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The 11 best Architects songs
As the Brighton metal giants prepare to conquer the UK’s biggest arenas, we break down the highlights that will hopefully find their way onto the setlist
Ageing like fine wine? Increasingly high standards? Extremely hard-working? All are true of Architects, the Brighton four-piece who definitively sit alongside Bring Me The Horizon and Sleep Token at the head table of British metal. Having kicked and scratched their way into that league, they’ve done so by consistently reshaping their sound and pushing the boundaries of what Architects can be, all while playing to their numerous strengths.
Such strengths include cataclysmic metalcore riffs and vocalist Sam Carter’s irreproducible style of scream-singing, making the band’s commentary on grief, climate change and even their own fans all the more impactful. It initially led them to arenas in 2018, and seven years later, Architects will have their shot at London and Manchester’s biggest indoor venues.
Ahead of that exact UK tour, which also stops in Cardiff, here is our rundown of the songs that have defined Architects’ story so far.
11. ‘a new moral low ground’
(the classic symptoms of a broken spirit, 2022)
Many songs on the classic symptoms of a broken spirit seek to cut through tension with a dagger, but ‘a new moral low ground’ somehow powers onward at the edge of the cliff. Its brooding, Deftones-esque intro riff and some sinister synths give this cutthroat song an industrial edge, as Architects bluntly admit they “feel the dagger twist”, instead of fighting for breath in ‘Holy Hell’ or waking up in ‘Gravity’. It might be borne out of a dark place, but it’s a home run on the band’s 10th record.
10. ‘Even If You Win, You’re Still A Rat’
(Daybreaker, 2013)
This would top the list based on the song title alone, but it’s a song rooted in poignancy rather than a sneery surface-level message. After Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes crushes a verse, it builds and ascends towards the climax, where Architects win their rat race, only to realise that “we’re all puppets with a lifetime death”, as the song feeds back into the abyss. A stark reflection on purpose and the myth of the happy ending, it’s another forceful dose of realism from Architects.
9. ‘Holy Hell’
(Holy Hell, 2018)
The strings lift elevate Holy Hell into another stratosphere, exemplified by the grandeur of the title-track, succinctly mirroring the duality of its name before descending into restlessness. It’s a song rooted in juxtaposition, referencing a “heavenly terrorist” and, more optimistically, “the gold buried in the blue.” Sonically, it occupies a lane of its own on this record, perhaps paving the way for some of the striking contrasts that characterised Architects’ future material.
8. ‘Animals’
(For Those That Wish To Exist, 2021)
‘Animals’ underlines why For Those That Wish To Exist – their first UK No.1 – solidified Architects as absolutely gigantic, penetrating the mainstream and streaming services like no song they’d ever penned. The simplicity of “We’re just a bunch of fucking animals” speaks volumes about present-day society in a manner that no hidden metaphor could nail, making this an anthem of bittersweet acceptance, despite the dread of its unclear conclusion: “Should I just pull the pin?”.
7. ‘These Colours Don’t Run’
(Daybreaker, 2013)
Not to be confused with the 2006 Iron Maiden song, ‘These Colours Don’t Run’ remains one of the few songs from Daybreaker that has persisted in the Architects live show. The divine, almost circular riff written by their late, great guitarist Tom Searle lifts this song into another stratosphere. Carter’s potty mouth (“You fucking pigs”) and signature “Blegh!” colours in proceedings, alongside shades of the four more overlooked albums that preceded Daybreaker, and Architects’ sharp rise up the ranks.
6. ‘Gravedigger’
(Lost Forever // Lost Together, 2014)
Weighty in both subject matter and riffage, the intense opener to Lost Forever // Lost Together flexes all of Architects’ most signature characteristics. The way Carter’s screams ease into majestic melody – for just a moment in the chorus – hints at the future to come, while an undeniably distinctive riff almost serves to fight fire with fire, in a song that questions violence and cruelty head-on. There’s light hints of Bring Me The Horizon, but maybe ‘Gravedigger’ represents the moment Architects pulled away into their own league.
5. ‘Whiplash’
(The Sky, The Earth & All Between, 2025)
You can get your hands on a t-shirt that reads ‘I WENT TO SEE ARCHITECTS AND ALL I GOT WAS WHIPLASH’ on this upcoming tour, partly because this track does what it says on the tin. Its rampant, apocalyptic music video features Carter at his most terrifying, caged in the back of a truck, despite the refreshingly tongue-in-cheek nature to drummer Dan Searle’s lyrics. In the context of a genre and socio-political atmosphere that is riddled with toxic tribalism, the message of ‘Whiplash’ is all the more vital.
4. ‘Hereafter’
(Holy Hell, 2018)
After Tom Searle’s tragic passing in 2016, ‘Hereafter’ followed ‘Doomsday’ as the living proof that Architects would prevail in the face of tragedy. Surrounded by mountains, stars and sea in the music video, this song is Architects at their most vulnerable, spearheaded by arguably Carter’s best vocal performance of all-time. You can hear the pain seeping out of his voice, “searching through the wreckage” for answers, but the mere existence of ‘Hereafter’ is a telling reminder that there is always light to be found in those moments of darkness.
3. ‘Nihilist’
(All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, 2016)
It’s no surprise that two of the top three songs feature the announcement of an album title, something that Architects always execute with maximum impact. Here, Architects explore the division and betrayal that runs rife through society, and a species of dreamers who “once upon a time had the world at our feet.” Better than any other opener, it sets the tone for the heavy, existential album that follows, dragging the tension to breaking point.
2. ‘Elegy’
(The Sky, The Earth & All Between, 2025)
Architects’ most recent curtain-riser, and hopefully one that might open their live show, sums up every quality they’ve mastered over their career. Its lofty, atmospheric build sets up a mesmerising djent riff, one of many stunning shifts in pace which all feel effortless. “I rose above the gravity” sets up some of the highest notes Carter has ever hit, in the middle of a chorus that is just built for The O2 Arena.
1. ‘Doomsday’
(Holy Hell, 2018)
Eight years on from its initial release, the emotional weight of ‘Doomsday’ is still bigger than anything Architects – and arguably any modern metal band – has ever produced. A riff that would influence a generation of metalcore acts. Carter’s astonishing, raw first verse vocals, before flicking the switch in a way that nobody else is capable of. A heart-wrenching tribute from Dan Searle to his twin brother, immortalising the legacy of both Tom and Architects in a song that stands atop its own mountain.
Architects play Manchester, Cardiff and London from 10 October. Find tickets here
