Canadian melodic power metal quartet, Unleash The Archers, will release their fifth full-length album, Abyss, out August 21 via Napalm Records. They recently released an official video for the new single "Soulbound", and vocalist Brittney Slayes has followed it up with clip discussing the themes of the songs and video.

With Abyss, the band re-cements themselves as an unequalled, undeniable metallic force with their strongest album to date.

The band recently announced their official Abyss virtual album release show, exclusively streaming on Saturday, August 22 - just one day after the album's release. Witness the band perform tracks from Abyss and other fan favorites straight from Vancouver venue The Rickshaw Theatre. The streaming event will take place at 12 PM, PDT/3 PM, EDT/9 PM, CEST, and will be viewable for just $10 via a virtual ticket, available to purchase now here. Viewing instructions will be provided to ticket buyers upon purchase, and the stream will be available for 24 hours after the initial show time.

Frontwoman Brittney Slayes says: "We are so excited to hit the stage again! Even though we will just have to imagine all of our fans' smiling faces are behind the cameras, we know we are going to have a blast playing these new songs for everyone. It is also a great chance to support one of our favourite local venues that has been hit really hard by the global pandemic. The Rickshaw is a huge part of the metal community in Vancouver so we are happy to have a chance to give back to them. We absolutely can't wait to rock out and let the music take us far away from all the darkness in the world right now, and really hope everyone can join us and take a little break from the madness for a while!"

Thematically, Abyss is the direct sequel to the band’s 2017 album Apex. Beginning with a dreamlike acoustic introduction accented by the smoky beckonings of singer Brittney Slayes, opener “Waking Dream” quickly punches into a colossal wall of sound, setting the stage for the auditory escape that is Abyss. Powerful anthems such as the immense power metal-encapsulated title track “Abyss” and metallic pop-tinged earworm “Through Stars” conjure classic elements while maintaining an entirely fresh, forward-thinking approach. Guitarists Andrew Kingsley and Grant Truesdell turn heads with wicked work on stellar tracks such as “Legacy” (fans of artists like Devin Townsend and Astronoid, take note), while Slayes showcases her incredible vocal diversity and range on mighty epics like “Return To Me” and “The Wind That Shapes The Land”. Drummer Scott Buchanan makes technical strides on burners “Soulbound” and “Faster Than Light” – setting breakneck twists and turns ablaze with his bandmates. Unleash The Archers rounds the edge of Abyss with throwback-hued “Carry The Flame”, and wraps up with the soaring, rewarding concept closer “Afterlife”.

Abyss was once again engineered, mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen of Hansen Studios in Denmark (Volbeat, Delain, Amaranthe), with production by guitarist Andrew Kingsley. Additionally, transcendent closer track “Afterlife” features orchestration contributions from Francesco Ferrini of Italian symphonic death metal machine Fleshgod Apocalypse. Fans will notice that, unlike on Apex, Abyss incorporates a weighty dose of synth in the mix, and for the first time ever, all tracks were written on seven strings - adding to the massive expanse of the album’s sound as it explores the celestial realm.

Pre-order Abyss in available formats here.

As mentioned, the Deluxe Earbook edition of Abyss features two bonus tracks - synthwave and gothic folk-pop versions of “Abyss” and “Soulbound”, respectively. This is something Unleash The Archers has never done before, turning their singles into something completely different!

Abyss tracklisting:

"Waking Dream"
"Abyss"
"Through Stars"
"Legacy"
"Return To Me"
"Soulbound"
"Faster Than Light"
"The Wind That Shapes The Land"
"Carry The Flame" (feat. guitarist Andrew Kingsley on guest vocals)
"Afterlifev (feat. orchestration by Francesco Ferrini)

"Abyss" video:

Lineup:

Brittney Slayes - Vocals
Scott Buchanan - Drums
Grant Truesdell - Guitar, Vocals
Andrew Kingsley - Guitar, Vocals, Synth

(Photo - Shimon Karmel)