Just a train ride from London, England, is where Architects, the Brighton-based, progressive metal outfit, originally hail from. The group has nearly taken over their country as far as running things popularity-wise within their own genre. Just last year, the band debuted their crowd-funded documentary, One Hundred Days: The Story Of Architects Almost World Tour. With a few lineup changes through the years and five previous records under their belt, Architects are ready for phase six. Lost Forever // Lost Together is this year’s full-length release from the guys via Epitaph Records that was laid down in Sweden with help from producer Henrik Udd. The album is complied of technical, weighted highs and lows, with the ever-aggressive vocals paving a path of cohesive chaos throughout.
Circulating the internet at the moment are music videos for singles like “Gravedigger” and “Broken Cross,” allowing for further exploration of this ensemble’s creative side. This record is Architects’ most successful effort yet. Following this reception, the guys are looking to make the same mark that they have on the industry in the States as they have back home. The band is currently on the road with heavyweights Every Time I Die and The Ghost Inside.
With local stops on the horizon, vocalist Sam Carter sat down to fill me in on what’s going down this tour cycle. I questioned the singer on his raw style and his plans for Architects Stateside. Here is what he had to say:
You guys just kicked off your six-week run in the U.S. How is the tour shaping up?
Good, yeah, not too bad. Good to be back here, good to be back with friends and stuff. So far, so good.
Were you friends with the bands that you are playing alongside prior to this?
Yeah, we’ve known Every Time I Die and stuff for years, so it’s good to meet up.
What American tour stops are you most excited for?
Well, I love California. I love being in California; it’s the best. New York’s obviously good, Denver, Seattle, Portland. Most places, really.
Are you performing any spots Stateside that you have not yet played before?
I think we’ve played everywhere. I don’t think there is anywhere that we haven’t played.
How do American audiences differ from the crowds that you play for at home?
You have too much choice, you have too much music. Americans are quite spoiled with the bands coming through because there is always something happening. You have to be on top of your game, you have to be good to actually get noticed. You have to put in a lot of hard work. Eventually it pays off and when it pays off, it’s good, you know? We’re nowhere near it paying off yet; we know we still have got a lot of hard work to do here. That’s exciting, we like a challenge. We’ll keep at it.
What are the shows that you play in London like?
We do very well in England, nowhere near as well here (laughs). We’re a lot, lot bigger in England than we are here.
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Um, not really. I have a couple of drinks. I do a little bit of a warm-up; not really any rituals, really. Just try and get a little bit ready for it.
What’s your go-to drink?
Um, beer; I quite like beer. If not, I’ll have a whiskey before we play most of the time. It does the job.
With your intense vocal style, how do you take care of your voice when playing back-to-back shows like this?
I do a lot of warm-ups before we play. I’m just quite careful with it, really. We’re playing like, six, seven songs on this tour, so it’s a pretty small set. It’s okay, I’ve been doing it for so long, my voice is kind of used to it by now. I’m quite fortunate there. I know some people suffer with losing their voice, but I’ve always been pretty lucky with mine. Just doing warm-ups and not going too crazy every night, it’s the best way to do it.
What kind of warm-ups do you do?
I just have a load of stuff that my singing teacher gave me. I just go through that really, just scales and different sorts of warm-ups, really.
It’s funny that you say you do scales because your style is not something you would think of using scales to prepare for.
Crazy, isn’t it? It’s all relevant, it all warms up the same parts of your voice that you use for singing and screaming. It’s all a pretty wild instrument to have.
I’ve listened to a few tracks off of the new record, and it’s still fairly progressive and technical. I was wondering how what you’ve done on this album is an evolution for the band creatively.
Well, it’s a bit heavier, I think, which is obviously something that we enjoy. It’s a bit more simplified; the songwriting is a bit better. I think as a whole, the record flows very well. I think it’s just the perfect live record; that’s what it was written for, that environment. It’s worked pretty well so far. It’s been our most successful record. Things are just getting better from it, really. We’ll probably digress a little bit from this one, but I think we’ve found a pretty good formula. We won’t change it too much.
What was the last show that you attended aside from your own?
I went to go and see The Excerpts, our friend’s band, before we left. They were playing in London. I went to go see them like, two days before we came away. It was a great show, really good show.
What are you listening to right now?
Um, I’m listening to the new Pink Floyd album, it’s pretty sick. The Excerpts, their new record, it’s a great record. Yeah, and that’s it really, not really too much to write home about.
On Dec. 13, you guys are playing at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. Have you played there before? It’s an awesome venue.
Yeah, I think this will be our third time playing there. Yeah, it’s great. I’m looking forward to it. It should be a good one.
Architects are set to perform at Webster Hall in New York on Dec. 12, the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville on Dec. 13, and the Theatre of Living Arts in Philadelphia on Dec. 14. For more information, go to architectsofficial.com.
