Alongside their contempoaries in Bring Me The Horizon and Bullet For My Valentine, Architects have been a leading light in British metalcore since the mid-2000s, proving that the UK wouldn't be left behind in the same way it had with the preceding nu metal and alt-metal booms of the previous decade.
Climbing the UK charts since 2009's Hollow Crown, Architects found themselves at number 1 with 2021's For Those That Wish To Exist, and have since regularly popped up on arena tours and highly placed festival spots as their star status continued to climb. But even they admit to be a little giddy at the prospect of supporting Metallica on the opening night of the massive M72 tour. Hammer caught up with vocalist Sam Carter to find out what that meant to the band.
That was a big show! Did you do anything to calm your nerves?
“We just did what we normally do, and made sure we all warmed up properly. Everybody starts getting ready 45 minutes to an hour before the show. I have a couple of margaritas, maybe a shot of tequila, just to sort of bring me down, because I always get a little bit anxious before a show.”
What was the standout moment of your set?
“Probably playing Animals, seeing a lot of people hearing that for the first time. It’s just such a great metal kind of anthem, you know, fists in the air, everybody pumping and cheering along to it. That was a great moment.”
What was your favourite part of Metallica's set?
“Being in the Snake Pit and watching them play Master Of Puppets. It was a very surreal moment being that close to the action.”
What did you think of Metallica's in-the-round set-up?
“We really enjoyed it. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever done before, and they were so incredible to us that they completely cleared the stage so we could go wherever the hell we wanted. Speaking to Hetfield before the show, he was like, ‘Go out there and enjoy it’, and I was like, ‘I’ll let you know how it goes!’ Ha ha! But yeah, it was definitely cool to be able to make an impression on multiple people all over the stadium. It’s kind of actually like putting on nine or 10 different shows. You just have to keep everyone around the circle going, so I definitely felt like I had run a marathon by the end of the set.”
Why do you think Metallica are still so important in 2023?
“If you think of a metal band, you think of Metallica. They’re genre-defining legends that still after all this time are putting in the work to create amazing albums. They were so kind and so welcoming to us and all of our crew, and it’s something I’ll never forget. Things like that make you wanna put on an even better show, because you feel inspired. What an incredible band."
