Unleash the Archers
Unleash The Archers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Genres | Heavy metal, power metal, melodic metal, extreme metal, speed metal |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Napalm Records |
| Members | Brittney Slayes Scott Buchanan Grant Truesdell Andrew Kingsley Kyle Sheppard |
| Website | www |
Unleash The Archers is a Canadian heavy metal band from Victoria, BC,[1] currently signed with Napalm Records. The band plays a fusion of traditional heavy metal with power metal and melodic metal.[2][3]
History
Early Years
Unleash The Archers was formed in late 2007 by vocalist Brittney Slayes and drummer Scott Buchanan with former member Brayden Dyczkowski on guitar, whom Scott had played with previously in an independent death metal project.[4] Former member Mike Selman was brought on after his departure 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.
Behold The Devastation
Their debut studio album was recorded with Jason Hywell Martin at Omega Mediacore Studios in Richmond, BC and was released independently in August 2009. This was the only album to feature the band’s original lineup in its entirety.[5][6]
Demons Of The AstroWaste
The band's sophomore effort was recorded with Nick Engwer and Stu McKillop at the Hive Soundlab in Burnaby, BC and was released independently in May 2011. This album features two solos from Grant Truesdell, who would step in as the new guitar player later that same year after the departure of Mike Selman prior to the recording. The album was a concept album based on the exploits of a mercenary in space[7] and was set far into the future.[8][9]
Defy The Skies
This album was a three song EP released solely on 7” vinyl. A bonus fourth track titled ‘Arise’ was given to those that pre-ordered, but was later released on the band’s bandcamp page in digital format only. This record also marked the departure of original bassist Zahk Hedstrom.[10]
Time Stands Still
In February 2015 the band announced their signing with Napalm Records,[11] and soon after the title, track listing and release date for their upcoming studio album Time Stands Still were revealed. The album is scheduled to be released in Europe on June 26 and in North America on July 10. The album was originally slated for a late-Summer/early-Fall 2014 release, but the release was pushed back after the band was signed by Napalm Records.[12] This album will be the first without Brayden Dyczkowski, who had been one of the main songwriters up until his parting with the band in late 2013; this lineup change has affected the band's sound and driven it towards a more traditional heavy metal direction with the addition of Andrew Kingsley on guitar.[13]
On May 26, 2015, the band released the "Tonight We Ride" video, inspired by Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.[14] The video was filmed in the Nevada desert, using props from the Death Guild Thunderdome camp at Burning Man.[12]
Band members
- Current members
- Brittney Slayes - clean vocals (2007–present)[15]
- Scott Buchanan - drums (2007–present)
- Grant Truesdell - guitar, unclean vocals (2011–present)
- Andrew Kingsley - guitar, unclean vocals (2013–present)
- Nikko Whitworth - bass (2016–present)
- Previous members
- Mike Selman - guitar (2007-2011)
- Zahk Hedstrom - bass (2007-2012)
- Brad Kennedy - bass (2012-2013)
- Brayden Dyczkowski - guitar, unclean vocals (2007-2013)
- Kyle Sheppard - bass (2014–2016)
- Timeline
Discography
- Studio albums
- 2009: Behold the Devastation (Independent)
- 2011: Demons of the AstroWaste (Independent)
- 2015: Time Stands Still (Napalm Records)
- EP's
- 2012: Defy the Skies (Spread the Metal Records)
- Demos
- 2008: Unleash the Archers (Independent)
- 2014: Dreamcrusher (Independent)
- Videography/Singles
- 2011: Dawn of Ages, taken from Demons of the AstroWaste
- 2012: General of fhe Dark Army taken from Demons of the AstroWaste
- 2015: Tonight We Ride, taken from Time Stands Still
- 2015: Test Your Metal, taken from Time Stands Still
Awards
Voted #6 in Exclaim Magazine’s Readers Choice Awards for Best Metal Albums 2009[16]
References
- ^ "Unleash The Archers". All Access Rock Music Magazine.
- ^ "Wacken Metal Battle shows genre’s diversity". Georgia Strait, by Allan MacInnis on May 7th, 2014
- ^ 'Unleash The Archers – "Demons Of The AstroWaste"'. PureGrainAudio
- ^ "UNLEASH THE ARCHERS Interview with Brittney Hayes of Unleash The Archers". metalmasterkingdom.com. September 9, 2013.
- ^ "Vampster Album Review 2009". vampster.com.
- ^ Dawes, Laina (May 11, 2010). "Unleash the Archers Behold the Devastation". exclaim.ca.
- ^ Walschots, Natalie Zina (May 18, 2011). "Unleash the Archers: Demons of the Astrowaste". exclaim.ca.
- ^ "BC Death metal band launches concept album (interview)". mondaymag.com.
- ^ "Unleash The Archers – Demons of the AstroWaste", Hellbound.ca
- ^ "Sonic Cathedral WebZine - Unleash the Archers - Defy the Skies". soniccathedral.com.
- ^ "Canada's UNLEASH THE ARCHERS Sign With Napalm Records". bravewords.com.
- ^ a b "Sonic Cathedral WebZine - Face-Off Challenge: Cradle of Filth & Unleash The Archers". www.soniccathedral.com. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ^ "Unleash The Archers (Wo)man the Ramparts (Interview)". beatroute.ca.
- ^ "Singled Out: Unleash The Archers' Tonight We Ride". antiMusic. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "Show Review – “Unleashing the Omega Kingdom of Scythia” Vandala Magazine. July 4, 2013
- ^ "Exclaim Magazine Readers Choice 2009". exclaim.ca.
External links
