On Friday night, just before Killswitch Engage put on a blistering headline set, Bloodstock Open Air revealed that, alongside the likes of Amon Amarth, Clutch, Septicflesh, Rotting Christ and other beloved metal mainstays, Brighton metalcore heavyweights Architects would not only be playing the festival for the first time in 2024, but would be headlining the Saturday night. It'll come five years after Architects' Aussie peers Parkway Drive occupied the very same slot - an announcement that was initially greeted with plenty of surprise, some heated debate and, from certain vocal corners of the metal world, a dash of cynicism. Bloodstock was, after all, supposed to be the premier destination for true, iron-clad heavy metal. What did these clean-cut, surfer-bro breakdown lovers think they were doing here?
Of course, Parkway absolutely smashed it - to the surprise of no one who had actually witnessed their increasingly fiery, bombastic stage shows in recent years. Undoubtedly, Architects will smash it in a year's time, too. What's most interesting about their addition to Bloodstock's bill, however, is that it received almost no backlash whatsoever. Sure, there were a handful of moaners shuffling around on social media ("Architects? Surely a band for the Download crowd!" cried one follower on Bloodstock's Instagram page). But, by and large, the reaction to their booking has been overwhelmingly positive. For a festival that once received flak for putting Hatebreed on their bill (yes, really), that's some serious progress.
