Despite a lengthy keyboard intro, which introduces Smirnoff to the Labyrinth fans perfectly, Labyrinth waste no time at all with the hard-hitting opening number Bullets. A great twin-guitar riff, backed up by some frantic drumming from Macaluso, gets the song proper underway. Despite being a power metal act, Labyrinth have never been one to play at fast tempos all of the time for the sake of it, and this song moves along at a solid mid-pace throughout it's duration and is spearheaded by a great vocal performance from Tiranti. The choruses are quite dramatic, with a tough guitar backing, but it is the choruses where the song comes live. Fluid keyboard leads dominate the chorus' sound, and Tiranti's romantic and smooth vocals really ooze out of the speakers. Both of the band's guitarists, and keyboardist Smirnoff, get a chance to solo during an explosive instrumental section part-way through the song that really highlights the musical prowess of the band early on. Opening with a powerful bassline from Mazzucconi, Still Alive is another strong mid-paced song with plenty of crunch. The main riffs are simple, but solid, with a strong keyboard backing, but the verses take on a mellower feel, with prominent acoustic guitars and a slightly more toned down vocal performance. The song is pretty varied throughout however, with a more upbeat chorus with some really gorgeous melodies, and some excellent keyboard-led instrumental parts with some faster double bass drumming. All of the different parts fit together nicely however and things never feel contrived or bolted together. After two somewhat measured songs, Take on my Legacy really hits the ground running and is the first real dose of power metal on the album with a really fast drum beat that never seems to let up throughout. While I feel the more mid-paced material suits the band's overall style better, it is still great fun to see the band cut loose like this with some slightly thrashier guitar riffs to suit Macaluso's drumming. As you would expect, the guitar solo section is a real shred fest. Thörsen starts the instrumental section off before Cantarelli takes over; with both delivering some excellent fretboard pyrotechnics. A New Dream returns to the more measured approach of the opening two numbers and has the appearance of a quasi-ballad, although it does get somewhat heavier as it goes along. A strong acoustic guitar opening soon gives way a lush metal backing with plenty of keyboard textures and a really smooth vocal delivery. The chorus is based around simple melodies, but is delivered with so much conviction that it immediately stands out. Someone Says is another song with a strong power metal vibe, but this time relying on heroic melodies rather than speed. A great harmony guitar intro gets the song off to a strong start, with a driving rhythm to back it up, before acoustic guitars once again dominate the verse. The vibe still remains a very metal one however, as Tiranti's cuts loose a little more vocally and delivers a really memorable performance. The song does not stay acoustic-based for long, and the choruses in particular are heavier and retain that driving beat from the song's opening. A short, but sweet, guitar solo section is followed by a piano-led movement that really helps to shake things up a bit and provide some variety in what is mostly a guitar-dominated album. Smirnoff's playing is once again featured heavily on the short instrumental piece Random Logic. It is essentially a piano piece, with some excellent booming chords and ominous melodies, with a ghostly spoken-word piece placed on top. It acts as an extended intro to the album's title track which is up next.
Architecture of a God is the album's longest song and, unsurprisingly, it has a rather progressive feel. Lots of different sections are pieced together here to create an epic song that is packed full of atmosphere. Acoustic guitars and haunting keyboards are the order of the day for the opening section which really sets the mood with some stunning vocals from Tiranti. Heavier sections follow, which all start with a strident power chord riff that really kick the song into action; but it is the mix of light and shade that make this song so enjoyable. The acoustic-led sections sit well alongside the heavier moments and the song really feels like is contains all of the best parts of Labyrinth's sound. For this reason, I feel that it is probably the strongest song on the album and a really excellent slab of progressive power metal. Another instrumental piece, Children, follows and continues the band's early tradition of covering an Italian synth-pop song on their albums. Both Return to Heaven Denied and Sons of Thunder had covers of this nature, and Children is another interesting metal take on a piece of music which is probably as far from metal as you can be! It is essentially centred around guitar solos and melodies from the band's two guitarists, but Smirnoff's keyboards also dominate in places with some excellent synth sounds to balance out the heaviness of the guitars. Those Days is more of a typical fare for the band, with gorgeous acoustic guitar melodies and a soaring guitar intro from Thörsen that is packed full of tortured emotion. The song is another pseudo-ballad, with lots of downbeat and mellow sections, but the band does raise the energy at certain points throughout like during the heavier choruses. This is the sort of song I associate with Labyrinth the most, as they seem to be able to make these slightly mellower songs work a lot better than many other power metal acts do. Tiranti's vocal style is a large factor in this, and the band a certainly a stronger force when he is in the ranks! We Belong to Yesterday is a heavier song with a strong chugging guitar sound throughout and a really powerful drumming presence. Again, the song sticks mainly to the tried and tested mid-paced metal sound the band is comfortable with but still manages to pack a punch with plenty of soaring melodies and a fluid bassline throughout. The heaviness really picks up towards the end with some really doomy riffs that soon give way to another impressive solo section again featuring bot guitarists. Stardust and Ashes is another fast song, and this one really hits the spot with a great galloping feel and some excellent drumming throughout. Tiranti cuts loose a little more again vocally with some higher notes reached and a more in-your-face delivery used overall. The song is not as catchy as many of the band's other numbers, but as far as giving the album a late kick musically this really does the job. I would say it is one the better faster songs the band have done in their career so far and having the veteran drummer Macaluso in the ranks now probably helped give this song the boost it needed. There is even a short, melodic bass solo towards the end! The album comes to a close with the short Diamond that shimmers with lots of different keyboard textures and spacey guitar sounds. It has an odd sound, but works surprisingly well as an album closer with Tiranti's slightly mournful vocal added. Overall, Architecture of a God is a very strong comeback for the Italian band and is easily their best work since Return to Heaven Denied. There is a good mix of styles here, but the songwriting is strong enough to make it all work together nicely and still produce a powerful and cohesive album.
The album was released on 21st April 2017 via Frontiers Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Bullets.
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