Architects: A look back at their meteoric rise to fame

From support band, to number one UK album

Architects

Author: Scarlett MartinPublished 1st Nov 2021
Last updated 6th Dec 2021

Since forming back in 2004, Architects have continually pushed the boundaries of the metalcore genre. On a mission to make heavy music in a different way, the Brighton five-piece have become known over the years for blending hard-hitting lyrics and mammoth guitar riffs with vocalist Sam Carter's powerful vocal style.

Architects - made up of drummer Dan Searle, vocalist Sam Carter, bass player Alex Dean and guitarists Adam Christianson and Josh Middleton - achieved their first No.1 album and first record to reach the Top 10 with their ninth LP, 'For Those That Wish To Exist' in March 2021.

To celebrate this fantastic achievement from the metalcore titans, we thought we'd take a look back at Architects' incredible rise to fame over the past 17 years.

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Architects through the years: The band's career timeline

2004: Career beginnings

Architects were first formed by guitarist Tom Searle and his twin brother drummer Dan Searle in 2004. The brothers from Brighton were soon joined by vocalist Matt Johnson, guitarist Tim Hillier-Brook and bass guitarist Tim Lucas. The band went through several names including Inharmonic and Counting the Days before ultimately landing on Architects. It's said that guitarist Tim came up with the name because it wasn't a typical name for a heavy band.

After releasing their debut album 'Nightmares' in 2006, Architects went on several UK tours to support bands like Bring Me The Horizon and Beecher. However, by the end of 2006, both Matt Johnson and Tim Lucas had both left the band.

2007: Architects release their debut and second album

After recruiting bass player Alex and vocalist Sam Carter to join the band, Architects released their second album, 'Ruin' in October 2007, less than a year after their debut album 'Nightmares'. This quick turnaround was due to the band wanting to show their progression as songwriters. The album received positive praise from fans and critics alike and the following year Architects signed with imprint Century Media Records.

2009: The band release 'Hollow Crown'

In January 2009, Architects released their third studio album, 'Hollow Crown' which featured fan favourites 'Early Grave' and 'Follow The Water'. While it might not have set the mainstream charts on fire, it did see the band chart for the first time on the UK Album Chart, reaching number 117.

2010: Back to back touring

Following the positive response to the 'Hollow Crown' album, Architects embarked on a headline UK tour in October 2010 with supporting acts Norma Jean, Devil Sold His Sold and Lower Than Atlantis. During the tour, Architects played at iconic venues such as KOKO in London and The Cockpit in Leeds. When the UK tour ended, Architects quickly embarked on a Australian tour where they co-headlined with Comeback Kid.

2011: 'The Here and Now' is released

Architects released their fourth album 'The Here and Now' in January 2011. The album reached Number 1 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart and Number 57 on the UK Albums Chart. Later that same year, Architects went on tour to support Bring Me The Horizon alongside Devil Wears Prada and Parkway Drive. This international tour helped the band gain an even bigger fan following around the world, especially especially in the two continents they played: Europe and North America.

2012: Architects release their fifth studio album

'Daybreaker', Architect's fifth studio album was released in May 2012 and included the singles 'Devil's Island', 'These Colours Don't Run' and 'Alpha Omega'. Once again it topped the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart, while also reaching No.48 on the UK Album Chart.

To promote the album, Architects embarked on the 'Daybreaker Almost World Tour', which saw the bands play 75 shows across four continents. During the tour, the band were filmed for the documentary 'One Hundred Days: The Story of Architects Almost World Tour'. With the help of their fans, Architects raised over £30,000 through crowd-funding to make the film and it was released a year later. Guitarist Tim Hillier-Brook left the band to pursue other projects in 2012 and was temporarily replaced by Sylosis' Josh Middleton.

2013: The band play Mainstage at Download Festival

Architects played the mainstage at Download Festival for the first time in 2013, alongside metal icons such as Bullet for My Valentine, Korn and Slipknot. The band also signed with Epitaph Records in the hope that it would help them break America.

2014: 'Lost Forever // Lost Together' is released

Architects released their sixth studio album, 'Lost Forever // Lost Together' and accompanying singles 'Naysayer' and 'Broken Cross' in 2014. After receiving critical acclaim from critics and fans, the album topped the UK Rock & Metal Albums and reached Number 16 on the UK Albums and Number 6 on the US Top Hard Rock Albums Chart. Architects then went on to win Best Album at the Kerrang! Awards 2014.

