The album follows up on the band's previous studio album, The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit (2022), and is the first without lead guitarist Josh Middleton since All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us (2016), who amicably departed the band in 2023 due to creative differences.[3][4] The album's title is lifted from a lyric on the opening track "Elegy".[5]
Background
On 4 December 2023, the band surprise released the album's lead single "Seeing Red", announcing a North American headline tour at the same time with support from Of Mice & Men and While She Sleeps that would take place during May 2024.[6][7] On 9 April, the band released "Curse" as the album's second single, as they promoted and played the two singles live on tour dates supporting Metallica and on their headlining tourleg of North America the following month.[8] It was also revealed that "Curse" was produced by former Bring Me the Horizon member Jordan Fish who they were previously pictured being in the studio with, hinting at the band's upcoming album.[9][10]
On 19 November 2024, the band officially revealed The Sky, the Earth & All Between as their eleventh studio album scheduled for 28 February 2025.[11][12][2] Alongside the announcement, they released the album's third single "Whiplash" with a music video.[13][14] On 14 January 2025, the fourth single "Blackhole" was released which was accompanied by a cinematic music video.[15][16] In the week preceding the release, the band released two singles 48 hours apart from each other, "Everything Ends" on 24 February, and "Brain Dead" featuring House of Protection on 26 February.[17][18]
Upon release, The Sky, the Earth & All Between received generally positive reviews.
Speaking for The Arts Desk, Tom Carr gave the album high praise, commenting: "The result is an album of their essence condensed and distilled into an impactful, attesting concoction of modern metal." He also specifically highlighted tracks such as "Elegy", "Judgement Day" and "Chandelier" as the best tracks on the record.[23] Anne Erickson of Blabbermouth.net singled out priase for lead vocalist Sam Carter's versatile vocals and the overall instrumental performance by the rest of the band, "Listening to The Sky, The Earth & All Between from front to back, what really stands out is not only Carter's diverse vocals, but also the band's pristine instrumentation."[24] Tom Morgan of Clash stated; "As a whole, ‘The Sky, The Earth & All Between’ soars. It’s one of Architects’ most laser-focused albums; from the fast, fun heaviness to the succinct runtimes to the lyrical content that hones in on lucid, pared-down imagery rather than grand, sweeping statements. It’s among the veteran band’s most sharply-realised efforts for the simple fact that it (mostly) prioritises what they do best: making whiplash-inducing modern metal."[25] In a four star review by Kerrang!, James Hickie likened songs like "Blackhole" and "Evil Eyes" to The Prodigy and Deftones respectively.[28] While Merlin Alderslade of Metal Hammer compared the album to the band's previous two efforts For Those That Wish to Exist (2021) and The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit (2022), he also described it as a "whole different animal." He also highlighted Carter's vocal performance as one of the best things about the release: "They’ve channelled their current influences into something diverse, impactful and engaging, driven by a particularly vibrant performance from Sam, unquestionably the album’s MVP."[29]
Commercial performance
The Sky, the Earth & All Between charted in the Top 10 in several countries worldwide, including Australia, Germany and their native United Kingdom.
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