ALBUM REVIEW: Unleash the Archers - Phantoma
Futuristic power metal from Canada. Yep, they’ve been around for nearly two decades, and in that time Unleash the Archers have moved from unknowns to a band that this year will comfortably slot into a mid-afternoon slot at Bloodstock Open Air. I’ll admit, I’m not overly familiar with their music, but minutes into opening song Human Era and I’m liking what I hear. I’m partial to a bit of power metal if done well, and if the vocals are as strong as they are here, with Brittney Slayes powerful delivery, then I’m in. Photo credit: Shimon Karmel Conceptually crafted in 2021, Phantoma tackles the advance of AI through a story that runs through the album. It follows the protagonist Phantoma, a Phase 4 / Network Tier 0 unit - model A, and the trials of AI gaining sentience on a dystopian near-future planet Earth. Whilst the concept album isn’t always the favoured choice, in this case, the phenomenal playing that rip through the album in the various shapes and styles – we have progres...