The British metalcore band Architects took LANDMVRKS and President with them for their European tour after the release of their album "The Sky, The Earth & All in Between" in February 2025. LANDMVRKS also released a new album in April 2025, "The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been". About President, their first EP "King of Terrors" was released in September of the same year. The three bands played on Monday January 26 evening in front of a sold-out O2 Universum.
President is such a mysterious band which was created in February 2025 and directly appearing in big festivals, no one knows who is behind them. The singer wears a mask with a wig, a costume and even gloves. The musicians have their head fully covered with a black piece of clothing so, unlike the singer, they don’t even have human features. Their show was short, just 30 minutes long. It was nothing shocking as a support band especially considering the few songs they have. It was good but, in my opinion, not very different from listening to an album. The absence of faces on stage is something I am not used to! Still, the President offered a good but slow warm up. Nothing was as heavy as what would come next, but nice to get the crowd in the mood! I wonder what the future holds for this band. Will they be a shooting star in the metal music sky, or will they manage to create their constellation?
The Frenchies of LANDMVRKS , however, started hard with their song "Creature" and the message was clear, it was time to move! The band is originally from Marseille, a city in France renowned for rap music, and some of their songs are a perfect mix between genres but always closer to metalcore. They lit up the crowd by initiating a big moshpit and their energy on stage was contagious. The songs were flowing while the crowd got warmer. Still LANDMVRKS knows how to give emotions. "La Valse du Temps" gave a little “break” with its sweet beginning and ending, reminiscent of old French classics with its poetry and slow tempo. They showed us they knew what they were doing and they truly deserved the recent international interest they have. This band was for sure perfect for preparing the public for Architects and they finished their setlist with "Self-Made Black Hole", maybe to nod to Architects’ song that would come later?
Architects , I have seen twice before and they never disappointed me. This show was no exception! They started with the first song of their last album, "Elegy", and they instantly started the fire. The setlist was a perfect blend of old and new songs with some classics such as "Deep Fake", "Gravedigger", "Doomsday" or "Animals". They put the crowd on their knees during "Whiplash", made us use our lights during "Everything Ends", and created a huge moshpit during "Blackhole" that started with a backflip! People were jumping, singing, screaming etc. Architects said they wanted us to have our best evening ever and for sure they did everything they could to give us an amazing experience! Nevertheless, Sam’s voice was maybe a bit weak during the first three or four songs on the high notes, but he was soon at full capacity again. Regarding what he is doing almost every night and how he can switch between screaming and clear singing, I guess that’s something quite normal. Architects have nothing to prove anymore: they are among the giants of the metalcore genre.
There was one problem this evening: the sound. It was far too loud for the President, and I saw a technician with a tablet checking everything at some point during Architects. As I had earplugs and it was better after the President, it didn’t bother me much, but I heard several people complaining about it. That will be my message: protect your ears!
Otherwise, the organization of the show was amazing, the security truly did a great job and people from the first row were often offered water, it is always appreciated! It was an amazing experience, and I can recommend you see those bands in the crowd if you have the opportunity and the capacity, so you’ll get the most of it!
Photos and report by Céline Fetel
Edited by Kerry Lynx