Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Architects - The Here and Now (2011)

Oh f*** me... Even one of the most impressive and talented metalcore bands ends up losing most of their metal in one album. This is pretty much the lowest point of the career in my opinion, much lower than even their 2020s alt-metal material. And this was at the time when Architects was making a downward drift in quality that includes their 2000s material. Anyway, let's review their worst album The Here and Now, right here right now...

The British modern metal scene still had a lot of metal at that time. Bring Me the Horizon was still in their pure metalcore phase white hitting the airwaves and charts. On the other hand, Architects thought it would be a good idea to rock the boat with more rock and less metalcore. The end result did not work well in heavier fans' favor.

The My Chemical Romance-infused sound of the previous album's closing track has bled into "Day In Day Out", this time having the pop-core sound of A Day to Remember. This similarly happens in "Learn to Live" which is actually a cool chant-filled anthem. "Delete, Rewind" explodes into heavier guitarwork, though in more of a post-hardcore form, especially when the emo-ish cleans blend with the screaming intensity.

"BTN" (I'm guessing that stands for "Been Through Nicotine) comes out as more of a blend of Bad Religion and Foo Fighters than anything. Aspects of the latter band appear more in "An Open Letter to Myself", albeit with a more electronic stylistic basis. Distorted aggression explodes like a bomb in the oddly titled "The Blues".

"Red Eyes" has a chorus worth singing along to that makes the track more interesting. Andrew Neufield of Comeback Kid guest appears in "Stay Young Forever", which greatly turns the track into a mosh-ready punisher. Then we have another rock ballad in "Heartburn", which is way too soft for a band known for their hardcore brutality. "Year In Year Out" is another intense anthem, featuring Greg Puciato of The Dillinger Escape Plan. I'm not sure what the point of the hidden track "Up and Away" was.

I'm also not gonna talk about the special edition reissue bonus tracks. If there's any song I would recommend from this album, it would be "Learn to Live" and most of the second half. Everything else is a f***ing failure. Luckily, they would make up for all their mistakes in their next few albums and beyond....

Favorites (only tracks I like): "Learn to Live", "The Blues", "Red Eyes", "Stay Young Forever", "Year In Year Out"