Phantoma

There was a time when I used to say that Brittney Hayes deserved a better band than Unleash the Archers. At the time, I just didn’t expect that she would not have to change bands for that. ‘Apex’ (2017) and ‘Abyss’ (2020) were not so much developments as complete evolutions of their sound, and ‘Phantoma’ takes this growth even further. In fact, in terms of songwriting, ‘Phantoma’ is one of the best modern power metal albums I have heard in a long time, and it gives me a bit of hope for the future of the genre.

While the previous two Unleash the Archers albums were highly enjoyable, there were also moments that tried to be too much at the same time. Although ‘Phantoma’ is stylistically similar, the songs are given much more room to breathe, something which Hayes’ spectactular voice especially profits from. Also, the band better succeeds at combining their influences into a more cohesive whole this time around. The synthwave and eighties pop influences are part of the contemporary North American power metal songs rather than being assigned their own respective tracks. All of this makes ‘Phantoma’ an incredibly rewarding and at times surprising listening experience.

The better use of space was already evidenced by the first few singles off ‘Phantoma’. ‘Ghosts in the Mist’ especially impressed me in how nobody in the band gets in each other’s way, and the vocal melodies are simply excellent. First single ‘Green & Glass’ even has the band layering a multitude of guitars, Hayes’ powerful cleans and guitarist Grant Truesdell’s cappuccino machine growls without sounding like anyone is trying to push anyone else off the album. Excellent, but all too rare examples of how power metal can mature without taking the uptempo energy out of the equation.

Variation is another asset of ‘Phantoma’. The band goes through different tempos and levels of intensity to create an excellent flow. ‘Give It Up or Give It All’ is the biggest departure, its brightly shimmering clean guitars and subtle changes bringing the prog-pop of early Steve Hogarth-era Marillion to mind, but still sounding like Unleash the Archers. Uptempo power metal tracks like the galloping ‘Buried in Code’, the dynamic ‘Seeking Vengeance’, the soaring ‘The Collective’ and the somewhat proggy ‘Ph4nt0-mA’ are offset perfectly by melodic mid-tempo rockers like the gorgeous ‘Gods in Decay’, the slow-building opener ‘Human Era’ and dramatic closer ‘Blood Empress’.

I gladly stand corrected. With the songwriting upgrades Unleash the Archers has had over the past few years, they simply are the better better band that Brittney Hayes deserves. That was already the case on the previous two albums, but ‘Phantoma’ is truly an improvement even over both of them. Being a fan of the album format, I also love how the band has created a listening experience that ebbs and flows so pleasantly that it stays interesting throughout its 55-ish minutes of playing time. If you want to hear a band finally moving power metal forward without forcing it or trying to sound clever, look no further.

Recommended tracks: ‘Ghosts in the Mist’, ‘The Collective’, ‘Ph4nt0-mA’, ‘Gods in Decay’

Originally written for my Kevy Metal weblog