Stereo Six: Unleash The Archers Guitarist Andrew Kingsley Considers His Favourite Records

For their latest album, Unleash The Archers has decided to indulge in one of the modern world’s most favourite topics: AI. Depending on who you ask, artificial intelligence is either going to revolutionize the world or be the death of us. The debate is a worthwhile one considering how high the stakes are. The members of Unleash The Archers show that they are tuned in to what’s relevant with their new record Phantoma. Released in May via Napalm Records, the band laid it all on the line for this their sixth record. A meeting of reality and imagination, the band used elements of AI during the creation of this album. The themes are innovative, and the approach is daring. But then again, this is not a band that ever does anything haphazardly.

Frontwoman Brittney Slayes thought up the concept for Phantoma in 2021. It was slightly before the media started to sink their teeth into all the controversy around AI. Consequently, Slayes was not overly influenced in any one direction by her feelings and views on the topic. As conceptual as you can get, the album focuses on the story protagonist Phantoma. That is the name for a Phase 4, Network Tier 0 unit that sets out on a journey travelling the new age of AI. It all takes place within a dystopian, near-future planet Earth, unlike the current one. To go along with the important social commentary, there is a combination of power metal, traditional heavy metal, and modern progressive metal.

To learn more about what musically influenced Phantoma, guitarist Andrew Kingsley joins us for a Stereo Six feature. He shares with us six seminal records that shaped him as an artist.

1. Angra – Temple of Shadows (2004, Paradoxx Music, SPV/Steamhammer)

“I first heard Angra’s Temple Of Shadows shortly after it came out. When I was a teenager, a lot of the European/Foreign power metal bands were not very popular or talked about in Canada/North America, and I discovered most of them through web forums. Angra, from Brazil, was a band I stumbled across as a young teen, and instantly had a huge impact on me, particularly this album.

“This album took everything I loved about power metal and heavy metal, and added an amazingly progressive and modern element to it, with incredible songwriting, musicianship and storytelling. Every single UTA release since I’ve been in the band has been highly inspired by this record.”

2. Devin Townsend – Ocean Machine (1997, HevyDevy)

“I can’t really pick just one Devin Townsend record because they are all amazing in their own right. I was first introduced to Devin’s work through Strapping Young Lad, which is decidedly heavier than the majority of his solo releases, but I was stuck on how incredibly melodic and lush it was. I’ve always been drawn to the melodic side of heavy music, and this album really scratched that itch. As a guitarist/singer/songwriter/producer, Devin is hugely influential to me, in that he always had a vision and was a part of the entire process of music creation.”

Artwork for the albums Unleash The Archers list in this Stereo Six

3. Nevermore – This Godless Endeavor (2005, Century Media)

“After my initial love of Euro power, I really began yearning for a bit more heaviness with my melody. Nevermore’s sixth album This Godless Endeavor scratched that itch for me. With 7-string death metal adjacent guitar riffs, dramatic vocals, and incredible lead guitar work, this album stood out the most to me due to its refined songwriting and production. This album has also been an influence on the the last three UTA records. It is partly why I switched back to playing 7-string guitars.”

4. Helloween – Better Than Raw (1998, Castle Communications)

“This will be a weird pick for most people. I constantly tout the greatness of this album, sometimes to deaf ears! It’s in an odd place in their discography and is kind of a transition album into their modern era. The aggression, the raw production, the drums! Uli Kusch has a lot of songwriting credits on this record, and his songs are just crushing.

I have always preferred the Deris era to the earlier Keeper era. It’s grittier and to me, Andi’s songwriting and expressive voice did a lot more for me. There’s a bit of that ’90s alt-rock/metal sound that comes through on this album. Desert island record for me.”

Unleash The Archers ‘Phantoma’ album artwork

5. Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf (2002, Interscope Records)

“Another possible weird pick. I remember seeing the video for ‘No One Knows’ on MuchMusic (basically Canada’s MTV), in 2002 when I was a wee lad. It was so different from what popular heavy music was at the time. Nu metal bands like System of a Down, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, etc, were all the rage, so this stuck out. It was like actual rock! With great songwriting and riffs and melody! My mom took me and my brother to see them on this tour, and it changed my life. Still one of my favourite albums to this day.”

6. Ween – White Pepper (2000, Elektra Records)

“I love Ween. I love all Ween albums. Interestingly, this is probably their least ‘weird’ album. It has a lot of Beatles influence, as well as a Steely Dan pastiche and some country influence as well. I find myself listening to this one and 12 Golden Country Greats the most. I would love to start a band like this one day, where you can basically play any style of music you want and be as tongue-in-cheek or as serious as you want.

“That mindset has crept into UTA a bit, where every album we try new things and evolve the sound here and there, in order to keep things fun and interesting. Although I doubt we will ever go full-on Ween.”