Architects has covered a lot of heavy ground in the 15 years since their inception. Throughout their 8 previous albums, we saw them start from technical mathcore and traverse their way through a tiny bit of deathcore and hardcore punk before landing on the style of metalcore we are all well familiar with and love dearly. But in the aftermath of All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us and Holy Hell, their 9th record boasts a slightly new sound for them. I think it is the logical progression of musicality for them, coming off the more heartfelt and melodic stylings of Holy Hell, trading in some of the heaviness for more intricate and mature soundscapes.
They make it a point to expect something different with their prelude track, Do You Dream Of Armageddon?, a soft yet haunting electronic orchestra coupled with a poetic welcome. I'm glad to know they haven't lost any of their profoundness and love for lyrical complexity, even as they gear towards a more elegant heaviness.
There are definitely a few tracks on the record that maintain the heaviness of their previous albums, although it is true they've been mostly whittled down to moments and a significant portion of the album has stronger sentiments of rock. Regardless, I love it for the sound they intended to create and the messages they sent with it (and I'm not an elitist metalhead that thinks going softer is selling out). I think that any band that is this far into their career, and especially one this successful, is and should be no longer concerned about how much they can stand out in technicality or heaviness or anything of that sort, but rather how powerful a message they can bring across with their sound and how strongly they can evoke the feelings they're meant to evoke.
Having listened to this album so many times, I've come to realise what I love the most about the record is the intricacies of the soundscapes, the use of electronics to enhance the atmosphere and the soundscape. Reinventing the timbre of their songs by incorporating musical textures they couldn't manage solely on their instruments, I feel is a commendable fine-tuning of musical direction rather than taking the easy way out. The ambience in just about every song gives it so much character and beauty, and for some, is a core element of the song which it cannot do without.
Tracks like Dead Butterflies, Flight Without Feathers and Dying is Absolutely Safe are wonderful, both to see happen and to experience. It's definitely a point of pride that the band, despite roots in technical metal, can compose such heavenly tracks with absolutely no screaming and little to no heavy elements. I don't want to say that it's out of their comfort zone, but the fact that they can produce such great quality music wildly different from their usual offerings is a sign of great musicianship, which they rightfully have.
There is obviously no disregarding or forgetting something as impactful as Tom Searle's death, but after anticipating it in Gone With The Wind and dealing with it in the entirety of Holy Hell, I feel that For Those That Wish To Exist is, to them, a form of tribute and moving on. Carrying with them the hopes and dreams of their brother, to make meaningful music and send a message, to sing and scream for those who can't and to remind people to be grateful about what they have and protect what they could lose. Yet in all the lyricism, it's hard to pretend there is no subtle undertone of cynicism, one they've always boasted but ever so different since his passing. Most prominently on Dying Is Absolutely Safe, confronting mortality with open arms, less like the optimistic nihilism of Impermanence and more like a carefree cynic.
If I had to have any gripes with this album, the only thing that even slightly bothers me are the features. They feel slightly underused, especially with the vast vocal dynamic choices that could've been achieved with the three guest vocalists they had on. Despite that, I don't hate having Winston McCall on a breakdown and Mike Kerr on a rock verse, and I was extremely pleasantly surprised by Simon Neil's feral screams on Goliath.
No doubt this album is strongly influenced by the burning global landscape in 2020 and onwards, allegories of political turmoil, revolution-esque stories and indifferent voices pepper this record. I felt it was a very timely and needed album, both as an escapism and to really feel the emotions we've grown numb to in these times. The band has achieved what they set out to do in having a strong theme and message with the album, and subsequently crafting a rich auditory experience.
They've been absolutely phenomenal when it came to realising the record. For Those That Wish To Exist has become one of my favourites from them, for every good reason possible. Past the insubstantial hurdle of no longer being as heavy, they've done more than well in compensating with powerful sentiment. With all my heart, I love this record, and if you know me, sentiment plays a strong part in how high I rate stuff. To each their own, and my own is an astounding yes.
Rating: 10/10