Architects

Architects built their reputation on a volatile early blend of metalcore, mathcore and rhythmically intricate heaviness, drawing strong influence from The Dillinger Escape Plan. Formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2004 by twin brothers Dan and Tom Searle, the English band developed from a coarse, chaotic sound into a group able to pair technical aggression with larger melodic hooks and politically focused writing.

The band's first three albums leaned into dissonance, rapid shifts and dense rhythmic arrangements. In 2011, Architects took a more melodic post-hardcore direction on The Here and Now, a change that alienated part of their fanbase. They moved back toward the approach of their earlier work with 2012's Daybreaker, while retaining melody and introducing more politicised lyrics. That balance between technical harshness and anthemic songwriting became central to their subsequent records.

Architects signed with Epitaph Records in 2013. Their sixth album, Lost Forever // Lost Together, arrived the following year and brought lasting popularity and critical acclaim. The band released its seventh album, All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, in 2016. Soon afterward, guitarist and principal songwriter Tom Searle died following three years living with skin cancer. His death left Dan Searle as the group's only original member.

In September 2017, Architects released “Doomsday,” the final song Tom Searle had been working on before his death, and announced Middleton as lead guitarist. The track later appeared on Holy Hell, released in November 2018 as the band's first album recorded without Tom Searle. The current lineup comprises Dan Searle on drums, Sam Carter on vocals, Alex Dean on bass and Adam Christianson on guitar.

Their ninth studio album, For Those That Wish to Exist, was released in 2021 and became Architects' first UK Albums Chart number one. Its successor, The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit, followed in October 2022. The band's eleventh studio album, The Sky, the Earth & All Between, was released on 28 February 2025.