Alcatraz Line up: 2024

British metalcore giants Architects were founded by twin brothers Dan (drums) and Tom Searle (guitar) and in 2024 they are celebrating their 20th anniversary. Their big break came in 2009 with the release of the ‘Hollow Crown’ album. Some say they helped reinvent metalcore and their fresh, modern sound certainly gave the genre as a whole a tremendous boost. On 2012’s ‘Daybreaker’ they finally struck the right balance between a melodic approach and technical virtuosity, and follow-up ‘Lost Forever//Lost Together’ (2014) was a relentlessly heavy album that consolidated their status as one of the world’s leading hardcore bands. ‘All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us’ (2016) is an indictment of society and its tendency to focus on non-issues instead of on what really matters. Unfortunately the album title proved prescient as principal songwriter Tom Searle succumbed to skin cancer a few months after the release but his twin brother and the rest of the band decided to carry on. ‘The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit’ (2022) showcases a band that has hit full stride: the combination of a bombastic feel, aggressive vocals and singalong choruses have made their music more accessible, pushing their popularity to new heights.