Victoria based metal band Unleash the Archers are excited to return to Lethbridge for the first time in at least a couple of years when they return to the Slice, Nov. 26 as part of their Apocaylptour with Order of Chaos with local metal bands Caste of Shadows and Once More for the Captain.
They have been all over North America since then played the Hell and Heaven Music festival in Mexico City with dozens of big names, have released a new EP “ Defy The Skies” in April and have tweaked their line up since their last Lethbridge visit, adding bassist Kyle Sheppard and guitarist Andrew Kingsley who fill out the band’s core of operatic vocalist Brittney Slayes, vocalist
Scott Buchanan and drummer
Grant Truesdell.
What follows is the transcript of the interview.
They have enjoyed this year’s tour.
“It has been amazing so far! The Mexico portion was a really good time, lots of packed shows and great weather. It was nice to get a couple days of down time in Los Cabos as well. The U.S. part has been non-stop and a bit gruelling but completely worth it. The shows have been kick ass and we are making a lot of new fans; what more can you ask for,” wrote Slayes in an e-mail from somewhere between Denver and Salt Lake City.
This is the second them the have toured the United States.
“This is our second time through the US, but we didn’t do a great job of promoting the first tour so it was a little weak. This one we have put quite a bit of time into so the shows have been awesome. We’ve had long-time fans come out in every city, so there are definitely those that know us here. We made a name for ourselves in Canada by touring as often as possible and playing every town we could, so now we are doing the same in the US. There were always people singing along in the crowd every night, so that gives us confidence that we are starting to create a solid US fan-base ,” she continued adding playing the Hell & Heaven Festival in Mexico City was a blast.
“We played the New Blood stage, which was just off the main thoroughfare on the way to Hell Stage, so we actually had quite the crowd gathered by the time we were done. Limp Bizkit was on the main stage when we were playing, but we actually had several people tell us that you could hear us from there and they left to come see us, so that was a crazy boost of confidence. We got to see Angra, Rob Zombie, Annihilator and Kiss; I was most excited to see Angra though, they’re one of my personal favourites;) Kiss was amazing of course, they put on such a killer live show, and everyone knows most of their songs so you can always sing along whether you’re a die hard fan or not. The production for the Kiss show was probably my favourite part, they were flying around on guy wires and had incredible fireworks and their usual antics; was very entertaining of course,” she enthused.
She noted audiences in Mexico were amazing.
“We played in Mexico on our last North American tour in 2012, and the response was overwhelming! The shows were packed, the people we were so enthusiastic and we made some fans for life I think. Metal is just so appreciated down there, I mean it’s still not super mainstream or anything but it has a lot of respect and it seems the negative stigma that is associated with it in the US and Canada is far less. The Mexican people are just so nice, so caring and giving, we really love it down there. We are going to make a point of going back regularly. Also, the food is amazing so there’s more incentive there! Haha ;) ”
They have completed a new full length album and are presently shopping it to record labels.
“The new album is actually fully complete and ready to rock, however we are shopping it out to labels and have gotten a couple bites so the release date is currently undetermined. We figured that the chance to gain the support of a label was worth pushing back the date, our fans are getting really antsy but I promise it will be worth it! The sound has changed a little bit, Brayden (former guitar player, now replaced by Andrew Kingsley) used to be a very large part of the writing process so with him gone some elements have transformed. It is a really great album though; some catchy stuff on there, so I think people will still enjoy it a lot despite the new direction,” she explained adding the EP “ Defy the Skies” will stand on its own.
“We have decided to allow the EP to be it’s own standalone record, and so all of the tracks on the new album are brand new, never before heard.
“The EP was very much a reflection of a UTA in transition; we knew where were going with our sound but had not quite yet gotten there. This new record is more focused and so we felt it should consist only of new material,” she described adding the new members are working out well with the band.
“Kyle is amazing! One of the most important parts of choosing a new band member is making sure you can all get along and won’t hate each other after four weeks of eight hour days in a van hahaha, and he definitely fit the bill. He looks great on stage too, with all that crazy curly hair ;) Our new guitar player Andrew is also an amazing addition to UTA, we’ve know him for a long time and actually used to tour with his old band Archon Legion, so once he joined we didn’t skip a beat. He also had a huge writing contribution on the new record so you can thank him for some of the changes in our sound,” she continued.
Slayes can’t remember when the band last played Lethbridge, but believes it was in 2012.
“Wow honestly I can’t remember the last time we played Lethbridge, but I know it was at the Slice and it was a really good time! Perhaps it was our Western Canada tour in the Spring of 2012… That seems about right. So it’s been over two years that’s for sure! We’re very excited, university towns are always great shows with people that just want to have a good time, and that is just fine with us ;) We will be playing a lot of new stuff, yes! Some classics as well of course, there will always be those tracks that you just can’t skip. We think everyone will like the new tracks a lot so it’s gonna be a great show,” she enthused.
Doors open at 8 p.m. for the Nov. 26 show which also features Order of Chaos and local metal bands Caste of Shadows and Once More for the Captain. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
