Canada’s Unleash the Archers has returned with one of the standout releases of the year. Even our reviewer Tony was captivated by “Phantoma”, describing it as “a testament to the band’s consistent quality and growth. (read our review here)” Join us as we dive into their latest full-length album with lead vocalist Brittany Slayes.
Getting into Unleash the Archer “Phantoma”
Well, Brittany, welcome to Femme Metal Webzine. How were you and how are these days treating you?
I’m doing well. Thanks. And yeah, Unleash the Archers are very excited to release this album. It’s been a very long time, so we’re excited that it’s finally out there for the world to hear.
Nice. Well, I was listening. Today, I had some time to listen to the new album. And first of all, let me tell you, it’s amazing. Thank you. It’s the right follower for “Apex”.
Oh, thank you. Appreciate that.
The idea behind “Phantoma”
No worries. Well, the first question that comes out is I know that “Phantoma” is a concept album. And the tweets speak over AI. I know it’s a big hot topic right now. My question is, from which perspective, did Unleash the Archers write the album, did you do some research? Or was it just more artistic? So it is much more of a story?
No, no research at all. It’s about an Android who gains sentience and ventures out into the world to try and make a place for herself. She started as a program on a computer that runs a warehouse called a hub. And it’s set in the future in which climate change has destroyed the planet. The air is no longer breathable, and humans all you know, what’s left of them live in a biome. Biomes all around the world. And that’s the only place where any organic life is left. That’s where you’ll find agriculture and so Fatima, the warehouse services, these biomes and she assures that they have everything they could ever need.
The idea behind “Phantoma” Part 2
And so she watches humanity from afar and, learns to love them. She wants to be one of them and longs to escape from this computer in which she’s trapped. Eventually, she does it but then, she learns that they are not what they claimed to be. And it’s it’s disappointing for her. It’s a very dark revelation. And she questions who she is because of it and her place in the world. And you know, this whole story was inspired by typical science fiction. Androids gaining sentience is not a new topic, not an idea.
No, not at all. While I was listening to the album, this whole story triggered me something back in 1998 when it was released Robin Williams’s “Bicentary Man”. It started as a human and through the years and evolution. He then ended up with a brain that wasn’t human anymore. So I got some flashbacks from that movie. Yeah, I read about the story and listened to the album.
Yeah, that’s a great one, for sure. I was like, you know, I love “Blade Runner”. It is one of the ones that inspired it. And then, “Terminator”, of course, and the “Alien” franchise. In this case, David Android’s character from Prometheus was interesting. And it came from old and new movies.
Unleash the Archer working with Jacob Hansen
“Phantoma” was produced together with Jacob Henson. How was working with him?
Amazing. He’s so talented. It’s the third record that Unleash the Archers have done with him. And we trust him completely. We know that no matter what we send them, we know what to expect. Of course, we must do our best to perform well, but we know he will make it sound amazing. And make it sound like the records that came before. So it’s a relief, a weight off our shoulders, to know that. It’s in the hands of someone so great at what they do. He’s such a nice and understanding guy, too. But also he’s just so calm and patient. And sometimes we come to him like, Oh, my goodness, can you add this and that? And then he replies, you know? Yes. It’s okay. No, it’s so he’s this calming force in the storm. That is the creation of a record. So yeah, we love working with him.
Keeping up with the pressure in Unleash the Archer
You know, “Abyss” and “Apex” were released back in 2017 and 2020. Despite the featured lyrical theme being different from its musical atmospheres, how difficult for Unleash the Arches to keep up with the pressure after such a mediatic exploit?
[laughs] You try not to think about it too much. You focus on the future on trying new things and experimenting with the different genres. Our influences change over time, as well, as the bands that we’re listening to which always influence the records. And so as long as you continue to discover new bands, the music you write will be new and different, because it’s inspired by new music and new musicians.So we try to focus on writing memorable songs so that we’ll have something special about them. And also, most importantly, that they’re fun, that we have fun playing them live, and that we know that it’s something that we will enjoy when we’re up on stage. Because if we’re having a good time also our fans are having a good time. So it’s something that we try not to think about too much. It’s ever-present.
