Korn, Architects, and Pixel Grip

The band was formed out of three members of the experimental thrash metal band L.A.P.D. When that band broke up the remaining members, or at least the ones still talking to each other, drafted in vocalist Jonathan Davis and guitarist Brian “Head” Welch and heavy metal history was made.

They instantly made a splash, legend has it that they even drew a crowd outside the studio they recorded their demo tapes in, since their music was so thrillingly different to anything being released at the time.

By 1994 they’d released their self titled debut album, which remains one of the most influential rock albums of the 1990’s and has sold 10 million copies in the years since. This is especially astounding considering that in terms of lyrical content and musical style, Korn were up their with Nirvana in terms of sheer darkness.

The music can get very difficult to listen to at points, with Davis bravely opening up about childhood traumas with unflinching honesty, all the while backed with Welch’s dissonant, wrenching guitar riffs. With that in mind, their astronomic sales and influence becomes a testament to their ability to connect with the lost and distraught more than anything else, and if that’s not a truly inspiring thing then I don’t know what is.

Korn might not be the most critically acclaimed band around but the figures and the fans speak for themselves, and no matter what Pitchfork might think, they speak louder than anything else in the world of rock and roll.

All of the original members of Architects were intently involved with the Brighton music scene due them all growing up in the surrounding areas. They cross several genres with their technical music, the primary influences have been noted as ranging through artists from hardcore punk and heavy metal music with Meshuggah, Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Gojira and Thrice all noted as influencers. Sam Carter who was a drummer and studied drums at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music before joining Architects, had performed in multiple local bands, one of which had the opportunity of supporting Enter Shikari. Architects was born in 2004 when Drummer Dan Searle and his twin brother Guitarist Tom Searle began the project under the name Counting Days, until the addition of Matt Johnson, guitarist Tim Hillier-Brook and Tim Lucas on bass guitar continued as Architects.

After the release of their debut album Nightmares in May of 2006, the band were offered the opportunity to tour with several prolific artists including Beecher and Bring Me The Horizon, yet due to the age of the members at the time they had to book several weeks off college in order to continue their touring schedule. After their first album, Architects sound was forced to change dramatically due to the departure of lead vocalist Matt Johnson He was replaced by local musician Sam Carter who had been described by Searle as an 'easy choice'. After their next album 'Ruin' which took them on large headline tours in both the UK and the US they revealed they had been signed to Century Media Records for a three album deal. The first release was 'Hollow Crown' which made the first dent on the UK charts, placing it at #117 and was promoted with the band completing a 19 date headline tour of the United Kingdom before supporting Parkway Drive in Australia.

Their next album 'The Here and Now' was released in 2010 and saw the band's sound following a more commercial direction, with sales figures reflecting this as they charted at #57 in the UK, a substantial gain compared to its predecessor. Critics enjoyed the album, but fans were not impressed with the departure from the heavier, more technical sound they had first been attracted to. They slowly began to remedy this with their next releases, returning to the music they were first inspired to make, the outcomes were greatly rewarded as the 2014 release 'Lost Forever//Lost Together' saw them crack the top 20 of the UK and Australian album charts whilst making their first dent on the US billboard.