The band formed in 2003 with the lineup of Jason Watkins, Gregory Lahm, Dave Mann, Alex Vernon and Derik Sommer.
They released their first album Time & Withering in 2004 to positive reviews.
Soon after the band released a split with label mates Kenoma in 2006, their second album The Ties That Blind was released in August, and featured Brent Hinds of Mastodon on guest vocals on one track. To support The Ties That Blind, the band toured extensively around the United States, first with These Arms Are Snakes in late 2006, then with 400 Blows and Unsane in May and June of 2007.
Their latest album, Quietly, was recorded after Lahm in turn left the band, with Vernon returning alongside newcomer Steve Brooks to jointly handle guitars and vocals, with Kevin Schindel providing bass. Soon after the release of the album by Translation Loss Records, Vernon left yet again, with Schindel filling the guitar void.
Schindel, Vernon, and Brooks have been members of the band Twelve Tribes at various points in the past.
Current lineup consists:
Jason Watkins - vocal, keyboards, samples;
Steve Brooks - guitar, vocal;
Kevin Schindel - guitar, vocal (Dead Blue Sky, Twelve Tribes);
Dave Mann - drums (Rune).
Joe Lester- bass guitar
Former members:
Alex Vernon - guitar, vocal;
Derik Sommer - bass guitar;
Brian Cook - bass guitar (Botch, These Arms Are Snakes, Russian Circles);
Dan Wilburn - guitar (The Science Logic);
Gregory Lahm - guitar, vocal (Droves, Vigils, Struck by Lightning).
https://mouthofthearchitect.bandcamp.com/
Harboring An Apparition
Mouth of the Architect Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Has decayed
All hope turned to dust
What was once held so close
Has decayed
All hope turned to dust
Has decayed
What was once held so close
Has decayed
With tired eyes
We've wept in defeat
Each step forward was lost
Then you were gone
We did nothing
We did nothing
We did nothing
We did nothing
We did nothing
To deserve this
The lyrics of Mouth of the Architect's song Harboring an Apparition convey a sense of loss, decay, and hopelessness. The repetition of the first three lines emphasizes the magnitude of what has been lost or deteriorated. The use of the phrase "all hope turned to dust" paints a bleak picture of a situation that has become irreparable - that there is no hope of salvaging what once was.
The fourth line, "what was once held so close has decayed," suggests that there was something that was once cherished, perhaps a relationship or a dream. The repetition of this line further emphasizes the loss that has occurred. The lines that follow describe a sense of defeat, exhaustion, and apathy. The phrase "each step forward was lost" suggests that progress has been made, but it has been fruitless. The line "then you were gone" adds another layer of pain or uncertainty - who is "you"? Did someone leave or die or disappear?
The repetition of "we did nothing" suggests that the singer(s) feel responsible for what has happened, even though they did not actively cause the decay or loss. This can also be seen as a metaphor for how we often feel after a traumatic event - that we could have done something to prevent it, even though we couldn't have. The overall sentiment of the song is one of despair and resignation - that sometimes things fall apart and there's nothing we can do about it.
Line by Line Meaning
What was once held so close
Something that was once treasured now no longer holds significance
Has decayed
It has rotted and fallen apart
All hope turned to dust
There is no longer any expectation or optimism
With tired eyes
Weary from experiencing disappointment
We've wept in defeat
We've cried over our failures
Each step forward was lost
Any positive progress made was for nothing
Then you were gone
A loss of something or someone important in our lives
We did nothing
We didn't take any action to prevent the loss or make things better
To deserve this
We didn't warrant or merit this negative outcome but still have to face it
Contributed by Alexander K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.