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Doomsday (Architects song)

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"Doomsday"
Single by Architects
from the album Holy Hell
Released7 September 2017 (2017-09-07) (digital)
8 December 2017 (2017-12-08) (7" vinyl)
Recorded2017 (2017)
StudioMiddle Farm Studios (Newton Abbot, Devon, UK)
GenreMetalcore
Length4:07
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Sam Carter
  • Josh Middleton
  • Adam Christianson
  • Alex Dean
  • Dan Searle
Producer(s)
Architects singles chronology
"Gravity"
(2017) 		"Doomsday"
(2017) 		"Hereafter"
(2018)
Alternate cover
Piano reprise version cover
Piano reprise version cover

"Doomsday" is a song by British metalcore band Architects. Originally released as a standalone single on 7 September 2017, the song is included in the band's eighth studio album Holy Hell, released on 9 November 2018.[1] It was the first new material recorded by the group since the death of their original lead guitarist and primary songwriter Tom Searle in 2016. The track was written and self-produced by the band, with additional production from Bring Me the Horizon keyboardist Jordan Fish. "Doomsday" charted at number 17 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart.

Composition and lyrics

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"Doomsday" evolved from a song that was originally part-written by former Architects lead guitarist Tom Searle during sessions for the band's seventh album All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us.[2] Following the guitarist's death on 20 August 2016, his brother Dan (the group's drummer) completed the song's lyrics in preparation for its release.[3] The track was ultimately credited to Architects as a collective.[4] Searle commented upon its release that "Completing it for him was a massive responsibility".[5] The lyrical themes within "Doomsday" have been related to Searle's death by critics, especially lines such as "they say the good die young".[6] Writing for Noisey, Tom Connick explained that the song "is about [Dan's] conflicted feelings regarding the loss, and is a marker of Architects' poise in the face of extreme sadness".[7]

Promotion and release

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"Doomsday" was released on 6 September 2017 as the first new Architects material since Tom Searle's death.[8] It was made available as a digital download the following day.[9] The song was not specifically recorded for a new studio album, although Dan Searle did suggest upon its release that it would feature on their next record.[3] The track charted at number 17 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart.[10] The band played the song live for the first time for BBC Radio 1's "Radio 1 Rocks" show on 31 October.[11] Three months after the song's digital release, "Doomsday" was issued as a 7" vinyl on 8 December 2017, limited to 1,000 copies.[12]

In July 2018, the band released an alternate version of "Doomsday", featuring James Beckwith on piano.[13] Speaking about the "acoustic piano ballad", Searle suggested that the song "needed a rendition that exposed the sadness behind the lyrics", which he claimed vocalist Sam Carter delivered "beautifully".[14] In December 2018, the WWE announced that the song would be featured as one of the themes of their NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool event.[15]

Music video

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The music video for "Doomsday" was directed by Stuart Birchall, who had previously worked on a number of other videos for the band, most recently for All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us lead single "A Match Made in Heaven" in 2016.[16] According to Zoe Camp of Revolver magazine, it "finds the band members tearing through the song against a starry backdrop, performing so intensely that, at times, they appear to break apart themselves".[5] Metal Hammer columnist Eleanor Goodman described it as "a moving video featuring Tom's twin brother, drummer Dan, suspended in the expanse of the universe".[17]

Critical reception

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"Doomsday" was met with acclaim from music critics. Kerrang! Radio described the song as "a goosebump-inducing anthem of the highest calibre".[3] Scott Munro of Metal Hammer called it "blistering",[18] while Eleanor Goodman of the same publication dubbed it "honest" and "beautiful".[17] Brii Jamieson of music magazine Rock Sound described the song's piano reprise as "an emotional rollercoaster".[14] Clash writer Robin Murray called it "simple, sparse, and really rather beautiful", praising Sam Carter's "rather special" vocal performance.[19] Kelsey Shawgo of Alternative Press described "Doomsday" as "powerful" and called it "a banger".[20]

Personnel

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Architects

  • Sam Carter – lead vocals, production
  • Josh Middleton – lead guitar, backing vocals, production
  • Adam Christianson – rhythm guitar, production
  • Alex "Ali" Dean – bass, keyboards, drum pad, production
  • Dan Searle – drums, percussion, programming, production

Additional personnel

Charts

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Chart (2017) Peak
position
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[21] 17

References

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  1. ^ Redrup, Zach (12 September 2018). "NEWS: Architects announce eighth album, 'Holy Hell'!". DEAD PRESS!. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  2. ^ Redrup, Zach (6 September 2017). "Video: Architects – Doomsday". Dead Press. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Watch: Architects unleash powerful new single 'Doomsday'". Kerrang Radio. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Doomsday – Architects: Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  5. ^ a b Camp, Zoe (6 September 2017). "Hear Architects' Emotion Surprise Single "Doomsday"". Revolver. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  6. ^ "First listen: Architects honour late guitarist Tom Searle with 'Doomsday'". Triple J. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  7. ^ Connick, Tom (13 September 2017). "On Architects and How Hardcore Can Temper Grief". Noisey. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  8. ^ Williams, Tom (7 September 2017). "Architects Release 'Doomsday', Their First Song Since The Death Of Tom Searle". Music Feeds. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Doomsday – Architects: Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  10. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40: 15 September 2017 – 21 September 2017". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  11. ^ Camp, Zoe (1 November 2017). "See Architects Tear Through Nirvana's "Territorial Pissings" Live". Revolver. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  12. ^ Redrup, Zach (7 December 2017). "News: Architects to release limited 'Doomsday' vinyl!". Dead Press. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Listen To This Piano Version Of Architects' Doomsday". Kerrang!. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  14. ^ a b Jamieson, Brii (13 July 2018). "Architects Have Released An Emotional Piano Version Of 'Doomsday'". Rock Sound. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  15. ^ "New #NXTLOUD artists announced for NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool". WWE. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  16. ^ Johnson, Laura (7 March 2016). "Architects To Release New Album In May, Share Video For New Track A Match Made In Heaven". Stereoboard. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  17. ^ a b Goodman, Eleanor (2 January 2018). "And then there was light: How Architects are taking their next steps". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  18. ^ Munro, Scott (6 September 2017). "Architects premiere video for blistering new track Doomsday". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  19. ^ Murray, Robin (13 July 2018). "Listen: Architects Share Piano Version Of 'Doomsday'". Clash. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  20. ^ Shawgo, Kelsey (6 September 2017). "Architects drop powerful new song, first envisioned by late guitarist Tom Searle, "Doomsday"". Alternative Press. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  21. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
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