Some may feel this latest album reins it in a little too far, and would have preferred something a bit heavier and more technical, but most of the songs here are extremely memorable. The larger emphasis on vocal hooks ensures that many of the songs stand out - and the album seems to fly by despite it being just under an hour long. There is no slow build to get things going, either, as Human Era pretty much kicks in from the off following some atmospheric weather noises - with a hanging guitar riff and groovy drum beat over which Slayes vocalises in her rich, slightly deeper-than-average voice. Despite the lack of a symphonic intro, the song still take a little bit of time to get going around this riff - but once Slayes starts to sing the lyrics the song gets going proper, with a verse which is relatively slow and atmospheric. Ringing chords and the pulsing bass dominate the early parts of the verses, but they do grow in stature as they move along - with the guitar riffing getting busier and heavier. Slayes' voice gets richer as the song moves along, too, and she grows in line with the riffing. She is probably one of the best vocalists in power metal at the moment and this album is a real showcase for her. The way she expands during the verses, and continues such growth naturally during the chorus, is an example of her talents - and a later wordless vocal-led section ensures the song feels somewhat anthemic. The song is not as hooky as many on the album, though. The chorus is not one of the best here, but the overall vibe of the song is strong - and it does not feel as conventional arrangement-wise. The song works well as an intro to the rest of the album, then, and it transitions nicely into the title track which is much faster and heavier. Written obnoxiously as Ph4/NT0-mA, the title track is more typical of the band's sound on the past couple of albums. A big scream from Slayes opens it up as Truesdall and Kingsley launch into the heaviest riff heard so far; and the song proceeds at a pretty fast pace - creating a pretty typical power metal feel. Unlike the previous albums, though, there is much more of a synth backing this time. Given the AI themes which permeate the album, this more futuristic sound is fitting. The band is still very much guitar driven, but the synths do help to set this album apart - and some of the synth melodies help to add depth during the verses before driving double bass drumming backs the soaring chorus. Following the lack any overt vocal hooks during the opening piece, this epic chorus is welcome and it really allows Slayes to show off. The arrangement is much more typical, too, with the inclusion of a busy guitar solo later on. The guitar solo section does rein in the heaviness a little, though, with a limited rhythm guitar backing to really allow the shredded notes to jump out of the speakers - before the chorus returns, this time beefed up with extra harmony vocals, to bring the anthemic title track to a close.
Buried in Code opens with an a cappella rendition of part of its chorus, before some high-octane dual guitar leads kick in the song charges off at a pretty high speed. Despite the fact that this album feels a bit less gritty than those which came before, much of it still feels pretty fast-paced. The band have not cast aside that power metal trope, then, and Buchanan often lays into his double bass drums throughout the album - and this song is no exception, with the opening guitar melodies bringing to mind many classic heavy metal bands of the past. The verses do not feel quite as heavy, and the arrangement allows the vocals to shine, but the chorus returns to that opening guitar melody to act as a backing to Slayes' grittier vocal delivery - before a riffy instrumental section later adds a groovy and progressive twist in the build up to another burst of shredding. The Collective opens with more of a synth-heavy sound, but this is short-lived as the song is one of the fastest and heaviest on the album up to this point overall - as the opening guitar riff and accompanying lead feel somewhat grittier than what came before, which contrasts with the opening synths nicely. Funnily enough, once the song gets going proper the synths are rarely heard from again. This song does not have as overt a synth backing as some of the others here do and the track feels like it could have sat on either of the band's previous albums. It feels heavier overall, with a grittier guitar tone, and Slayes seems to have a bit more gravity to her delivery this time. She has sounded a little smoother elsewhere and her lower tones this time suit the heavier song - with the furious chorus bringing some rallying cry-type vocals out of her as the band speed away beneath her. It is also the first song here to feature Truesdall's harsh vocals, with his black metal-esque screams adding nicely to a slower-paced bridge section which features grinding riff and a doomy atmosphere before the pace kicks in again thanks to a high-octane and lengthy guitar solo. I like the band's occasional use of harsh vocals, as it does help to set them apart from other power metal bands, and this song feels more diverse thanks to its bridge section. Green & Glass is not as furious but it still feels pretty pacy overall. Like the opening track, though, there is a bit more of a dynamic approach taken during the verses which feel a bit more stripped back compared to the rest of the song. The guitars during the song's intro are still pretty busy, with a hooky lead setting the tone, but the verses are generally more synth-heavy - with a more atmospheric tone for Slayes to sing against, albeit with the occasional metalcore-esque riff crashing in for heaviness. The track does build towards its chorus, though, and later verses so feature the occasional burst of harsh vocals, with the chorus being much more typical of the band's core sound with plenty of anthemic hooks. A lengthy guitar solo section featuring both fast and more lyrical runs makes up for the more atmospheric verses.
