Unleash the Archers

Last updated

Unleash the Archers
UnleashThe Archers.jpg
Unleash the Archers performing in 2020
Background information
Origin British Columbia, Canada
Genres Power metal, melodic death metal, heavy metal
Years active2007–present
Labels Napalm
MembersBrittney Hayes (a.k.a. Brittney Slayes)
Scott Buchanan
Grant Truesdell
Andrew Kingsley
Nick Miller
Past membersMike Selman
Zahk Hedstrom
Brad Kennedy
Brayden Dyczkowski
Kyle Sheppard
Nikko Whitworth
Website unleashthearchers.com

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]

Contents

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. [14]

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. [17] 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.[ citation needed ]

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. [20]

On December 6, 2021, they announced via social media posts that bassist Nick Miller had become a full-time member of the band. [21] On May 3, 2022, the band announced via an Instagram post that they are in the writing phase of their next album. [22] 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. [23] The sixth studio album, Phantoma was later released on May 10, 2024. [24]

Band members

Current

Previous


Timeline

Unleash the Archers

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Videography/singles

Awards and nominations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napalm Death</span> English grindcore band

Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in Meriden, West Midlands in 1981. None of the band's original members have been in the group since 1986, but since Utopia Banished (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris, drummer Danny Herrera and lead vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway has remained consistent through most of the band's career. From 1989 to 2004, Napalm Death were a five-piece band after they added Jesse Pintado and Mitch Harris as replacements for guitarist Bill Steer. Following Pintado's departure, the band reverted to a four-piece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HammerFall</span> Swedish power metal band

HammerFall is a Swedish power metal band from Gothenburg. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffocation (band)</span> American death metal band

Suffocation is an American death metal band formed in 1988 in Centereach, New York, currently consisting of lead guitarist Terrance Hobbs, bassist Derek Boyer, rhythm guitarist Charlie Errigo, drummer Eric Morotti, and vocalist Ricky Myers. The band rose to prominence with their 1991 debut album Effigy of the Forgotten, which became a blueprint for death metal in the 1990s. Since then, Suffocation has recorded eight albums. These feature growled vocals with downtuned guitars, fast and complex guitar riffs and drumming, open chord notes and occasional breakdowns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DevilDriver</span> American heavy metal band

DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002, consisting of vocalist Dez Fafara, lead guitarist Mike Spreitzer, bassist Jon Miller, rhythm guitarist Alex Lee and drummer Davier Pérez. The band was originally named Deathride, however, due to copyright issues and the name being taken by several bands, the band changed its name to DevilDriver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nightrage</span> Greek/Swedish melodic death metal band

Nightrage is a Greek/Swedish melodic death metal band originally from Thessaloniki. They later re-located to Gothenburg, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evile</span> English thrash metal band

Evile are an English thrash metal band from Huddersfield, formed in 2004. They have experienced numerous line-up changes over the years, with drummer Ben Carter being the only member of the original line-up to have stayed consistently. The current line-up consists of Carter, lead guitarist and vocalist Ol Drake, bassist Joel Graham, and rhythm guitarist Adam Smith, who replaced Drake's older brother Matt in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napalm Records</span> Austrian record label

Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal, hard rock and folk/folk rock/folk metal. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label later expanded its roster by adding gothic metal, symphonic metal, power metal, doom metal, metalcore and nu metal bands, as well as stoner rock acts Monster Magnet, Karma to Burn, and Brant Bjork, and even folk bands like Ye Banished Privateers. Napalm has its own publishing house named Iron Avantgarde Publishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Agonist</span> Canadian metal band

The Agonist was a Canadian metalcore band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2004. The last known lineup consisted of lead guitarist Danny Marino, bassist Chris Kells, drummer Simon Mckay, rhythm guitarist Pascal "Paco" Jobin and lead vocalist Vicky Psarakis, who joined in March 2014 following the departure of vocalist and founding member Alissa White-Gluz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alestorm</span> Scottish pirate-themed heavy metal band

Alestorm are a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Perth, Scotland. Their music is characterised by a pirate theme, and as a result, they have been dubbed a "pirate metal" band by many critics and their fanbase. The group currently consists of lead vocalist/keytarist Christopher Bowes, bassist Gareth Murdock, drummer Peter Alcorn, keyboardist/harsh vocalist Elliot Vernon and guitarist Máté "Bobo" Bodor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitechapel (band)</span> American deathcore band

