UNLEASH THE ARCHERS — Apex (review)

Album · 2017 · Power Metal

4.5/5 · 2017-08-04
Nightfly

Unleash The Archers started life as more of a melodic death metal band releasing their debut album Behold The Devastation back in 2009. Since then with each subsequent release they’ve moved further away from the melodeath upping the power metal quotient. Although the move away from death metal is not a factor in itself they’ve also got better with each release and album number four, Apex is pure power metal and the best of the lot.

Opener Awakening is a fantastic statement of intent. After an atmospheric start unison drum/guitar staccato fills lead into fast double kick drum driven riffing. It may be the kind of beginning you’d expect from a power metal album but it works to perfection with an infectious and memorable hook. Guitars shred on some particularly melodic solo work and vocalist Brittney Slayes is the icing on the cake with her powerful and clean tones with no shortage of range. She’s always been a great singer but is better than ever now and matured into one of the best female singers in metal. She doesn’t sound like she’s trying as hard to prove herself here with less histrionics and all the better for it. It’s always worrying after such a great start that things go downhill but fortunately that’s not the case with song after song of rhythmically inventive melodic metal. Drummer Scott Buchanan is the lynchpin in all this with some brilliant playing including some imaginative double kick drum work that’s not all repetitive linear 16th or 32nd notes. Sure they have their place but sometimes they can be overdone a bit in metal. Check out Cleanse The Bloodlines for proof. Songs like False Walls offer a welcome change of pace, slowing things down somewhat from the typically speedier stuff. Title track Apex is a highlight with some light and shade added to the predominantly heavier riffing which kicks in as expected and has a bit of an Iron Maiden feel, galloping rhythms and all. It has one of the albums strongest melodies too as well as some particularly memorable instrumental work.

Perhaps because they’re from Canada and their melodeath beginnings Apex occupies a place somewhere between the more saccharine European power metal sound and the heavier USA counterpart. Generally my preference is for the USA variety but they’ve really got the balance between melody and heaviness spot on here. Besides Slayes brilliant singing they have sometimes used extreme metal style vocals, in this case more like a black metal rasp than a death growl. They’ve become less frequent over each album and don’t intrude much on Apex which is a good thing as they’re far from the best example I’ve heard and add nothing. When you have a vocalist this good why bother! Not that I have anything against this style in general – I love death metal as many here at MMA know, but this is the only negative on an otherwise brilliant piece of work.

I quite enjoyed Unleash The Archers previous albums but for me this stands head and shoulders above all of them including Time Stands Still which I know is highly regarded by many. This band are at the top of their game so it shouldn’t be too much trouble for them to continue quality releases like this. More of the same next time please.

more than 2 years ago
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voila_la_scorie wrote:

more than 2 years ago

My first and only purchase so far. I love the opening track. The rest are good but haven't grabbed me yet. I'm considering Time Stands Still for later.

MorniumGoatahl wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I enjoyed this band to a point up until Time Stands Still but I think they really upped their game with that one. I enjoy it and this one about the same personally.

Nightfly wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Sometimes something just hits a spot with a particular album and nothing after that is ever as good even when the general consensus may say otherwise. Happened to me on a number of occasions.

adg211288 wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Keep feeling like I've missed something with this one by rating it lower than Time Stands Still. Almost everyone seems to be saying that it's a considerably stronger release.