Gods in Decay is more of a mid-paced piece, which is welcome after all of the faster tracks which have generally characterised the album up to this point. Miller's bass drives the verses, which kick in after a chugging intro topped by a bright synth hook. This is one of the songs on the album which goes for a synth-heavy sound in quite a big way and the knotty riffing and lead playing generally found elsewhere is not as prevalent here. The guitar backing throughout is generally pretty basic and chugging with the bass tending to be somewhat busier than usual - and the chorus is backed by a reprise of that opening synth hook. Whilst I said earlier that Unleash the Archers' sound is more rooted in European power metal than the US' equivalent, the band tend to be heavier than most European power metal bands. This song feels more typical of the European power metal scene, though, thanks to the synth melodies and the reduced focus on big guitar riffs - but there is still a busy solo section to add some flash. Give It Up or Give It All is slower again and acts as the album's ballad - albeit it still feels quite weighty at times. Jonah Weingarten (Pyramaze; Echoterra; We Are Sentinels; Catalyst Crime) is responsible for the keyboards here, although the song does not feel especially more synth-heavy than anything else here. The rest of the album's keyboards are not credited, so I am not sure why this song needed a different touch - but the slower, yet still anthemic, piece is a strong addition to the album. There is still some crunch thanks to the guitars, but overall this is a mid-pace piece with some slower sections and a strong focus on Slayes' voice. The arrangement really allows her to breathe and she is the star of the show - with a good mix of a smoother delivery during the verses and something grittier during the heavier choruses. A brief piano coda perhaps reveals why Weingarten was employed here but the song is not all that different from the album's core sound despite the more restrained pace. Ghosts in the Mist opens with some symphonic metal-esque synths, but once the guitar backing kicks in overall heaviness of the song takes over - and the piece is a pretty groovy, yet pacy, track which is filled with big riffing and plenty of melodic guitar leads. The song is not as furious as some of the previous tracks, but it feels more urgent than many typical mid-paced metal tracks - and the opening riff and guitar lead combo is one of the hookiest musical motifs on the album in my opinion. The synths from the intro do resurface during the verses, which back Slayes gritty vocal delivery, but the driving bass and chugging guitars add plenty of weight - and the song is another which builds towards its chorus - which is one of the album's best in my opinion. The groovy riff from the song's intro returns for the chorus and the mid-paced rhythm creates a suitable backing for the anthemic and drawn-out vocal delivery which Slayes goes for. The heaviness of the track is also cemented thanks to some more harsh vocals from Truesdall. They are used sparingly, but there are a couple of short bursts of such - with one bridge section giving way to another shredded guitar solo spot.
Seeking Vengeance ups the pace again after a few slower or more mid-paced pieces, with the track returning to something more furious akin to the album's first half. The guitar riffing feels a bit more venomous this time and Buchanan returns to a big double bass drum arrangement to ensure that the pace is kept pretty up-tempo throughout. This is likely the album's heaviest song overall, too, as it features Truesdall's harsh vocals in a much bigger and more integrated way. Generally he is used in sparse bursts to add moments of heaviness, but his vocals are integrated in the verses in a much greater way this time - with him delivering lots of counterpoint and even harmony vocals. The chorus sees the pace slowed which allows for something of a more epic sound. There are no harsh vocals here, but the grand-sounding chorus benefits from the slower pace and Slayes' vocals are full of her usual gravitas. A busy and prog metal-esque guitar solo section ensures that the heaviness is retained, too, and the track is one that shows that the band still enjoy a heavier sound. The album then comes to a close with Blood Empress, a more mid-paced and crunchy piece which allows for one last anthemic moment before the album comes to a close. It is a bit more straight ahead than some of the pieces here and it very much seems designed to push Slayes as much as possible as the guitar riffing throughout is much more basic overall - with the mid-paced groove feeling a lot more stomping and primal than anything else here. Whilst I do like the track it does feel like a bit of a strange way to end the album. It is so different from everything else here, despite a decent chorus, and it feels a bit out of place overall. It does change towards the end, though, with some surprising blast beats which do up the heaviness quite significantly out of the blue. I think that ending the album with something more fitting with album's core sound would have worked better, but the song is still decent on its own terms. Overall, then, Phantoma is another strong album from Unleash the Archers. It is the first of theirs which I have properly digested, but it certainly has flashes of what came before even though it seems to tread a more melodic and cleaner overall path than the previous two albums. There are hooks aplenty here and the guitar playing is still suitably busy throughout to keep the band's busy and knotty sound on full show.
The album was released on 10th May 2024 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Green & Glass.
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