Architects Still Reign As One Of The Greats!

August 2, 2025 – In 2016 I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Architects and Parkway Drive perform together. At that point I had heard of Architects and probably listened to a song here and there, but by no means would I have passed the, “ohh you like this band, well name five songs then!” line of questioning. Regardless, one of my good friends was a massive fan and I liked Parkway Drive so we hopped onto a bus and away we went. This turned out to be a fantastic decision; the performance was so incredible that I still think about it till this day! Now of course this article isn’t about a concert I went to ‘back in the day’, but I bring this up because on August 2nd I saw the same energy; craftsmanship, care and dedication that I did all those years ago.

The audio and visual production; each member’s performance and the overall presence was of such high quality that I don’t think there was a single person who went home disappointed, unless we are talking about the disappointment that comes from a great show ending. With a sixteen song setlist (thank you setlist.fm) they had a healthy number of songs from their most recent album The Sky, The Earth & All Between (2025); however, this does not mean that fans of albums like Holy Hell (2018) and All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us (2016) won’t have moments just for them during the show. Lastly, the lead vocalist Sam Carter took a moment to be more open with a crowd than I think anyone who heard one of their songs would expect.

I’m paraphrasing, but he began by mentioning how it is almost impossible for anyone to not be affected by the state of how things are or how to not feel alone with the resulting struggles. He followed that by emphasizing how important it is to be open and transparent with your struggles to those around you and mentioned how everyone in their crew actively communicates with each other about their well being. Then encouraged anyone struggling to do the same and that they are never alone despite how it may feel. I bring this up because it is such a poignant topic to bring up and one that thrives when left unchecked; if you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, seek out others and be as open as you can because that spiral is hard to break without a support system.