Halle Münsterland, Münster, Germany 27th January 2024
Architects - “European Tour 2024” - Special guests: Spiritbox, Loathe
People in North-Western Germany had the unique opportunity to see British Metalcore pioneers ARCHITECTS plus two massive support acts - SPIRITBOX and LOATHE - in one of the bigger venues of that area. Fans of the band did not miss the chance, so the Halle Münsterland was sold out with over 6,000 people attending.
Loathe
The task of opening up the evening fell on LOATHE, a quartet from Liverpool. With their blend of progressive inspired Metalcore, they blended in well with the other acts of the evening. So far, LOATHE have released three studio albums, with the latest being called ‘The Things They Believe’. https://www.loatheasone.co.uk
Music & Performance
Right on time around 7pm the lights went low and the stage was illuminated in purple while ‘Nessun Dorma’ with star tenor Luciano Pavarotti started playing over the speakers during which the band members walked calmly on stage. With the last note of this bombastic classical tune, all hell broke loose as the band opened their set with the song ‘Gore’. From the start on it became clear that this is not your run-of-the-mill Metalcore due to the complex rhythm arrangements and the Rasta-inspired vocals of singer Kadeem France which were complemented by guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe’s melodic singing parts. Containing slight traces of DEFTONES and INCUBUS, the music did not fail to captivate the audience which was already quite packed in front of the stage.
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 6
Sound: 6
Light: 7
Total: 7 / 10
Spiritbox
Few bands have made such a splash with their debut and relentless touring as the quartet from Victoria, Canada. Last year’s appearance on stage at Rock am Ring / Rock im Park put them firmly on the music scene also in Europe. The band’s growing popularity was also showcased by the number of concertgoers wearing their merchandise, so you could get the impression that SPIRITBOX were the secret Co-Headliner of the evening. http://www.spiritbox.com
Music & Performance
After a surprisingly short change-over, shortly before 8pm the lights turned the stage blue, a huge video projection in the back of the stage sprang to life, and the introductory notes of ‘Cellar Door’ from the band’s recently released ‘The Fear of Fear’ EP resounded during which the band took to the stage. Singer Courtney LaPlante captivated the audience from the first second. Growing up listening to CANNIBAL CORPSE, LaPlante has developed an unrivalled capability to alternate between clean singing and growling / screaming with enormous ferocity and precision. This coupled with the enormously diverse musical influences, which make the band’s musical style hard to describe but absolutely unique, their stage presence was simply made for the huge arenas. This resounded well with the audience, so a steady stream of crowd suffers started to appear, and the centre front of stage area was constantly engaging in circle and mosh pits.
Fan favourite ‘Yellowjacket’ was refined by a guest appearance of ARCHITECTS singer Sam Carter, which put the bond between the bands on full display. The set’s climax was reached when the band launched into their smash hit, ‘Holy Roller’. The crowd erupted in a frenzy, the energy reaching a fever pitch as LaPlante’s powerful vocals soared through the venue. The song’s signature distorted breakdowns and cathartic choruses sent shivers down spines and left no one untouched and breaking into sweat. The closing song ‘Hysteria’ after forty minutes of playtime put a lid on a gig to be remembered, for which the band expressed tremendous gratitude to the fans for coming to the show.
Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 7
Sound: 7
Light: 7
Total: 7 / 10
Architects
Tonight’s headliner, the ARCHITECTS from Brighton, UK, formed around 2004. They quickly made of name for themselves together with fellow Brits ENTER SHIKARI as pioneers of Metalcore, with their style due to its protracted complexity being called ‘Mathcore’. Their seventh album ‘All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us’ has been released in 2016, right before the band was hit by the tragic death of founding guitarist and songwriter Tom Searle, who passed away after a long battle against cancer, aged only 28 years. Nevertheless, the band decided to carry on and continued touring as a tribute to Tom, and released another album, called ‘Holy Hell’ in November 2018. This was followed by ‘For Those That Wish To Exit’ (2021), and ‘The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit’ in 2022. http://architectsofficial.com
Music & Performance
This was an entrance to behold: The by now familiar intro QUEEN hymn ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ sent the excitement levels through the roof and animated the first forming of a circle pit. Then a gloomy sea of red illuminated the stage and ARCHITECTS came out swinging with their opener ‘Seeing Red’ which immediately spelled high noon for the security people as they had to pluck dozens of incoming crowd surfers from the hands of the people in front of the stage. Frontman Sam Carter, a charismatic figure with an impassioned stage presence, commanded the crowd from the outset, his soaring vocals cutting through the thunderous instrumentals with ease. His lyrics, often imbued with themes of social injustice and personal struggle, resonated with the crowd, their voices joining his in a chorus of shared emotion.
The band, a tight-knit unit of skilled musicians, delivered a performance of exceptional finesse, their instruments intertwining seamlessly to create a wall of sound that was both heavy and melodic. Their technical prowess was evident in the intricate guitar riffs, the pounding drums, and the soaring melodies, all of which melded together to create a symphony of metal that was both powerful and captivating. As the set progressed, ARCHITECTS delved into their extensive discography, showcasing their evolution from their early Hardcore roots to their more recent, experimental sound. From the mosh pit-inducing intensity of ‘Deathwish’ to the introspective beauty of ‘Dead Butterflies’, the band’s versatility was on full display. The crowd, fully immersed in the music, responded with unbridled enthusiasm, their energy matching the band’s fervour. Mosh pits erupted, bodies collided, and voices soared in unison, creating a spectacle of raw emotion and unrestrained passion.
A small technical glitch after the song ‘Discourse is Dead’ gave Sam Carter the opportunity to profusely thank everyone of their fans for coming out and making ARCHITECTS grow as a band. He reminded also every one of the finiteness of life, encouraging everyone to make the best of each moment. Coming from a band leader with such history, this made quite a few people thoughtful and stirred a huge round of encouraging applause, resulting in frenetic “Ar-chi-tects” chants from the audience, which reoccurred throughout the set. As the set reached its crescendo, ARCHITECTS unleashed a barrage of their most iconic anthems, including ‘Royal Beggars’, ‘Doomsday’, and ‘These Colours Don’t Run’, featuring a guest appearance of LOATHE’s Kadeem France. The crowd erupted in a frenzy, their voices echoing through the arena in a deafening chorus of love and adoration for the band.
The encore songs ‘Nihilist’ and ‘Animals’ brought the night to a breath-taking conclusion. The band unleashed a torrent of sound, their instruments reaching a crescendo that left the crowd breathless. As the final notes faded into silence, the crowd erupted in a standing ovation, their cheers and applause echoing through the still air. ARCHITECTS' performance was a testament to the power of metal to unite and inspire. Their music, a blend of technical brilliance, emotional depth, and raw energy, resonated with the crowd on a profound level. It was a night that will be etched in the memories of those who were fortunate enough to experience it, a night when the music spoke to the soul, and the crowd responded with unbridled passion.
Setlist
01. Seeing Red
02. Giving Blood
03. Deep fake
04. Impermanence
05. Deathwish
06. Black Lungs
07. Discourse Is Dead
08. Hereafter
09. Gravedigger
10. Dead Butterflies
11. Little Wonder
12. Doomsday
13. Royal Beggars
14. These Colours Don’t Run (With Kadeem France from Loathe)
15. A new moral low ground
16. Meteor
17. When we were young
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18. Nihilist
19. Animals
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 9
Sound: 9
Light: 8
Total: 8.5 / 10
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