.png)
Back in February, UK-based metalcore stars Architects released their latest album The Sky, The Earth, & All Between, one of their most ambitious works yet in their over two decade-long history as a band. To celebrate the release of the new album, the band announced an extensive North American headliner tour for this summer, much to the excitement of metal fans across the country. Having been out on the road since late July, Architects stopped in Philadelphia, PA as their second to last stop of the tour. With a massive 16 song setlist packed with new hits and classic fan-favorites, the band was at the top of their game for their penultimate show of their 2025 North American tour, inciting glorious chaos at Philadelphia’s Fillmore. “Because we’ve been on tour for so long now,” vocalist Sam Carter told the crowd, “you’re seeing Architects at their very best tonight”.
At approximately 7pm, progressive metal band Holywatr kicked off the show. Holywatr has been skyrocketing within the metal scene lately, having formed only in 2020. With their unique blend of nu-metal, emo rock, and hardcore, Holywatr’s genre-bending style can capture anyone’s attention. During the first few songs, the band was already a hit with the audience, even if many of them had never seen or heard of them before that night; the crowd was constantly cheering, moshing, and headbanging. Before they played their newest song “Give Me A Show”, the band called for as many crowdsurfers as possible, and the fans definitely listened. As soon as the song started, the first crowdsurfers of the night came soaring through the venue, and the mosh pit was bigger than ever. Towards the set’s conclusion, the band admitted that they lied about their set ending, and that they had one additional song left. They mentioned that Creed was one of Architect’s favorite bands, and soon enough, Holywatr went into a cover of Creed’s “One Last Breath”, and was even joined by ERRA vocalist JT Cavey, giving a very memorable ending to their set. The crowd sang along to every lyric until the last note, proving that even at metalcore shows, “dad rock” is still welcomed with open arms.
HOLYWATR: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok
The second and final opener of the night was metalcore band ERRA. As the venue lights dimmed, the intricate, almost stereo-shaped light fixtures on the stage began flashing to an energetic beat, increasing hype within the audience. Soon enough, the band walked on stage as the crowd cheered, and opened with their 2021 hit “Snowblood”. Having toured with many major metal bands in the past, such as Bad Omens and Wage War, it’s no wonder why ERRA has been getting increasingly more popular by the day. With brutally heavy verses and breakdowns, melodic choruses, and a perfectly fitting combination of screams from JT Cavey and cleans from Jesse Cash, ERRA are metalcore icons in the making. The crowd was fully engaged in the set, from waving their phone lights during “Blue Reverie” to constantly moshing and crowdsurfing throughout the set. The set was visually captivating as well, with the giant light fixtures quickly flashing colorful beams in tandem with the beats of the songs. Towards the end of the set, there were so many crowdsurfers that sometimes, there were multiple people surfing at once. JT mentioned that this night at the Fillmore was almost a hometown show for him due to him recently becoming a Pennsylvania resident, and Philly fans made sure to make it a memorable one.
ERRA: Website | Facebook | Instagram | X
At around 9pm, the lights dimmed for the final time that night as the room filled with cheers. The lights on the stage began to flash, rapidly building anticipation. Finally, Architects walked on stage as cheers roared through the venue. The band opened with the opening track of The Sky, The Earth, & All Between, “Elegy”, which begins with a beautifully melodic intro until the beat drops and becomes a brutal headbanger. As soon as that beat dropped, crowdsurfers started making their way to the front, and they kept coming through one by one. The fans were further invigorated when the band followed the initial song with the second track of the new album, “Whiplash”, a classic heavy metal track which gained viral popularity due to its hilarious sampled Gordon Ramsay outro. Vocalist Sam Carter’s versatile vocals captivated the audience by effortlessly switching between harmonious cleans and vicious screams, and guitarist Adam Christianson’s electrifying solos and riffs amped up the energy. Bassist Ali Dean and drummer Dan Searle’s thunderous rhythms tied together the performance, creating a ferocious night to remember.
As the show continued, the chaos within the crowd only intensified. Crowdsurfers continued to be carried up to the front, keeping the hardworking security consistently busy, and the mosh pit was so massive it could be seen even from the back of the room. The rest of the crowd was just as engaged; when Architects performed one of their biggest singles from the new album, “Curse”, the voices within the audience boomed throughout the venue as they sang along. The band continued playing a mix of new and old songs, such as their 2021 hit “Impermanence” and 2022’s “deep fake”, satisfying both newer fans and longtime fans alike. No matter what, the audience never took a break for even a second. Right before playing their recent single “Brain Dead”, the band called for a circle pit, and the crowd delivered a massive circle pit that lasted for nearly the entire duration of the song. And if a fan wasn’t sprinting around in the pit, then they were jumping up and down and headbanging, never seeming to get exhausted.
Before Architects went into the melodic track “Everything Ends” from the new album, Sam Carter mentioned that it was the second to last night of the tour and thanked everyone for supporting live music. He also mentioned that the Philly crowd was “seeing Architects at their best”, because after a month of touring, the band perfected their onstage performances. As the band started playing “Everything Ends”, the crowd lit their phone flashlights and waved them back and forth, creating a sea of lights in the pit. Soon after, the band got back into their heavier tracks and the moshing ensued again. The moshing was so intense that someone evidently lost their hat, which fans were throwing across the pit.
After performing the brutal “Blackhole” from the new album, the band briefly left the stage. As the band was gone, the lights onstage began to flash blue to a suspenseful beat. Soon enough, the band walked back onto the stage and lights turned red, signaling the performance of their first single from the new album “Seeing Red”. Even though it was almost the final song of the night, the audience proved that they still had tons of energy left. The mosh pit was bigger than it ever was that night, and the volume of the crowds’ voices nearly rivaled Sam’s as they sang along. After “Seeing Red”, Sam gave a shoutout to Holywatr and ERRA, and made sure to compliment their Creed cover from earlier. Sam then mentioned that they have one final song for the night, and that it goes out to “all you animals”. As the band played their biggest hit “Animals”, the fans made sure to end the night with a bang as they constantly moshed and crowdsurfed until the last note. Architects created a night to remember for Philly metal fans, and will no doubt be happily welcomed again when they return in the future.
