Unleash the Archers explained

Unleash the Archers
Landscape:yes
Origin:British Columbia, Canada
Genre:Power metal, melodic death metal, heavy metal
Years Active:2007–present
Label:Napalm
Current Members:
  • Brittney Hayes (a.k.a. Brittney Slayes)
  • Scott Buchanan
  • Grant Truesdell
  • Andrew Kingsley
  • Nick Miller
Past Members:
  • Mike Selman
  • Zahk Hedstrom
  • Brad Kennedy
  • Brayden Dyczkowski
  • Kyle Sheppard
  • Nikko Whitworth

Unleash the Archers is a Canadian power metal band from British Columbia. The band plays a fusion of power metal,[1] [2] [3] [4] melodic death metal,[3] [4] and traditional heavy metal.[5]

History

2007–2015: Formation and indie years

Unleash the Archers was formed in late 2007 by vocalist Brittney Hayes (a.k.a. Brittney Slayes) and drummer Scott Buchanan with former member Brayden Dyczkowski on guitar, with whom Scott had previously played in an independent death metal project.[6] Former member Mike Selman was brought on after he departed from Canadian death metal band Meatlocker Seven. The position of bass player was unfilled for the first few months of Unleash the Archers' career until Zahk Hedstrom joined in October 2007 to complete the lineup. In late 2008, the band recorded a self-titled four-song demo, which featured two songs they would end up re-recording for their first studio album.

Their debut studio album, Behold the Devastation, was recorded with Jason Hywell Martin at Omega Mediacore Studios in Richmond, British Columbia, and released independently in August 2009. This album was the only one to feature the band's original lineup.[7] [8]

The band's second album, Demons of the AstroWaste, was recorded with Nick Engwer and Stu McKillop at the Hive Soundlab in Burnaby, British Columbia, and released independently in May 2011. This album included the first appearance of guitarist Grant Truesdell, who provided solos for their songs "Battle in the Shadow (of the Mountain)" and "The Outlander". He would step in as the new guitar player later that same year after the departure of Mike Selman before the recording. The album was a concept album based on the exploits of a mercenary in space[9] and was set far into the future.[10] [11]

In 2012, the band released Defy the Skies. This album was a three-song EP released solely on 7-inch vinyl. A bonus fourth track titled "Arise" was given to those who pre-ordered; it was later released on the band's Bandcamp page in digital format only. This record also marked the departure of original bassist Zahk Hedstrom.[12]

2015–present: Signing with Napalm Records

In February 2015, the band announced their signing with Napalm Records.[13] Soon after, the title, track listing and release date for their upcoming studio album Time Stands Still were revealed. The album was released in Europe on June 26 and in North America on July 10. It was originally slated for a late-summer or early-fall 2014 release but was pushed back after Napalm Records signed the band.[14] It was the first album without Brayden Dyczkowski, who had been one of the main songwriters up until he parted with the band in late 2013; this lineup change had affected the band's sound and driven it towards a more traditional heavy metal direction with the addition of Andrew Kingsley, who is also trained in jazz, on guitar.[15]

On May 26, 2015, the band released the "Tonight We Ride" video, inspired by Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.[16] The video was filmed in the Nevada desert, using props from the Death Guild Thunderdome camp at Burning Man.

Since leaving for a tour of Europe in November 2016,[17] Unleash the Archers mentioned they would be recording a new album at the end of 2016. This album would be the first to include then-bassist Nikko Whitworth. The first single, "Cleanse the Bloodlines," was released on April 8, 2017. Apex was released on June 2, 2017, through Napalm Records. The album debuted at No. 3 on the iTunes metal charts, and became the first to make the Billboard charts. The album debuted at No. 9 Heatseeker, No. 29 Top Hard Music Albums, No. 29 Record Label Independent Current Albums, No. 34 Top Current Rock Albums, No. 116 Overall Digital Albums, No. 119 Top Current Albums, and No. 197 Top Albums by Strata. It also debuted at No. 12 on the Canadian Top Hard Music chart. The band announced they would be touring Europe, accompanying Orden Ogan, to promote the album in the fall of 2017, with a US tour to be announced. At the end of January, it was announced that bassist Nikko Whitworth had decided to leave the band.[18]

Brittney Hayes gave interviews and tweeted, saying they are currently working on an EP of covers with a "bit of a UTA spin" on them. [19]

On August 30, 2019, the band released the first single off of the EP Explorers, a cover of Stan Rogers' "Northwest Passage". The full EP was released on October 11, 2019.[20]

In August 2020, they released their fifth full-length album, Abyss, continuing the story of Apex. They also revealed they have plans to release a graphic novel with the story told on both albums.[21]

On December 6, 2021, they announced via social media posts that bassist Nick Miller had become a full-time member of the band.[22] On May 3, 2022, the band announced via an Instagram post that they are in the writing phase of their next album.[23] On November 11, 2022, Brittney Slayes commented during an Instagram livestream that their next album was also a concept album, this time with a post-apocalyptic setting and that they were aiming for a fall 2023 release.[24] The sixth studio album, Phantoma was later released on May 10, 2024.[25]

