LIVE: ARCHITECTS – May 2, 2019

Venue: Buckhead Theatre

City: Atlanta, GA

Date: May 7, 2019

Review and Photographs by: Rachel Craig (https://www.rachelcraigphotos.net/)

Architects’ North American Holy Hell tour stopped by the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta, giving fans a stunning show full of some of the best talent in metal from England and Australia. While She Sleeps kicked off the show, getting the room rowdy with a wall of death and plenty of crowd interaction. The band played several of their recent hits, including songs from their latest album SO WHAT? like “Anti-Social” and “The Guilty Party,” along with older hits like “Silence Speaks” and “Hurricane.” Thy Art Is Murder instantly changed the mood of the room when they took over the stage. It was definitely an interesting choice to mix a deathcore band into a metalcore lineup, but it worked very well. The band kept the room moving, playing heavy songs like their new single “Human Target,” and older songs like “Reign of Darkness,” “Holy War,” and “Puppet Master.” The band even stopped for a moment to point out a 7-year-old rocking out in the balcony. Since this show, frontman CJ McMahon has stepped off the tour as his wife is having a baby, with Nick Arthur from Molotov Solution filling in for the rest of the run.

I’ve personally been wanting to see Architects for a few years after seeing stunning photos from their shows. Their production was definitely a beautiful setup, with bright lights and fog that lingered throughout the entire show. The band kicked off their set with “Death Is Not Defeat” and ran through a good mix of the band’s newer music and older favorites, including “Nihilist,” “Phantom Fear,” “Holy Hell,” “Royal Beggars,” “Gravedigger,” and “A Match Made In Heaven.” Frontman Sam Carter also mentioned to the crowd that Atlanta is one of his favorite cities to perform in, and that it’s impressive to see three international bands touring in the United States with such a huge response. After “Hereafter,” the band returned to the stage for an encore of “Gone With The Wind,” and then stopped to give recognition to Tom Searle, the band’s former guitarist who passed away in 2016. Sam was visibly emotional while speaking about Tom, saying that he is the reason they’re still a band and that allowing yourself to grieve is okay. The band closed out the night with “Doomsday,” the first song released by Architects after Tom’s death. It was both an energetic and emotional night, and I can definitely say Architects had one of my favorite shows so far this year. It was visually stunning and featured a great lineup of talented metal musicians.

Setlist: Death Is Not Defeat – Modern Misery – Nihilist – Deathwish – Phantom Fear – Holy Hell – Royal Beggars – Gravedigger – Mortal After All – Downfall – Naysayer – These Colours Don’t Run – A Match Made in Heaven – Hereafter – Gone With the Wind -Doomsday

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries