In August, breakout Canadian melodic metal quartet UNLEASH THE ARCHERS dropped one of the most highly-acclaimed albums of 2020, Abyss, sparking serious buzz in the metal and rock communities, and beyond. Deservingly, the conceptual benchmark scored banner praise from critics and fans alike, with Stereogum dubbing the opus “a ripper”, and Bandcamp enforcing it as “a mandatory listen”. Upon release, Abyss charted worldwide, debuting at the #1 spot on the US Current Hard Music and Top New Artist Albums charts, as well as #4 and #8 on the US and Canadian Billboard Top 200 Hard Rock charts, respectively.
Today, the band is following up on the album’s successes by throwing fans a hefty bonus in the form of a new video for the post-drop fan favorite “Legacy” – one of Abyss‘ standout anthems. Searing in with breakneck blastbeats, cosmic guitar work and frontwoman Brittney Slayes’ impeccable vocal delivery, the pop-tinged anthem single-handedly proves the band’s position as one of this generation’s premier heavy acts, bar none. The new video provides an introspective live-action backdrop to the track’s conceptual lyrics.
Frontwoman Brittney Slayes explains:
“This song means a lot to us as a band, it’s pretty different from everything that we’ve done before and really set the tone for the sonic exploration that is Abyss. When Andrew first brought the intro riff to us we immediately loved it, but we were a little hesitant as we felt our fans might not understand why we were choosing to include this style of track on the album. The hesitation was momentary though, as we all very quickly decided it was too cool not to continue writing, and luckily it seems like our fans have fallen in love with it as well. It’s quite theatrical, and yet somehow very simplistic as well.”
Slayes adds about the video:
“When it came time to choose the next song for a music video, “Legacy” was the resounding winner, but we wanted to do something a bit more than the traditional lyric video. The band all agreed that this is the kind of track that you put on when you’re commuting, when you’re wandering through the city just vibin’, when you’re on that long bus ride or skytrain ride staring out the window at the world passing by… So that’s what this video is. It’s you hanging out in our heads as we walk the streets of Vancouver, traveling towards something, or away from something, but always moving forward. We hope “Legacy” can be your soundtrack to those everyday moments in life, when you’ve finally put the phone away to really look around and enjoy the beauty of the world that surrounds you. We genuinely hope it can be a small light in this seemingly neverending darkness, even just for a moment.”
Watch the new lyric video for “Legacy” HERE:
Artist photo by Shimon Karmel
Press release courtesy of Freeman Promotions / Napalm Records
