Review
There’s a weight that comes with grief, and Holy Hell makes you feel every ounce of it. Written in the aftermath of guitarist Tom Searle’s death, Architects’ eighth album is both a eulogy and a resurrection — a testament to the band’s resilience and their refusal to let tragedy silence them. It’s not just heavy metalcore; it’s heavy in spirit, in purpose, in every guttural scream and soaring chorus.
“Hereafter” and “Death Is Not Defeat” set the emotional and sonic tone, balancing precision-engineered aggression with haunting melody. Sam Carter’s vocals are a conduit for loss and defiance, while Dan Searle’s drumming feels like both heartbeat and battle cry. The production is immaculate — every riff from Adam Christianson and Josh Middleton punches like it’s clawing its way out of despair, especially on “Royal Beggars” and “Doomsday.”
But what makes Holy Hell remarkable isn’t its intensity — it’s its honesty. The record doesn’t pretend to heal; it wrestles with the impossibility of doing so. It’s grief rendered in blast beats and catharsis, a band staring into the void and deciding to build something from the darkness anyway. - Justin
