View The Review
10 out of 10
Over their past two releases Brighton metalcore merchants Architects have progressed a LOT. This is said about a lot of bands over their careers, but it rarely happens to be in such a good direction as these lads have taken. Hollow Crown is their fourth proper release (if we're to include their split 7" with Dead Swans on TDON Records last year) and this time comes courtesy of European metal behemoths Century Media. This album is everything that made their Nightmares EP and follow up album Ruin just so damn good, however this time round there isn't as much filler and each track flows consistently from one to the other.
Album opener Early Grave is more than just a subtle nod to the Swedish titans Meshuggah, with its syncopated metal groove and absolutely devastating guitar tone; it is a warning shot as to what is to come. Throughout Hollow Crown the intensity doesn't drop once, even when the music takes a turn towards the softer side it is still twelve tracks of balls to the wall, foot to the floor discordant thrashing cacophony. Sam Carter seems to have upped his game in terms of the lyrical content and is proof that the months of touring and sacrificing himself nightly for baying crowds the world over has now given his vocal ability a raw power which is going to be hard to beat, if that's even at all possible.
This record is living proof that the UK has more talent in its little finger at the moment than the large majority of the metal world. Their crown may be hollow, but when worn it looks damn impressive and is sure to have many, many people walking by and needing serious skin grafts to their chin once they're done.
Listen: www.myspace.com/architectsuk
Tracklist:
1. Early Grave
2. Dethroned
3. Numbers Count For Nothing
4. Follow The Water
5. In Elegance
6. We’re All Alone
7. Borrowed Time
8. Every Last Breath
9. One Of These Days
10. Dead March
11. Left With A Last Minute
12. Hollow Crown
No comments:
Post a Comment