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Track Listing: Day In Day Out Learn To Live Delete, Rewind BTN An Open Letter To Myself The Blues Red Eyes Stay Young Forever Heartburn Year In Year Out/Up And Away

Brighton based metalcore band Architects are set to release their newest album "The Here and Now" later this month. For the band, this will be their 4th full length album, and easily their most anticipated work to date.

The album opens up with a song entitled "Day in and Day Out", one of my personal favorites. At first, I was a little confused with the way the album was headed. Their tone has changed since their 2009 album, "Hollow Crown", and truthfully, the band lost a lot of their heaviness. I didn't want to be too quick to judge so I decided to continue with the album.

Song after song, I found Architects beginning to sound like the modern day alternative bands like the "Foo Fighters". I was so used to the old sound the band established with songs like "Early Grave" or "Follow the Water". While I initially thought the album was just "OK", my mind quickly began to change with each song. Midway through the album, "BTN" began to blast on my speakers. I was instantly hooked. Since their last album, the band has taken a dramatic turn with their approach to music. Rather than stick to the outline that every other metalcore band follows, Architects managed to keep the aggression of their old music and incorporate it with meaningful song lyrics and beautiful song structure. As each song flowed from my computer I found myself more and more accepting of Architects new sound.

Songs like "The Blues", and "Stay Young Forever" really keep the album moving nicely and usher in the final song on the album, "Year in Year Out/Up and Away". The true gem of the album, it features one of my favorite frontmen of all time, Greg Puciato of "The Dillinger Escape Plan". This song blew me away in every aspect, be it the screaming duel between Puciato and Architects frontman Sam Carter, or the beautiful interlude before the almost Pink Floyd-like end of the song. After sitting for a few minutes to think about what I had just listened to, the only thing I could think of was, "What a perfect album to kick off the new year."

Although I am going to miss the heaviness of Architects' last album, I am pleasantly surprised with how well "The Here and Now" turned out. It would be to everyone's advantage to check it out.