2015: Architects release 'All our Gods Have Abandoned Us'

Architects released 'All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us' in May 2015, which debuted at Number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and once again topped the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart. This album also won Best Album at the Heavy Music Awards in London. On 18th February 2015, it was announced by Sam Carter that guitarist Adam Christianson had become a full-time member and would be replacing original guitarist Tim Hillier-Brook.

2016: The passing of Tom Searle

On 20th August 2016, Architects founding member and chief songwriter Tom Searle passed away at the age of 28, after a three year battle with skin cancer. His twin brother, Dan Searle announced the news on the band's Facebook page, writing, 'It is with unbelievable pain and sadness that I have to announce that at around twelve minutes past midnight on 20th August my amazing brother, Tom, passed away after living with cancer for more than three years. He was an incredible songwriter and guitarist. He was my closest and oldest friend. He was a funny, intelligent and sweet man and he leaves an enormous void in all of our lives.'

He added, 'I don't know what will become of Architects. Me and Tom started playing in a band together when we were 13 and, really, Architects is just an evolution of the band that we started all the way back then, over half my life ago. To pretend that Tom wasn't at the heart of everything that the band created would be to show a complete lack of respect to the amazing talent that he was. The band will never be the same and there is simply no denying it.'

To pay tribute to Tom following his death, Dan also announced that the band would be continuing with their upcoming headline tours in Australia, the UK and Europe. He said, 'We hope that these shows will be an opportunity for everyone out there to show their respects to my wonderful brother. It won't be easy for us to get on stage and play every night without him, but it's something that we must do. We want to carry on, that is important to say, and we will strive to do so, but we will not release any music unless we truly believe that it is something that Tom would have been proud of. Whether or not we can achieve that is something that we will have to discover in time.'

2017: Architects play a sold-out show at London's Alexandra Palace

With an eagerness to continue following Tom's passing, Architects release the single 'Doomsday' in September 2017. This was a song that Tom had started to write in 2015 but never finished. 'Doomsday' was also the first single to feature Josh Middleton after he officially joined the band to take Tom's place as lead guitarist. After the success of the single, Architects played a highly emotional, sold-out performance at the Alexandra Palace in London, to a crowd of 10,000 fans; one of their most monumental shows to date.

2018: Architects top the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart

In August 2018, Architects released their eighth studio album, 'Holy Hell' along with the single 'Hereafter'. This was the first album the band had released since the passing of Tom and is heavily influenced by the grief felt by the band. 'Holy Hell' topped the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart, while also reaching the top 10 in Australia, Germany and the US. Architects were also awarded their second Kerrang! Award, this time for Best British Live Act.

2019: Architects perform at Wembley Arena

To continue promoting 'Holy Hell', Architects embarked on a major UK headline tour, this time with Beartooth and Polaris in January 2019. It was during this tour that the band performed their biggest headline show to date at London's Wembley Arena. At the Kerrang! Awards 2019, Architects were awarded with the Best British Live Act award for the second year running.

Despite being unable to perform live due to the pandemic in 2020, Architects released the single 'Animals' from their upcoming album. In November 2020, the band performed a one-off livestream show from the Royal Albert Hall in London where they also debuted two new songs: 'Discourse Is Dead' and 'Dead Butterflies'.

2021: Architects top the UK charts

Architects released 'For Those That Wish To Exist' in February 2021. The album, which is inspired by the potential extinction of the planet, topped the chart in the UK and Australia and is the band's first album to reach the UK Top 10.

When asked about the inspiration for the album, songwriter Dan explained, 'This album was me looking at our inability to change to a way of life that would sustain the human race and save the planet. I wanted to look in the mirror and ask ourselves the question of what are we going to do, as opposed to trying to point the finger at politicians. Change has to start on a personal level. The world has developed a culture of wanting someone else to deal with it, when we need to take our own responsibility. It has to start there.'

Following the early successes of the album, Architects have now announced a 2022 UK Arena tour which will be kicking off in Leeds on the 22nd February 2022. Drummer Dan Searle has also revealed on Twitter that the band "will be touring other countries over the next two years".