All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us

by Architects

Overview

Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden, the Brighton, England-based metalcore unit's seventh studio long-player is as relentlessly heavy and doggedly melodramatic as 2014's well-received Lost Forever, Lost Together. It's also much, much better. Doubling down on the expansiveness of the latter release, All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us is both bedazzling and bewildering, an icy blast of politically charged apocalypse theater that pleases the eyes, but never ceases to box the listener's ears. That the band conduct such sonic malevolence from a platform built on veganism and environmental activism is both refreshing -- this is a genre that's often swimming in neediness, non-specific rage, and self-absorption -- and compelling. The reverb-heavy production work from Fredrik Nordstroem, which is likely informed by his time behind the board with melodic death metal giants like Dark Tranquillity, In Flames, and Opeth, contributes mightily to All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us' dark pageantry. Architects' signature blend of breakdown-heavy hardcore, symphonic screamo, and ambient post-metal has never sounded more muscular and refined. Fans who received an early taste of the LP via the towering single "A Match Made in Heaven" can rest assured that the remaining ten tracks follow suit, with highlights arriving via the punishing "Downfall," the pitiless and aptly-named opener "Nihilist," and the truly epic, eight-minute closer "Memento Mori," the latter of which suggests how Radiohead might have handled Kid A had they come from an extreme metal background instead of the baggy Brit-pop noughties. This is heady and hearty stuff delivered by a band surveying the ruins below from their creative peak. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	05/27/2016
Label:	Epitaph
UPC:	0045778746217
Rank:	15770

Tracks

1. Nihilist
2. Deathwish
3. Phantom Fear
4. Downfall
5. Gone With the Wind
6. The Empty Hour Glass
7. A Match Made in Heaven
8. Gravity
9. All Love Is Lost
10. From the Wilderness
11. Memento Mori

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Architects   Primary Artist
Sam Carter   Vocals
Michael Rollins   Viola
Dan Searle   Drums,Electronics
Tom Searle   Brass,Guitar,Strings,Electronics
Tom Francis   Trombone (Bass),Contrabass Trombone
Elizabeth Clarke   Cello
Randy Slaugh   Brass,Strings
Jennifer Allen   Violin
Elizabeth Shill   French Horn
Linda Seare   Violin
Rebecca Bill   Violin
Sara Cerrato   Cello
Adam Christianson   Guitar
Alex Dean   Bass

Technical Credits

Fredrik Nordstroem   Engineer,Producer
Sam Carter   Group Member
Dan Searle   Programming,Group Member
Architects   Composer
Henrik Udd   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Mastering
Tom Searle   Programming,Group Member
Ken Dudley   Assistant Engineer
Nick Steinhardt   Design
Randy Slaugh   Arranger,Engineer,Producer
Adam Christianson   Group Member
Alex Dean   Group Member