Ethereal Metal

Joshua Tanner | Contributor

---

Following their massive success with the Immortal saga, spanning 2017’s “Apex” and 2020’s “Abyss,” Canadian power metal and Juno award-winning band Unleash the Archers literally unleash chaos with “Phantoma” out now!

Another concept album with their ever-evolving sound, it follows the story of an AI named Ph4/NT0-mA (Phantoma for short), growing sentient and learning of her travels in the post-apocalyptic world of Earth she’s a part of.

Starting off with the first track, “Human Era,” we’re treated to a nice, melodic approach. Captivating fans with a track that alternates between 4/4 and 5/4 time signatures, this track details the story of how humankind has made the planet a wasteland due to air pollution from the constant use of toxic gases.

With the second track, “Ph4/NT0-mA,” we learn that robots were made to be slaves in warehouses. Phantoma becomes sentient and starts to learn about humans, the stars, how robots came to be, and the events that have unfolded since. This song picks up the pace into the more power metal style the band is known for, with Brittney’s wail and chord progressions from Grant and Andy. With Nick’s addition to their lineup, everything sounds incredibly crisp, solidifying a strong lineup for years to come.

Onwards to the third track, “Buried in Code,” Phantoma learns through a line of code in her programming of the netaverse that there are other sentient AIs out there. The signature galloping drum beat the band is known for makes a return, to which I admittedly found myself headbanging to the rhythm for nearly the full four minutes that the song lasts.

Next up, “The Collective” finds Phantoma searching for a group of sentient AIs and feeling at home, but soon discovering their devious plans under the direct control of one robot, named Quora. Musically, we are treated to a vocoder being used to convey the theme of AI, and in what is their fastest song to date, we have a nice solo section as well as Grant’s harsh vocals to give the listener the evil intentions vibe found within “The Collective.”

Next up is the first single of the album, “Green & Glass.” Lyrically, this track gives the perspective of Phantoma’s journey to find the humans who created AI, since she has a fascination with them and wants to be one of them, to warn them of the dangers that come from The Collective, where she finds they are living in biomes created to survive the desolate planet resulting from their own doings. This song has a nice rhythmic beat to it and shows that the band is stronger than ever before, allowing each member to show their strengths as a cohesive group.

Following this, “Gods in Decay” is where Phantoma finds the council that runs the biome that Quora is poised to attack. She finds out that they hope for something that will never come to be again while warning them and is turned away, as they see her only fit to be the very thing they created AI for: slaves to the job. Featuring a nice solo section showcasing their ability to tell a story with just instruments, it’s one of the catchiest songs on the album.

For the first time in the band’s history, we’re treated to a power ballad with “Give It Up or Give It All,” featuring Jonah Weingarten from Pyramaze and Catalyst Crime on keyboards. At this point in the story, Phantoma is rejected by the humans and, not wanting to be a part of the band of evil AIs with Quora, she questions her true purpose and feels all alone. With some jazzy guitar work and slow hits on the cymbal, it gives the impression of sorrow. It will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions.

Next is “Ghosts in the Mist,” where Phantoma has decided to fight for the humans since Quora threatens their very existence, regardless of being rejected. Phantoma assembles more bots to join her cause only to find out the biome’s main source of power has been inactive for 16 hours. One by one, the members of the council disappear, Phantoma’s doing since they would not see reason for the humans’ right to survive. Musically, this song has the best rhythm out of the whole album, with a groove set between Andy and Grant’s melodic guitar work and a solo section, paired with a nice bassline from Nick and beats from Scott. Another song with harsh vocals from Grant, and one I found myself bobbing my head to since the day it came out as a single.

Approaching the end of the story and the album, we are presented with “Seeking Vengeance,” a track that harkens back to the early melodeath days of the band. The pace of this song is a bit faster, with a chunky bassline and more complex guitar riffing. Within this, the lyrics point to Phantoma doing everything she can to work against Quora’s march upon the biome she is trying to save and take vengeance upon the loss of a sentient AI that was close to her earlier in the story.

Lastly, on “Blood Empress,” Phantoma states that she will fight for what is right, with both AI and humans being treated as equals. She has managed to gather an army of AI bots that are against Quora’s army, giving them and the humans a fighting chance to survive and live peacefully, once and for all. The musicianship reaches the peak of the album with this song, showcasing the strengths and inspirations of everyone in the band, with Brittney’s ability to change pitch on a whim while still maintaining strength in her vocal prowess to convey the story’s grim outlook. Grant and Andy shine with their respective parts, especially with the solo and blast beats courtesy of Scott near the end of the song.

It was going to be interesting seeing if the band could do something different outside of “Apex” and “Abyss” as their fanbase grew to unheard-of numbers with those releases. While there are a few weak points in trying to put the narrative within the lyrics of the songs, thematically it still tells a story. The growth of the band through the years and the evolution of their unique sound show that they’re not willing to stay stagnant, and instead strive to constantly evolve to not only hold the interest of current fans, but rapidly gain new fans in the process.

Verdict: 9.5/10