Unleash the AI. It’s been just shy of two months since Canadian power metal band Unleash the Archers came out with their latest studio album “Phantoma“. Long enough for any hype to have settled, and the surrounding AI controversies to have dissipated (…more on this later). Neither of these factors contributed to the delay in writing this review. But truth be told, I’ve found it harder to connect with this album than with past titles in the band’s discography. So it took more time than usual to fully evaluate this release.
“Phantoma” is the fourth conceptual album by Unleash The Archers. They first experimented with this format on 2011’s “Demons of the AstroWaste, but it was the connected saga of “Apex” (2017) and “Abyss” (2020) where it was undeniably perfected. With “Phantoma“, Unleash the Archers had the prescience to craft a fictional story around the topic of artificial intelligence, not knowing that the world was on the cusp of being changed forever with the arrival of ChatGPT. As you could likely imagine, this technology presented some unique opportunities for Unleash The Archers whilst they were in the midst of producing their album. Though you can rest assured, for it was only ever used very sparingly when it came to the songwriting process. Only a few AI-generated words (or phrases) were incorporated into one of their songs, and it was mostly added for the novelty value. The music and lyrics that you hear on “Phantoma” is still very much from the magnanimous minds of lead vocalist Brittney Slayes and company: Grant Truesdell (Guitars, Vocals), Andrew Saunders (Guitars, Vocals), Scott Buchanan (Drums), and Nick Miller (Bass).
With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s discuss the new album. As soon as “Human Era” starts, it’s obvious that Unleash The Archers are trying something a bit different this time around. It’s a slower start, easing you into the album with a mid-tempo, prog-rock number. The sci-fi influence is easily prominent, thanks to the electronic synth elements helping to give it a more futuristic vibe (in much the same vein as “Abyss” before it). As a means of setting up the tone and atmosphere for the album, it largely succeeds. However, you can also feel the narrative weight of this song. A burden which Slayes as the narrator does her best to carry, but it’s ultimately just too much at times. There is precious little in the way of memorability here as well, at least by typical UTA standards. The next track, “Ph4/NT0mA” fares somewhat better. Bringing us closer to the more “classic” Unleash The Archers style we all know and love, with the soaring vocals and fast drum beats leading listeners into the mammoth chorus: “I long to be free at last // Searching inside me to find // Phantoma“.
But third track “Buried In Code” is the first real highlight for me. It appeals to my inner programmer. Especially in the chorus. “Line by line // I’m working it overtime” are lyrics which I can definitely relate to during my day job. And it’s the only song on here with ample catchiness to get stuck in my head, even when I’m not listening to the album. “The Collective” is another high point, in large part due to its second half, and the repetitive loop of the lyric: “We are the collective“. It’s worth noting that Slayes also reaches a few satisfying high notes at the end, and it’s important to savour these kinds of moments if they occur, because they are less of a norm on this album.
Indeed, her vocals sound more subdued on the whole. They are still great – don’t get me wrong. But they’re lacking the same intensity that we’ve come to expect from her over the years. This makes a nice segue for talking about the next track, “Green & Glass“. As this is where the problems I have with this album return, and the band starts to lose me again. I’ll be honest and just say that I really don’t like this song. It’s the weakest song on the album, which makes its promotion all the more perplexing. At any rate, it epitomises my previous criticisms. Slayes’ performance sounds very wishy-washy, and at times, effect-heavy. And it’s almost as if her role as narrator has taken precedence over her kick-ass singing duties.
The album really drops off in the second half too. “Gods in Decay“, for example, takes the commercialised approach introduced by prior album “Abyss“ to even greater depths. Plus, how about the rather clichéd 80’s power ballad, “Give it Up or Give It All“? All of these are troubling signs. That’s not to say that “Abyss” was a bad album by the way. It had lots of highlights. “Legacy“, in particular, will forever be one of my all-time favourite UTA songs. But I’m not sure that this style should be pushed any further. Even the likes of “Ghosts in the Mist“, which should be a fantastic tune in theory, falls disappointingly flat. There is an interesting enough guitar hook, but the rest of it sounds bland. And it doesn’t help that the band seemingly put little enthusiasm into the track. This is something of a recurring theme now. It all feels like a muted affair. The production does not help in this regard either. As the usually incendiary vocals of Slayes are sometimes extinguished by the rest of the mix. The sound engineer can’t take all the blame though, as there is a concerted effort on the part of Slayes to scale back her vocal intensity as well. One can only wonder why. And I admit it is likely a relative observation too. It’s probably much more striking to long-time fans who are more familiar with the band’s backlog. “Seeking Vengeance” at least restores some faith that the old UTA are still alive and well. Although it’s almost too little, too late at this point. And is immediately counteracted by the plodding energy of “Blood Empress” in any regard. Although I did appreciate the referential nod to Slayes‘ stage-name in this last song’s lyrics.
I stand before my people, fresh out of the fight
Unleash the Archers – Blood Empress
I’ve taken every step to put wrongs to right
And though at times I may have lost sight of the way
With no one there to stop me, I came to slay
Despite this proclamation, it still feels like that killer instinct is missing somewhat. They no longer sound hungry. Everything is a bit more rote, like a band that is just going through the motions. Perhaps that’s unfair to say, but I cannot help but to compare this release to their past work, and the difference is palpable. It may simply be a reflection of where they are at in their lives right now. And maybe this change is an inevitable part of their evolution. But I still wish that Unleash The Archers would show us a bit more fire in their belly. After all, it was this type of energy that initially attracted me to the band. And I’m just not getting that vibe this time around. At least not consistently. Slayes, for her part, sounds like she could be running on low power mode at points. Here’s hoping that they can still regain some of that original vitality, and put out another record to rival the exuberance of “Apex“ or “Time Stands Still“.
Verdict: The archers have been unleashed, but it seems that they could be running low on ammunition, as this album rarely fires. Though when it does, it usually hits the mark. Still, as a longtime admirer of this band, I just can’t shake the feeling that Unleash the Archers, with “Phantoma”, are becoming a ghostly apparition of their past glory.
