“They’re not getting rich from our concept”: Architects defend band who ‘ripped off’ their artwork

The lovely chaps in Architects have defended a German band called OS who have been accused of "ripping off" their For Those That Wish To Exist album cover.

OS' new video for Er Lebt (and accompanying artwork) caused quite the backlash online recently when fans noticed how it featured an astronaut inside a church… just like Architects' latest 5/5-rated record. Subsequently the band were forced to address the issue through their Instagram Stories (via Loudwire), stating that it was "never our intention to steal or copy anything from your favourite band".

The duo added that they made the connection when it was too "late" to amend anything, and that they "cannot and do not want to change our ideas about the portrayal of an astronaut, which the new single will be about and who was part of the song from the start".

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Commenting on the negative comments they've been receiving, OS stated, "The situation gives you no right to insult us entirely as musicians or people. We are open to constructive criticism and different opinions. We like to talk to you and exchange ideas – but we cannot and will not tolerate such insults.

"We’re really just a small band from northern Germany, we’re not rock stars," they added. "We work in normal jobs and just love making music. Our work and our music should generally underline that we enjoy what we do and that we don’t consciously want to copy and have not done in the past."

They also addressed the matter in an IGTV video, which is partly spoken in English. Watch that below:

Architects' Dan Searle took to Instagram to ask fans to "leave them in peace".

"Yes, the artwork is similar but… who cares? Life is too short to care about things like this," the drummer said. "They’re not getting rich from our concept. They’re not hurting anyone. Let’s channel that outrage to more worthy causes."

Speaking to Kerrang! about the concept of the thought-provoking For Those That Wish To Exist album cover, Dan explained last year, "It’s a reflection, I felt, of the natural world we live in and how we’ve become so totally removed and alien to it. It’s about us becoming divorced from that – and regaining a glimpse of it.”

Catch Architects live at the following dates next year:

February 2022

22 Leeds First Direct Arena
23 Glasgow SSE Hydro
25 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
26 London Alexandra Palace

March 2022

1 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena

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