Band members

Current

Previous

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Videography/singles

Awards and nominations

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Unleash the Archers Biography & History. Monger. James Christopher. AllMusic. March 2, 2019.
  2. Web site: Wacken Metal Battle shows genre's diversity. MacInnis. Allan. May 7, 2014. The Georgia Straight. March 2, 2019.
  3. Web site: Unleash the Archers confirm North American tour. Perilla. Johnny. July 29, 2018. Next Mosh. March 2, 2019.
  4. Web site: Vancouver power metallers Unleash the Archers (wo)man the ramparts. Kitteringham. Sarah. November 24, 2014. BeatRoute. March 2, 2019. May 27, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150527043238/http://beatroute.ca/2014/11/24/vancouver-power-metallers-unleash-the-archers-woman-the-ramparts/. dead.
  5. Web site: Unleash The Archers - "Demons Of The AstroWaste" [Album Review]]. Kam. Chee. July 5, 2011. Pure Grain Audio. March 2, 2019. July 3, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200703014632/https://puregrainaudio.com/reviews/unleash-the-archers-demons-of-the-astrowaste. dead.
  6. Web site: UNLEASH THE ARCHERS Interview with Brittney Hayes of Unleash The Archers. September 9, 2013. metalmasterkingdom.com.
  7. Web site: Vampster Album Review 2009. vampster.com. November 17, 2009 .
  8. Web site: Unleash the Archers Behold the Devastation. exclaim.ca. Dawes. Laina. May 11, 2010.
  9. Web site: Unleash the Archers: Demons of the Astrowaste. exclaim.ca. Walschots. Natalie Zina. May 18, 2011.
  10. Web site: BC Death metal band launches concept album (interview). mondaymag.com. April 15, 2015. November 5, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161105145810/http://www.mondaymag.com/lifestyles/135772083.html. dead.
  11. http://www.hellbound.ca/2011/05/unleash-the-archers-demons-of-the-astrowaste/ "Unleash The Archers – Demons of the AstroWaste"
  12. Web site: Sonic Cathedral WebZine - Unleash the Archers - Defy the Skies. https://web.archive.org/web/20121115043335/http://www.soniccathedral.com/webzine/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=761&Itemid=35. dead. November 15, 2012. soniccathedral.com.
  13. Web site: Canada's UNLEASH THE ARCHERS Sign With Napalm Records. bravewords.com.
  14. Web site: Sonic Cathedral WebZine - Face-Off Challenge: Cradle of Filth & Unleash The Archers. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924103817/http://www.soniccathedral.com/webzine/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1233. dead. September 24, 2015. www.soniccathedral.com. July 16, 2015.
  15. Web site: Unleash The Archers (Wo)man the Ramparts (Interview). beatroute.ca. April 15, 2015. May 27, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150527043238/http://beatroute.ca/2014/11/24/vancouver-power-metallers-unleash-the-archers-woman-the-ramparts/. dead.
  16. Web site: Singled Out: Unleash The Archers' Tonight We Ride. antiMusic. July 20, 2015. July 9, 2015.
  17. Web site: Interview With Brittney Slayes. metalpit.ca. December 28, 2018. April 10, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190410202306/http://themetalpit.org/brittney2016/. dead.
  18. http://www.truemetal.it/news/unleash-the-archers-nikko-whitworth-lascia-la-band-96110 Unleash the Archers: Nikko Whitworth lascia la band
  19. Web site: "We are writing and recording a new full-length album this year, and will hopefully be releasing it early 2020": Brittney Slayes. chuchocrdoba. March 21, 2019. Metal to the Bone. es-ES. May 31, 2019.
  20. Web site: 2019-08-07 . Unleash the Archers - Explorers . 2024-06-01 . Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives.
  21. Web site: Balazs . Nick . UNLEASH THE ARCHERS – Seasons In The Abyss . . 12 September 2020 . 17 August 2020.
  22. Web site: Unleash The Archers. Facebook . 6 December 2021 . 6 December 2021 .
  23. Web site: Unleash The Archers on Instagram. Instagram . 8 May 2022 . 3 May 2022 .
  24. Web site: Unleash The Archers on Instagram. Instagram . 19 February 2023 . 11 November 2022 .
  25. Web site: Unleash the Archers Announces New AI-Inspired Album "Phantoma" . Folk N Rock . February 13, 2024 . February 13, 2024.
  26. http://vandalamagazine.com/2013/07/04/show-review-unleashing-the-omega-kingdom-of-scythia/ "Show Review – "Unleashing the Omega Kingdom of Scythia" Vandala Magazine. July 4, 2013
  27. Web site: POWERWOLF - Interludium / Earbook 3CD .
  28. UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Ghosts In The Mist (Official Performance Video) Napalm Records . en . 2024-04-25 . www.youtube.com.
  29. UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Seeking Vengeance (Official Video) Napalm Records . en . 2024-04-25 . www.youtube.com.
  30. UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Blood Empress (Official Video) Napalm Records . en . 2024-05-09 . www.youtube.com.
  31. Web site: Exclaim Magazine Readers Choice 2009. exclaim.ca.
  32. Web site: Whammy Awards Vancouver 2015. whammys.ca. December 18, 2016. August 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190813180131/http://whammys.ca/2015-awards-nominees/. dead.
  33. Web site: JUNO Award Nominees. 2021-03-15. The JUNO Awards. en-US.

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