Oh, Architects is back and they're back with a cutthroat message for the world.
This iconic metalcore band with albums in the double digits has been around for a long time, and like every other artist, they have fans that hate on them for evolving their sound. For some reason though, they get this hate at an unprecedented level, and sometimes it's really unjustified. I've completely sympathized with the band for the haters they had to deal with since For Those That Wish To Exist, but especially after the last album release. There's a clear line between critique and attacking them, and there were some people that definitely crossed the line.
All that said, Seeing Red is definitely a giant "fuck you" to all those people, and I love that for them. The whole song is a clear and unadulterated jab at the fans who only want heavy songs, poking fun at them by parodying all the metalcore clichès while absolutely dissing them in the lyrics. On top of all of that, they still manage to coalesce the best of their sound and make a great song anyways.
Seeing Red starts off with that instant heaviness that they teased on Instagram a few days before the release, something that now seems like it was intentionally done to hook in those listeners in hindsight. They pretend to heavybait (layers, man) by suddenly doing electronic cleans and then children's cheer vocals, and then going straight back into one of their most clichè metalcore riffs, and a blegh to top it off.
God, Sam's lows sound so good, and I love that he's using it so carelessly in this track. It's been a tease ever since their orchestral version of For Those That Wish To Exist At Abbey Road, and finally hearing him let it loose in a studio song like this is a long time coming. The verses are solid and full of rage, but there's this sharpness to it when it's so personal.
The chorus is great, as many of Architects' songs are. You can clearly hear the sound of the more recent albums here, and along with it, their ever-increasing pop sensibilities. The sound design is immaculate, it sounds big and anthemic, and transitions perfectly back into that clichè metalcore riff. Small shoutout to the pre-chorus as well, definitely mocking the heavy haters, and I've seen some fans compare it to Happy Song.
The second verse gets even more pissed, with harder chug riffs and feedback noises reminiscent of hardcore, nicely matching the words that he's screaming. Doing lows on "death threat" is a nice touch as well. I also want to commend how well they're pulling off the heavy metalcore clichè with the drumwork as well, the double kicks are tastefully done even as they play into the stereotype. They are, after all, one of the figureheads of metalcore.
Breakdown is done so cheekily it almost feels like a really good joke. Surprise breakdown, zeroes for chugs, diminished chords, pauses, short sample cuts, left-right pans, bells, all followed up by Sam asking the listeners, "are you happy now?", in what is clearly a sarcastic tone. Props to the visuals as well, the music video features Sam staring deadpan and unamused at the camera while the breakdown happens, it's perfect.
This song is such an apt lyrical commentary, it's slam poetry-esque, emphasis on the slam. There's no subtlety in who he's dissing, and I love the subtle shift away from their more profound lyricism of earlier material, to this more direct and verbatim lyricism that reminds me just a little bit of the way Enter Shikari does it. The lines cut deep though, especially when you know the kind of messages they've got from their haters, essentially asking them to stay miserable because that was when the band made the music they wanted, not caring about the fact that band deserves to move on emotionally from the tragedies that fuelled their anger.
I'm glad that Architects is standing strong against those listeners and not taking shit from them. They definitely deserve their creative freedom, especially since they've been killing it with the last two albums, contrary to the haters' opinions. The numbers don't lie, the streams are high. This standalone banger is a great release to close up 2023, and I hope for new material from them in 2024, whatever that may be.
Rating: 4.5/5