Architects: 2025 North American Tour

Phantom Light Media
Aug 10, 2025
5 min read

Any contemporary metal fan can tell you they’ve at least heard the name “Architects” before. Whether that’s in passing, in radio rotation, plastered on a Warped Tour schedule marquee, or on YouTube, the fact remains - Architects are one of the biggest metal bands of the last twenty years, and their touring schedule is always met with ravenous anticipation whenever it’s unveiled. However, given the band’s location and immense popularity among their European markets, they don’t tour the United States very often as headliners. In fact, the last show they had in Portland was over seven years ago in 2018 at the Wonder Ballroom, promoting All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us (2017). It was therefore no surprise that when their latest US trek included a Portland date at the Crystal Ballroom that PNW fans got ludicrously excited, including myself. I knew I had to cover this show by any means, for reasons I’ll explain a little bit later.

It may have been a Tuesday night, but people showed up bright and early as the Crystal doors opened at 5:30, preceding a 7:00 show time. It was immediately apparent that this crowd spanned both die-hard Warped-era fans and newer blood brought into the fold by the crushing return to form of Architects’ latest album, 2025’s The Sky, The Earth, & All Between. The room was packed, so the opening band for the night got a huge reception when the lights dimmed and the speakers crescendoed into wakefulness. On this tour, that opening band was LA-based rock trio Holywatr, who warmed up the crowd wonderfully with their eclectic blend of metalcore and R&B-infused alt rock. Some sonic comparisons could be made to the likes of Bad Omens and Dayseeker, but there were plenty of chug-heavy riffs more comparable to acts like Spiritbox and, of course, Architects themselves. I’m fairly sure this was Holywatr’s first time playing in Portland, but the crowd response would have certainly indicated otherwise if you weren’t completely certain. The mosh pit got started nice and early amid exhortations from their lead singer, who even came down the Crystal’s central divide to belt a few screams directly into the faces of his fans near the end of their set. I heard a lot of people expressing wonder that they hadn’t heard of Holywatr before, and I saw a lot of people in line for merch as the first changeover began, so if that allegedly promised headlining tour ever happens, I have a feeling Portland will welcome the trio back with open arms.

If you thought Holywatr got a good reception as an opening band, that excitement only doubled in intensity as Alabama’s progressive metalcore darlings ERRA rushed the stage with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop. Their last visit was a headlining set at the Roseland Theater on the Cure North American Tour that I believe sold out, so Portland fans are well-acquainted with the band’s cascading riffs and beautifully ambient lyrical passages. Needless to say, the room went absolutely insane when the guttural driving chugs of set opener “Snowblood” blasted onto the dance floor as vocalist JT Cavey surveyed the crowd with barely disguised glee. ERRA have made no secret that they’re big fans of circle pits, and they received plenty on both sides of the Ballroom’s divide across their 9-song set. Cure got a lot of representation, as expected, but fans were also treated to deep cuts (“Skyline,” Drift, 2016) and new music alike (“Gore of Being”). Every time I’ve seen ERRA, someone in the crowd has made it a point to bark as loud as they can in between song changeovers, something quickly picked up by other fans and commented on frequently by the band. Guitarist Jesse Cash humorously mentioned it was “like we’d never left,” referencing the same thing happening at their headlining show, and reiterating that Portland shows have always been kind to them. They closed their time with an absolutely crushing “Gungrave” to one last large circle pit, leaving plenty of energy left for the main event as the final changeover began.

Architects have long been lauded for the cinematic sonic qualities of their albums in the live setting, and they made full use of the fact as the night opened with “Elegy,” much how the song precedes the entirety of The Sky, The Earth & All Between. Comparisons to their 2016 track “Nihilist” made themselves immediately apparent as the double-time drumbeat kicked into full swing with zero hesitation, prompting a surge of moshing that I saw physically move the barricade an inch or so forward. Their set for the night was heavily focused on new material from their last three albums, with TSTE&AB represented by 7 of the album’s 12 songs alone. For Those Who Wish To Exist (2021) was given its due diligence as well, with four tracks in the set inciting soaring singalongs and some truly cathartic screaming from iconic frontman Sam Carter. Fan favorites “Doomsday” and “Royal Beggars” drew perhaps the most intense reaction of the night, though, due to their tragic backstory and relation to the band’s dearly departed member Tom Searle. If emotions were high, though, Architects either didn’t show it or made full use of it. They are truly one of the most breathtaking live acts I’ve ever had the privilege of seeing, even with the addition of two or three touring musicians to pad the roster and add to the wall of sound that filled the Crystal’s ballroom. The anger, fear, and disgust at the state of the world was nearly palpable in “Whiplash” and “Blackhole”, while the softer songs let Sam really take his cleans to the next level as the crowd followed his every command and belted out choruses and verses alike (“Meteor,” “Everything Ends,” “Brain Dead”). But the real highlight of the night was, of course, the two-song encore. The first of these was the absolutely vicious “Seeing Red,” released almost totally by surprise near the end of 2023 and holding no qualms about calling out the hate and spite that Architects’ previous two efforts had received due to a perceived shift away from their core sound. However, as if to cement that point, they closed the night with the breakout single “Animals,” again from For Those Who Wish To Exist. This song was the first time I had heard this style of music before and it led to me perusing Architects’ discography extensively, then falling fully down the metal rabbit hole. In a sense, it led me to where I am today both as a fan and as a creative myself. I can’t express enough how surreal it felt to be photographing this band nearly five years after first contact, singing and yelling along to the songs that helped me get through college and a global pandemic alike. If this is what a full-scale Architects headlining show is truly like, then I can safely say I’m ravenous for more, and I sincerely hope they come back stateside again some time. Maybe I’ll even fly out to see them a second time. Who knows?