Article by Umberto Scaramozzino
Al Fabrique in Milan, on January 29, 2026, one of the first major heavy gatherings of the year will be staged. The hat trick composed of Presidentat the first Italian appearance, LANDMVRKS And Architects leads to sold out the last stop of the long European tour of Sam Carter and associates, in support of the latest album: “The Sky, the Earth & All Between”.
Exactly seven years ago, in 2019, Alcatraz in Milan hosted a similar day, with a sequence of big names on the rise and the Architects closing the evening. At the time, however, every band before them knew they couldn't hold a candle to the headliners. Sam Carter on the “Holy Hell” tour he was probably the best metal singer around. Powerful in the scream, perfect on the clean parts. He had no weaknesses. And the repertoire at that time was also unparalleled, because it stood almost entirely on one implicit trilogy(consisting of “Lost Forever // Lost Together”, “All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us” and “Holy Hell”) which represented the state of the art of metalcore of the 1910s. Three albums later, the situation is slightly different. But to understand why we need to retrace the memorable evening, starting from the first highly anticipated opening act.
So what are these like President? Anonymous and masked alternative metal band, in the wake of the unstoppable phenomenon Sleep Tokenswhich has held sway since last year. After months of buzz, clamor and turmoil around what many controversially consider a “industry plant” – a derogatory term to indicate an artist driven by the industry and not by talent – we finally have the chance to see with our own eyes and hear with our own ears the work of this mysterious president. Conspiracy theories aside, if behind that mask there really was the sweaty face of Charlie Simpson that everyone has now unanimously identified, then this would be yet another artistic incarnation of someone who deserved every inch of the stage. And with a bit of intellectual honesty it should also be recognized that it has been years since saw a musical project judged with such ardor, both for better and for worse, with only one EP behind it. In short: it's just a first EP.
But let's try to leave prejudices and theories aside and analyze what we see on the Fabrique stage. An excellent band, superlative sounds, a very composed singer – perhaps too much so – but vocally impeccable. And little can be said about the pieces either. At the moment the setlists include the only six songs published on the EP “King of Terrors” and there isn't one that disfigures it. In particular, “In The Name of the Father” also confirms itself live as one of the best pieces released in recent times. The premises remain electrifyingin the meantime we are waiting for the first full-length.
Then it's up to you LANDMVRKSprobably the best set of the evening. Confirmation of the French combo's excellent moment also comes from the audience, who offers a participation worthy of a headliner. The Marseille band, on its fourth album, is now a very solid reality of European metalcore and is a candidate as one of the next big names on the scene, one of the most suitable to take up the baton of the boys from Brighton ready to succeed them on stage.
Finally, the Architects. Let's get this straight: they are still a great, great band. But despite a status that is preserved almost intact, there has long been the feeling that the driving force that led them to release the magnificent “Holy Hell” and the ambitious “For Those That Wish to Exist” after Tom Searle's death in 2016 has now run out. Already in the last tour the band seemed tired, softened, especially due to the surrender of the man who in the past was the pillar of Architects' live shows. Apparently, despite the extraordinary trials to which he had accustomed us, Sam Carter is also human. Today his estate is no longer the same, for a few years already. He sings with less involvement, with less precision, but above all he has taken on this strange and sing-song way of singing practically all the verses of the songs, which has already become a meme on social media.
Not a bad result though, on the contrary. Sam's heart still animates the stage, with so much gratitude for a date that was not in the original tour plans and which was added to satisfy the incessant requests of the fans, who responded by keeping the promise of an announced sold out. Furthermore, the rest of the band is impeccable and gives a performance that gloriously closes a great tour. The winners are above all the new songs, taken from “The Sky, the Earth & All Between”. They work well, the public likes them, and they hold up half the setlist without letting the historical pieces steal the show for nostalgia effect.
The truth is that “Nightmares“, their debut album, was released twenty years ago. In two decades the Architects have been able to build a credibility and one artistic dignity which cannot be questioned. Eleven albums, many of them close to excellent, which place this band in a place of honor in contemporary metal.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
