available only for family and select friends, and a copy was later auctioned for charity in 2021.
In 2006, the band's original bassist, Tim Lucas, decided to leave the band to pursue his academic career. He was replaced by Alex Dean. The band had travelled around the UK on many tours supporting a number of different bands in support of their debut album Nightmares. Because of the age of the band members in the early years they had to book weeks of holiday off at college to do tours round the country. Just six months after the release of Nightmares, Architects original vocalist Matt Johnson left the band.

Arrival of Sam Carter, ''Ruin'' and ''Hollow Crown'' (2007–2009)

After Johnson's departure, Dan Searle said that when Johnson left the band, they all saw Sam Carter performing with other local bands and decided it was an "easy choice". Ali Dean approached Carter while he was at work and had a few band practices. When Carter joined as Architects' new lead vocalist he made his on-stage debut by performing the song "The Darkest Tomb". After this amicable departure, Johnson went on to form the band Whitemare with ex-members of Johnny Truant and Centurion, and also briefly Architects guitarist Tim Hillier-Brook on bass. Architects released their second album Ruin on 25 October 2007. Despite releasing their debut album Nightmares the previous year the band felt they had developed as songwriters a lot and wished to release something quicker. Carter felt pressure when writing the lyrics for Ruin as he had a six-week period between joining Architects and going into the studio to record. Dan Searle commented that Carter drew from more personal experience in his lyrics than their previous singer Johnson. They supported Suicide Silence in 2007 on The Cleansing The Nation Tour in the United States.
In early 2008, they released a split EP with UK band Dead Swans, which featured two songs from each artist. Architects' contributed "We're All Alone" and "Broken Clocks", and Dead Swans contributed "In the Half Light" and "Swallow". The song "We're All Alone" was later worked into "Hollow Crown". Architects said that they wanted to release the album in an effort to show people they were still progressing their style. The EP was well received by British music press with review scores of 7/10 from Metal Hammer, 8/10 from Rock Sound, A 7.5 was given by Terrorizer for Architects' side of the EP and four "K"s out of 5 from Kerrang!. The release was followed by a double headed tour of the UK.
In May 2008, Architects announced that they had been signed to Century Media Records for a three album deal. Dean stated that the signing was important for the band "to be part of such an established label and it's absolutely sweet that our records are gonna be out worldwide." Dan Searle described Century Media's support matching "our ambition to push this band as far as we can." The announcement of their signing to Century Media was coupled with the re-release of their second album Ruin globally with the added bonus track "Broken Clocks". In November 2008, the band embarked on the Never Say Die! Tour, a European tour with Parkway Drive as the headline act and also support from Unearth, Despised Icon, Protest the Hero, Whitechapel and Carnifex.
On 26 January 2009, Architects made their Century Record debut with their third studio album Hollow Crown. It was released in the United Kingdom and Australia on 26 January 2009, 10 February in the United States and Canada, 20 February in Continental Europe and 21 February in Japan. The band recorded the album in July 2008 after the announcement of joining Century Media's roster. Dan Searle in interview was asked why the band gave it the title and he stated "depending on who you ask in the band! To me it refers to those people you meet in life that earn nothing, but are given everything." For the initial promotion of the album the band completed a 19 date headline tour of the United Kingdom with support from Misery Signals and A Textbook Tragedy. In early 2009, the band supported Parkway Drive along with August Burns Red on the Parkway Drive: The DVD tour in Australia. In October and November 2009, they headlined the second Never Say Die! Tour United Kingdom dates, whereas Despised Icon headlined the Mainland European dates. The line also included Horse the Band, As Blood Runs Black, Iwrestledabearonce, Oceano and The Ghost Inside. In January 2009, Tom Searle had believed the band had toured across North America and Europe in 17 separate tours.

