Biography
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Years Active
2007 – present (16 years)
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Founded In
Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Members
- Andrew Kingsley (2013 – present)
- Andrew Saunders (2015 – present)
- Brad Kennedy (2012 – 2013)
- Brayden Dyczkowski (2007 – 2013)
- Brittney Slayes (2007 – present)
Unleash the Archers is a Canadian heavy metal band from Victoria, BC. The band plays a fusion of traditional heavy metal with power metal and melodic death metal.
Unleash the Archers was formed in late 2007 by vocalist Brittney Hayes (a.k.a. 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. 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.
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.
The band's second album 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 and was set far into the future.
This album was a three-song EP released solely on 7-inch 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.
In February 2015 the band announced their signing with Napalm Records, and soon after the title, track listing and release date for their upcoming studio album Time Stands Still were revealed. The album was 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. This album was 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, who is also trained in jazz, on guitar.
On May 26, 2015, the band released the "Tonight We Ride" video, inspired by Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The video was filmed in the Nevada desert, using props from the Death Guild Thunderdome camp at Burning Man.
Since leaving for a tour of Europe in November 2016, Unleash the Archers mentioned they would be recording a new album at the end of 2016. This album would be the first to include current bassist, Nikko Whitworth. The first single, "Cleanse the Bloodlines" was released on April 8, 2017. Apex was released on June 2, 2017 through Napalm Records. The album debuted at No. 3 on iTunes metal charts, and became their first to make Billboard charts. The album debuted at No. 9 Heatseeker, No. 29 Top Hard Music Albums, No. 29 Record Label Independent Current Albums, No. 34 Top Current Rock Albums, No. 116 Overall Digital Albums, No. 119 Top Current Albums, and No. 197 Top Albums by Strata. It also debuted at No. 12 on Canadian Top Hard Music chart. The band announced they would be touring Europe, accompanying Orden Ogan, to promote the album in the fall of 2017, with a US tour to be announced. In end of January it was announced that bassist Nikko Witworth had decided to leave the band.
Brittney Hayes gave interviews and tweeted saying that they are currently working on an EP of covers with a "bit of a UTA spin" on them. They are also writing and recording a full-length album as a follow up to 2017's Apex to be released some time in 2020.
On August 30, 2019, the band released the first single off of the EP Explorers, a cover of Stan Rogers' "Northwest Passage". The full EP was released October 11, 2019.
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