Whitechapel is an American deathcore band from Knoxville, Tennessee. The band is named after the Whitechapel district in East London, England, where Jack the Ripper committed a series of murders. The group comprises vocalist Phil Bozeman, lead guitarist Ben Savage, rhythm guitarist Alex Wade, bassist Gabe Crisp and third guitarist Zach Householder. Founded in 2006 by Bozeman and Savage, the band has released eight studio albums and fourteen music videos, and it's currently signed to Metal Blade Records. Whitechapel's 2010 album A New Era of Corruption, sold around 10,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release and debuted at position No. 43 on the Billboard 200 chart. The band's self-titled fourth album was released in 2012 and debuted at No. 47 on the Billboard 200, selling roughly 9,200 copies in its first week. In 2014 the band released their fifth full-length album, Our Endless War to generally positive reviews. The album sold roughly 16,000 copies in its first week and debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200. They released their sixth full-length album Mark of the Blade in 2016 to greater critical acclaim, selling roughly 8,000 copies in the first week of its release. In 2019, Whitechapel released their seventh album, The Valley, which debuted at No. 143 on the Billboard 200 also to critical acclaim. Their newest album, Kin, was released on October 29, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mortemia</span> Norwegian gothic metal one-man band

Mortemia is a Norwegian gothic metal one-man band created in 2009 by Morten Veland, the founder of Tristania and Sirenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragony</span>

Dragony is a power metal band from Vienna, Austria, which incorporates elements of symphonic metal in their style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clémentine Delauney</span> French singer

Clémentine Delauney is a French singer with a soprano vocal range who is currently singing for the symphonic metal bands Visions of Atlantis and Exit Eden. Previously she was the female backing vocalist for Austrian symphonic power metal band Serenity and the vocalist of French philharmonic metal band Whyzdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alissa White-Gluz</span> Canadian singer

Alissa White-Gluz is a Canadian singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy, and former lead vocalist and founding member of the Canadian metalcore band the Agonist. Her vocal style includes both growling and clean vocals (singing). Although primarily associated with melodic death metal and metalcore, she has appeared as a guest vocalist for power metal, symphonic metal and deathcore bands, notably Kamelot, Delain, Carnifex and Powerwolf, and has performed live with Nightwish and Tarja Turunen.

<i>Apex Predator – Easy Meat</i> 2015 studio album by Napalm Death

Apex Predator – Easy Meat is the fifteenth studio album by British grindcore band Napalm Death, released on 23 January 2015 through Century Media. Since the band recorded the album in segments, recording took almost a year. In advance of the release, Napalm Death issued details of the then upcoming album such as artwork and track listing as well as two new songs. The first video clip taken from Apex Predator coincided with the release. Reviews of Apex Predator were overwhelmingly positive, while it also entered a number of American and European charts.

<i>Apex</i> (album) 2017 album by Unleash the Archers

Apex is the fourth studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Unleash the Archers. It was released on June 2, 2017, through Napalm Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend (song)</span> 2018 single by Powerwolf

"Demons Are a Girl's Best Friend" is a song by German power metal band Powerwolf. It was a first single released from the album The Sacrament of Sin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powerwolf discography</span>

The German power metal band Powerwolf has released ten studio albums, four live albums, two video albums, three EPs, three box sets, two compilation albums, eighteen singles, and seventeen music videos.

<i>Abyss</i> (Unleash the Archers album) 2020 studio album by Unleash the Archers

Abyss is the fifth studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Unleash the Archers, released on 21 August 2020 via Napalm Records. It is a concept album that continues the story introduced in their previous studio effort, Apex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ad Infinitum (Swiss band)</span> Swiss symphonic metal band

Ad Infinitum is a Swiss/German symphonic metal band. Originally a solo project of Swiss singer Melissa Bonny, it turned into a full band with arrival of drummer Niklas Müller, bassist Jonas Asplind and guitarist Adrian Theßenvitz. The band signed a deal with Napalm Records in July 2019 and released a debut album, Chapter I: Monarchy, in April 2020. In December 2020, Asplind announced he was leaving the band due to health issues, to be replaced by Korbinian Benedict as the new bassist.

