Architects frontman Sam Carter has opened up about what it was really like touring alongside two of the biggest rock bands on earth, and apparently Metallica greeted them with cake.
Speaking on The Jesea Lee Show, Carter described both Metallica and Linkin Park as dream touring partners, not just because of the crowds, but because of how genuinely welcoming they were behind the scenes.
“Metallica really know how to treat bands… Metallica, it’s, like, the first day we got flowers, we got a cake delivered by Hetfield,” Carter explained.
He also revealed that drummer Lars Ulrich regularly spent time hanging around with the band backstage, while James Hetfield would casually stop in to chat (per Blabbermouth).
A lesson on support acts
For Carter, the experience completely changed the way Architects think about supporting acts on their own tours.
“They really taught us to be on it with your supports,” he said. “Actually really make people feel welcome because that made us feel like a million bucks.”
According to Carter, the hospitality went far beyond a quick backstage hello.
After shows, Metallica reportedly invited Architects out for dinner almost every night, taking them to private restaurants despite having absolutely no obligation to do so.
“And they don’t need to do that,” Carter said.
“There’s no cameras. There’s nothing there. It’s just their TM and them bringing that stuff and just being, like, ‘Welcome to the tour. You need anything, we’ve got you.’”
He shared similar praise for Linkin Park, revealing that Mike Shinoda personally invited him into the band’s dressing room and even texted him about joining them on stage, for a band that grew up idolising both acts, the whole thing still feels surreal.
“It felt like a dream come true,” Carter said in a separate interview last year. “You’ve got that opportunity to support these two bands that when you were kids would be shocked if they knew we existed.”
The comments arrive as Architects continue riding momentum from their 2025 album The Sky, The Earth & All Between, a record that pushed the band further into melodic and experimental territory while still holding onto the heaviness that built their fanbase in the first place.
From Brighton pub shows to stadium tours with Metallica and Linkin Park, Architects have quietly become one of modern heavy music’s biggest success stories.
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