Unleash the Archers - Abyss

Double vinyl LP pressing. 2020 release. Less than a year after the release of their covers EP Explorers, Canadian melodic power metal quartet Unleash the Archers have sharpened their arrows and hit the bullseye once again with their fifth full-length album, Abyss. Featuring 10 new tracks, this adventure is a concept album and sequel to 2017's Apex, and was once again recorded with legendary producer Jacob Hansen of Hansen Studios in Denmark. Abyss succeeds in showcasing the mind-blowing technical craftmanship of the young four-piece with the perfect mix of highly complex, catchy bangers and moody, synth-infused power ballads. Pairing traditional heavy sounds in the vein of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest with fast-paced power metal, the album is once again accented by frontwoman Brittney Slayes' raw four octave mezzo-soprano, shining both in powerful anthems like the outstanding title track "Abyss" as well as the fragile intro of the epic "The Wind That Shapes The Land", and contrasted with guttural screams on the soaring "Return To Me" or the transcendent album closer "Afterlife". The quartet from Vancouver has forged their own niche in the world of metal and cemented it with memorable live shows all over the world, and now, a lucky 13 years after their inception, they've delivered their strongest album to date.