In August, breakout Canadian melodic metal quartet UNLEASH THE ARCHERS dropped one of the most highly-acclaimed albums of 2020, Abyss, sparking serious buzz in the metal and rock communities, and beyond. Deservingly, the conceptual benchmark scored banner praise from critics and fans alike, with Stereogum dubbing the opus “a ripper”, and Bandcamp enforcing it as “a mandatory listen”. Upon release, Abyss charted worldwide, debuting at the #1 spot on the US Current Hard Music and Top New Artist Albums charts, as well as #4 and #8 on the US and Canadian Billboard Top 200 Hard Rock charts, respectively.
Today, the band is following up on the album’s successes by throwing fans a hefty bonus in the form of a new video for the post-drop fan favorite “Legacy” – one of Abyss‘ standout anthems. Searing in with breakneck blastbeats, cosmic guitar work and frontwoman Brittney Slayes’ impeccable vocal delivery, the pop-tinged anthem single-handedly proves the band’s position as one of this generation’s premier heavy acts, bar none. The new video provides an introspective live-action backdrop to the track’s conceptual lyrics.
Frontwoman Brittney Slayes explains:
“This song means a lot to us as a band, it’s pretty different from everything that we’ve done before and really set the tone for the sonic exploration that is Abyss. When Andrew first brought the intro riff to us we immediately loved it, but we were a little hesitant as we felt our fans might not understand why we were choosing to include this style of track on the album. The hesitation was momentary though, as we all very quickly decided it was too cool not to continue writing, and luckily it seems like our fans have fallen in love with it as well. It’s quite theatrical, and yet somehow very simplistic as well.”
Thematically, UNLEASH THE ARCHERS‘new album Abyss is the direct sequel to the band’s 2017 album Apex. Beginning with a dreamlike acoustic introduction accented by the smoky beckonings of singer Brittney Slayes, opener “Waking Dream” quickly punches into a colossal wall of sound, setting the stage for the auditory escape that is Abyss. Powerful anthems such as the immense power metal-encapsulated title track “Abyss” and metallic pop-tinged earworm “Through Stars” conjure classic elements while maintaining an entirely fresh, forward-thinking approach. Guitarists Andrew Kingsley and Grant Truesdell turn heads with wicked work on stellar tracks such as “Legacy” (fans of artists like Devin Townsend and Astronoid, take note), while Slayes showcases her incredible vocal diversity and range on mighty epics like “Return To Me” and “The Wind That Shapes The Land”. Drummer Scott Buchanan makes technical strides on burners “Soulbound” and “Faster Than Light” – setting breakneck twists and turns ablaze with his bandmates. UNLEASH THE ARCHERS rounds the edge of Abyss with throwback-hued “Carry The Flame”, and wraps up with the soaring, rewarding concept closer “Afterlife”.
Abyss was once again engineered, mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen of Hansen Studios in Denmark (Volbeat, Delain, Amaranthe), with production by guitarist Andrew Kingsley. Additionally, transcendent closer track “Afterlife” features orchestration contributions from Francesco Ferrini of Italian symphonic death metal machine Fleshgod Apocalypse. Fans will notice that, unlike on Apex, Abyss incorporates a weighty dose of synth in the mix, and for the first time ever, all tracks were written on seven strings – adding to the massive expanse of the album’s sound as it explores the celestial realm.
Order Abyss in physical, digital and bundle formats HERE!