There are bands you see live one time, and you fall in love with their music. The first time you see them, you may not know their songs, or you may only know a couple. Then you get home, deep dive into their entire discography, and realize how amazing their music truly is. You eagerly await their return to your city so you can see them again and experience the greatness of their show for what it truly is. This happened to me when I saw Architects six years ago. Unfortunately, due to COVID and visa issues, it has taken them six years to make their way back to California on a headlining tour. They are finally back on their 2025 North American tour, and the first date to sell out was the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. Bodies were smashing into each other to squeeze all the screaming fans into the venue for the chance to see Architects again.

Opening the night was Los Angeles-based alternative metal band Holywatr. Architects have a habit of bringing quality bands on tour with them, and they made a strong choice in selecting Holywatr to open this show. Holywatr blends multiple genres to create their unique sound. With guitarists mixing progressive styles and heavy riffs, they got the audience headbanging and grooving in the crowd.

The dynamic singing, alternating between harsh deep screams and clean melodic brightness, felt like the angel and devil on your shoulders both speaking into your ears—and it sounded brilliant. Holywatr’s sound was creating new fans with each song they played, including “Lip Service,” “Hiding in Plain Sight,” “Ashes,” “My Mom’s In There!,” “Fade,” “Without You,” “Give Me A Show,” “nail polish,” and ending with “loose ends.” If Architects see potential in Holywatr, then we can expect to see them doing even bigger things in the near future.

Up next were Erra, widely considered pioneers of the progressive metalcore scene. They kicked their set into high gear with their opening song, “Snowblood,” immediately getting the fans’ blood boiling. Lead vocalist J.T. Cavey delivered tenacious screams that riled everyone up, while clean vocalist Jesse Cash created a push-and-pull dynamic in their vocal melodies that had the crowd bouncing.

Instrumentally, Erra truly shined. Cash, pulling double duty as lead guitarist, teamed up with rhythm guitarist Clint Tustin to craft not just melodies and heavy chugs but also unconventional guitar noises and tricks that added an electronic flair to the band’s sound. Bassist Conor Hesse and drummer Alex Ballow didn’t just hold down the low end—they added layers of rhythm that elevated Erra’s progressive style.

Erra had fans spinning the mosh pit with songs like “Crawl Backwards Out of Heaven,” “Pale Iris,” “Blue Reverie,” “Scorpion Hymn,” “Cure,” “Gore of Being,” “Skyline,” and ending with “Gungrave.” They sufficiently marinated the crowd, getting them ready to be cooked by Architects.

As fans pushed their way into the House of Blues stage area, you could feel electricity surging through the venue as everyone awaited Architects to take the stage. Starting their set with “Elegy,” vocalist Sam Carter stood alone on stage, singing the softer opening verses under a spotlight. You could feel the energy boiling up inside him as the rest of the band joined in on the second verse, with Carter letting out a vicious roar that echoed across the room. This was the signal for the crowd to open up the mosh pit as wide as possible and for crowd surfers to start crashing over the barricade.

When Sam Carter sings, it’s not the usual growl or scream you expect from metal bands. Instead, it feels like he’s yelling the lyrics at you with raw emotion, adding an extra layer of aggression to his performance. Guitarist Adam Christianson attacked his guitar with a tone that ripped through the mix, shredding eardrums in the best way possible. Despite the high-paced ferocity of Architects’ songs, bassist Alex Dean added so much groove and feeling to his playing that you couldn’t help but dance to the music. Drummer Dan Searle tied everything together with finesse, delivering double-kick goodness for faster-paced songs and pulling back to stay in the pocket when the beat required it.

Architects were in top form, delivering a high-energy set that never let up. Their setlist included “Whiplash,” “when we were young,” “Black Lungs,” “Curse,” “deep fake,” “Impermanence,” “Brain Dead,” “Meteor,” “Everything Ends,” “Royal Beggars,” “Doomsday,” and “Blackhole.”

When Architects returned for their encore, the crowd realized they still had so much energy left to release. For the final two songs, “Seeing Red” and “Animals,” fans truly unleashed chaos upon the House of Blues. Crowd surfers barreled over the barricade three or four at a time, while the mosh pit expanded even wider as fans stomped around, carving footprints into the floor. By the time the final notes rang out, everyone was drenched in sweat, wearing the biggest smiles from finally experiencing Architects in California again.

I was at the 2019 Holy Hell Tour and have been patiently waiting six years for this show to return, and it surpassed every expectation I had. But what truly made this show magical was an eight-year-old boy sitting on the barricade, singing every single lyric to every single song Architects played that night. Seeing this kid radiating happiness while watching one of his favorite bands live gave me hope for the next generation of music lovers.

No matter how long a band has been around or how infrequently they tour certain areas, their music continues to be discovered and cherished by fans of all ages. This is why bands put out music and perform live—to see how their art impacts people’s lives. And though we have their records to keep us satiated in the meantime, Architects better not take another six years to return to California. We need another helping of their live energy.