''The Here and Now'', ''Daybreaker'' and Hillier-Brook's departure (2010–2012)

Architects announced that the first single from the upcoming fourth album would be entitled "Day in Day Out", and was premièred on Daniel P. Carter's BBC Radio 1 podcast The Rock Show on 30 August 2010. The band headlined tours of the UK in October 2010 with Norma Jean, Devil Sold His Soul and Lower Than Atlantis supporting and Australia in December with Comeback Kid as co-headliners and This is Hell and Rolo Tomassi supporting.
On 19 January 2011, Architects' fourth album The Here and Now was released. The album was recorded across 2010 from May till June at The Omen Room Studios in California and featured guest vocals from Andrew Neufeld of Comeback Kid and Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan. The album was seen as going in a more commercial direction from the rest of the band's work. The album sold 900 copies in the United States in its first week and debuted at number 47 on the US Top Heatseekers album charts and number 57 on the UK Album Charts. Upon its release the album was well received by critics. Drummer Dan Searle, when describing the sound on the album in an interview, believed it was a massive departure but also a logical progression for the band, saying: "I completely understand that we are “known” for being a technical band but it's just not what we want to write any more, I think if you look at the way we have evolved over the last few records you could see it coming. We started writing technical music when we were 16 and have spent the years since slowly moving away from it, it feels like different people wrote those songs." When looking back at the album in hindsight the band has always seen the period the record was released in as one of difficulty and lack of confidence in themselves.
In February 2011, Architects announced the departure of bassist Alex Dean due to family commitments. On 3 July, it was announced that Dean had rejoined the band. When Dean commented on the short 5-month split from the band he said "I'm very happy to be able to say that I'm back, being able to stay at home for the past few months have given my family and I the opportunity to adjust to what happened last year and I know it's done us all a lot of good." During this period where Dean was not a part of the band, Casey Lagos filled in as touring bassist.
In April 2011, Bring Me the Horizon, as part of the ongoing support for their third album on their international There Is a Hell... Tour, brought Architects alongside Parkway Drive who supported them across two continents. It started with a European tour, starting in the United Kingdom with The Devil Wears Prada as the opening support for the UK and dubstep group Tek-one opening for the remainder of continental Europe. On 28 April, Matt Nicholls broke his arm while playing football with members of Bring Me the Horizon, Parkway Drive and Architects, and instead of cancelling the tour Architects' drummer Dan Searle filled in as the drummer, this meant that Bring Me the Horizon's setlist was halved in length. This European tour lasted until late August. Architects, Parkway Drive and Deez Nuts supported Bring Me the Horizon in North America across September and October.
File:Architects - Bogotá 2012.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Architects performing in Bogotá, Colombia at the Teatro Metro Bogota on 27 April 2012
On 4 December, Architects released a new single entitled "Devil's Island". The song was for an at the time unnamed follow up album to The Here and Now. The single was announced in early November, a month before its actual release. As an iTunes bonus b-side song "Untitled" was added into the single download. In addition to its announcement it was streamed on the band's Facebook page. Both the song and the music video that accompanied the release talk about and deal with the 2011 England riots, with the music video featuring clips of the riots. The single itself was well received by critics for its return to the mathcore style of their third album, Hollow Crown. J.J. Nattrass of Bring the noise UK said that "the Track is sweeping and melodic in parts, whilst bursting with high tempo and visceral raw energy in others." In December 2011, the band embarked on a five-day UK headline tour with supporting acts Heights, Tek-One and Deaf Havana as part of supporting the single.
Architects' fifth studio album Daybreaker was released on 28 May 2012 in Europe and 5 June 2012 in the USA. On 16 April 2012, after the album was fully recorded, it was announced that Tim Hillier-Brook would be leaving the band to pursue other projects. Josh Middleton, the frontman of British metal band Sylosis became a touring guitarist until the band decided on a new fifth member. Daybreaker received a mixed reception from critics. Negative critics stated the album's songs were "catchy and occasionally compelling" but "identical and formulaic". The band promoted the Daybreaker album though a collection of 75 shows in 25 countries, called the ''Daybreaker Almost World Tour''