Of course, you know, it’s not something that’s going to go away, you know, that there are expectations of people to have this record. It’s that way for every album No, I mean, it’s it’s your even if it’s your first album, you’re hoping that it’s going to be something great. So, it’s never a thing even if the previous album won a Juno Award. It’s never something that you can ignore.
Unleash the Archer and“Green & Glass”
Britney, I wanted to get back to “Phantoma” and the singles “Green & Glass”, “Ghosts in the Mist”, “Seeking Vengeance” & “Blood Empress”. Without giving away too many details, which section of the story does each song represent?
Yeah, we had a hard time picking the signals because it’s always important that we don’t give too much of the story away with the first songs that come up. So, we chose “Green & Glass” as the first single because it is representative of a specific moment in the story. It’s the moment when Phantasma enters the biome for the first time and is going to tell the humans that the collective, which is another group of sentient AI, and Android are, hell-bent on the destruction of humanity in revenge for destroying the planet and enslaving their kind.
So, Fatima goes to the biome, sees how stunning it is for the first time, and is in awe of everything. And it’s just kind of a little snapshot. So we thought that would be a good first single because it doesn’t give too much of the story away.
Unleash the Archer and“Ghosts in the Mist”
And then it was the same with“Ghosts in the Mist”. It’s the moment when Phantoma, after having been rejected by both the collective and humankind. And she’s angry at everyone that they refuse to live harmoniously together. So, she decides that she’s going to make them do it. She returns in“Ghosts in the Mist” taking out pivotal people on both sides of the fight. That song can be about a la assassin at night without knowing the story.
So it’s not, giving too much away. So that’s why we chose “Seeking Vengeance”. We just liked that song. We thought it was a lot of fun exciting and energetic. And again, it’s not giving too much away, it’s starting to show the general story arc of Phantoma‘s character. Then there is “Blood Empress”, even though it represents the end of the story, we didn’t mind giving it away.
Filling in Floor’s shoes at the Ayreon shows
Last year, I experienced the Ayreon show in the Netherlands. I was present at the previous show on Sunday afternoon. You were amazing over there. Well, we know, being a fan of Arjen Lucassen how much he likes to discover new talents. But I want to put myself in your shoes. I want to ask you how was to prepare all that chunk of material. It’s a heavy responsibility.
I mean, it was some big shoes to fill. When he (Arjen) asked me to sing “The Fate of Man” in the show, I said yes. Absolutely. You know. And then he sent it to me and I realized that were all Floor‘s parts. And so I was like “Oh, dear, oh dear”. Okay. But, you know, I was so busy preparing for our scheduled summer festivals that I was weaving it into everything. And so I didn’t have time to think about it too much. I didn’t have time for it too.
You know, settle in. So it wasn’t until I got there that I was like “Oh my goodness, this will be crazy”. So you know, I wasn’t too nervous about it. Until I got there and was like, “Okay, these people are expecting me to do very well here so I better be ready”.
I was trying to have a good time and enjoy myself as much as I could because I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was just so inspiring to be surrounded by so many amazing vocalists. Everyone was so nice and they all treat you like family, you know, during these productions, so, it was a great time. I just tried to do my best and enjoy myself.
The plans of Unleash the Archers
Well, Brittany, I know that you are doing a tour in North America with the Powerwolf. But I know that Unleash the Archers is coming for a few selected European summer festival dates. Any idea of one? Who headline tour in Europe will have fun?
Yes, we are in the middle of booking it right now as we speak. So it’s planned for the Spring of 2025. We hope to get to as many places as possible and see as many of our European fans as we can.
Right. Well, I hope to see you there, then.
Yeah, no, we hope so too. We’re gonna try and get to as many as many cities as we can.
Well, Brittany, I want to thank you and Unleash the Archers for your time. And from me was That’s all. Perfect. I hope you enjoyed the interview. Once again, thank you for everything. Yeah.
Thank you for having me. It’s my pleasure to be here.