Unleash the Archers: Into the Abyss

Power metal is far from the most popular of heavy music’s myriad of sub-genres at the moment. Often overlooked as cheesy and lacking in artistic merit, the sub-genre has fallen out of favour in recent years. But while there are plenty of bands in the scene that reinforce the stereotype, there are some truly special outfits out there that really shake the genre to its core. Enter Canadian quartet UNLEASH THE ARCHERS, who are back once again following their incredible opus Apex with Abyss – a direct sequel to Apex, and another exercise in masterful storytelling and conceptual brilliance.

“In Apex we were introduced to our main character, The Immortal. He’s a cursed being, forced to serve whoever awakens him. He sleeps for hundreds of thousands of years at a time and then is awakened by whoever needs to use him. In Apex he was awakened by The Matriarch, and she used him to find her four sons who are scattered all about and bring them to her so she can kill them in a ritual to achieve immortality. She had originally promised The Immortal she would set him free, but she betrayed him and forced him to sleep until she needed him again.” Explains vocalist and lyricist Brittney Slayes, detailing the plot of Apex before explaining where Abyss picks up.

“Abyss starts with The Immortal being awakened out in space, alone with The Matriarch nowhere to be seen. He finds out he was instead awakened by The Matriarch’s grandson, the son of one of the men The Immortal was forced to kill. He has stolen The Immortal and hopes to use him against The Matriarch to rid the universe of her once and for all.”

A worthy story indeed for a concept album. But one of the great things about concept records is how everything ties in together, from the lyrics and thematics to the music to the cover art – so how does the artwork of Abyss link into Slayes’ story for the record? “It’s a scene right out of the story. In The Wind That Shapes the Land, The Immortal is finally faced with having to do battle against The Matriarch.” Slayes explains. “This is the first moment he sees her again after she betrayed him in Apex and forced him back to sleep at her beck and call. It’s a super tense moment, who’s going to make the first move?”

So what’s next for The Immortal? Slayes has written a magnificent story that runs across Apex and Abyss, and the quality of her creative writing begs the question of whether Abyss is the end of The Immortal’s tale, or whether we can expect to see the two records turn into a trilogy. “There’s always room to expand it,” Slayes says, cautious to not give too much away. “Abyss ends with The Immortal having the whole universe ahead of him with nothing to stop him, so it could continue. I also have an idea for a prequel, and there’s talk of a spin off detailing what happened between The Matriarch and the grandson between the two records. There’s a lot of possibilities.”

Regardless of whether UNLEASH THE ARCHERS pick up the story of The Immortal for the next record, it’s clear that Slayes intentions for her IP don’t end with Abyss – rather, we could see a foray into the publishing world in the near future. “I really want to put out a two book graphic novel set for Apex and Abyss. All the little details and little bits and pieces can’t come through in the album – it would be too detailed and too confusing, I write the songs in a more abstract way so they can stand on their own and tell the story as concisely as possible. I would love to be able to put something out that the fans can read literally.”

It’s remarkably refreshing for a band to be so entrenched and so proud of their stories. Across Apex and Abyss, Slayes has created a wonderful chance for escapism – something greatly needed with the world on fire at the moment. And while politically conscious or emotion purging lyrics will always have their place in metal, sometimes, it’s nice to forget about the world.

“I personally listen to music to escape. I have so many stories floating around in my head, so I like to use music as my way of telling stories and to help the listener escape from the crap that’s going on.” Slayes explains, detailing the importance of escapism in music. “We deal with shit every day, we deal with the real world all the time. This is our chance to get away from that and to not think about it for a little while. I really enjoy writing these engrossing stories that get you emotionally involved with a fictional character so you can focus on their trials and tribulations instead of your own for a little while. Don’t fight it – just fly off into a fantastical world of your imagination!”

UNLEASH THE ARCHERS have the world at their fingertips. With two genre-breaking records at their helm, huge – but achievable – plans for the future and a body of work that lets the listener drift off into a new reality, it’s only a matter of time before the Canadians stand shoulder to shoulder with BLIND GUARDIAN and HELLOWEENat the top of the power metal tree.

Abyss is out now via Napalm Records. 

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