References

  1. Monger, James Christopher. "Unleash the Archers | Biography & History". AllMusic . Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  2. MacInnis, Allan (May 7, 2014). "Wacken Metal Battle shows genre's diversity". The Georgia Straight . Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Perilla, Johnny (July 29, 2018). "Unleash the Archers confirm North American tour". Next Mosh. Retrieved March 2, 2019.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. 1 2 Kitteringham, Sarah (November 24, 2014). "Vancouver power metallers Unleash the Archers (wo)man the ramparts". BeatRoute . Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  5. Kam, Chee (July 5, 2011). "Unleash The Archers - "Demons Of The AstroWaste" [Album Review]". Pure Grain Audio. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  6. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS Interview with Brittney Hayes of Unleash The Archers". metalmasterkingdom.com. September 9, 2013.
  7. "Vampster Album Review 2009". vampster.com. November 17, 2009.
  8. Dawes, Laina (May 11, 2010). "Unleash the Archers Behold the Devastation". exclaim.ca.
  9. Walschots, Natalie Zina (May 18, 2011). "Unleash the Archers: Demons of the Astrowaste". exclaim.ca.
  10. "BC Death metal band launches concept album (interview)". mondaymag.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  11. "Unleash The Archers – Demons of the AstroWaste", Hellbound.ca
  12. "Sonic Cathedral WebZine - Unleash the Archers - Defy the Skies". soniccathedral.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012.
  13. "Canada's UNLEASH THE ARCHERS Sign With Napalm Records". bravewords.com.
  14. 1 2 "Sonic Cathedral WebZine - Face-Off Challenge: Cradle of Filth & Unleash The Archers". www.soniccathedral.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  15. "Unleash The Archers (Wo)man the Ramparts (Interview)". beatroute.ca. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  16. "Singled Out: Unleash The Archers' Tonight We Ride". antiMusic. July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  17. 1 2 "Interview With Brittney Slayes". metalpit.ca. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  18. Unleash the Archers: Nikko Whitworth lascia la band.
  19. chuchocrdoba (March 21, 2019). ""We are writing and recording a new full-length album this year, and will hopefully be releasing it early 2020": Brittney Slayes". Metal to the Bone (in European Spanish). Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  20. Balazs, Nick (August 17, 2020). "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS – Seasons In The Abyss". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles . Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  21. "Unleash The Archers". Facebook. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  22. "Unleash The Archers on Instagram". Instagram. May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  23. "Unleash The Archers on Instagram". Instagram. November 11, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  24. "Unleash the Archers Announces New AI-Inspired Album "Phantoma"". Folk N Rock. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  25. "Show Review – "Unleashing the Omega Kingdom of Scythia" Vandala Magazine. July 4, 2013
  26. "Unleash The Archers - Dawn Of Ages [OFFICIAL VIDEO]", Youtube, May 20, 2011, retrieved February 21, 2023
  27. "Unleash The Archers - General Of The Dark Army (OFFICIAL VIDEO)", Youtube, May 17, 2012, retrieved February 21, 2023
  28. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Tonight We Ride (Official Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, May 27, 2015, retrieved February 21, 2023
  29. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Test Your Metal (Official Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, July 15, 2015, retrieved February 21, 2023
  30. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Time Stands Still (Official Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, December 1, 2016, retrieved February 21, 2023
  31. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Cleanse The Bloodlines (Official Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, April 8, 2017, retrieved February 21, 2023
  32. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Awakening (Full Band Playthrough Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, August 25, 2017, retrieved February 21, 2023
  33. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Northwest Passage (Official Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, August 30, 2019, retrieved February 21, 2023
  34. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Heartless World (Official Lyric Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, October 21, 2019, retrieved February 21, 2023
  35. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Abyss (Official Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, June 18, 2020, retrieved February 21, 2023
  36. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Soulbound (Official Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, July 15, 2020, retrieved February 21, 2023
  37. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Faster Than Light (Official Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, August 24, 2020, retrieved February 21, 2023
  38. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Legacy (Official Lyric Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, October 9, 2020, retrieved February 21, 2023
  39. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Falsewave (Official Lyric Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, September 13, 2022, retrieved February 21, 2023
  40. "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Acoustipex (Official Playthrough Video) | Napalm Records", Youtube, November 3, 2022, retrieved February 21, 2023
  41. Night of the Werewolves , retrieved September 14, 2023
  42. "POWERWOLF - Interludium / Earbook 3CD".
  43. UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Green & Glass (Official Video) , retrieved February 13, 2024
  44. UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Ghosts In The Mist (Official Performance Video) | Napalm Records . Retrieved April 25, 2024 via www.youtube.com.
  45. UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Seeking Vengeance (Official Video) | Napalm Records . Retrieved April 25, 2024 via www.youtube.com.
  46. UNLEASH THE ARCHERS - Blood Empress (Official Video) | Napalm Records . Retrieved May 9, 2024 via www.youtube.com.
  47. "Exclaim Magazine Readers Choice 2009". exclaim.ca.
  48. "Whammy Awards Vancouver 2015". whammys.ca. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  49. "JUNO Award Nominees". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved March 15, 2021.