In a recent sit-down with Capital Chaos TV, Brittney Slayes—lead vocalist of Canadian power metal band Unleash the Archers—shared her journey into music, thoughts on genre-crossing influences, the future of the music industry, and what fans can expect from their upcoming release. Here’s everything we learned from this candid and inspiring conversation.

How did you get into music, and what drew you to heavy metal?

I first got into music when I heard Megadeth at eight years old. That moment really defined my path—it was when I knew I was a metalhead. Countdown to Extinction was one of my favorite albums. The music captured my imagination, and I absolutely loved the artwork. I would sit on the floor with my little purple stereo, listening to the cassette over and over while staring at the insert for hours. It just spoke to me in a powerful way.

I continued listening to metal throughout my early years, but I drifted away a bit in high school—peer pressure and whatever pop music was popular at the time kind of took over. But when I was 18, I discovered Iron Maiden, and that reignited my love for metal. It inspired me to become a vocalist. I had already been singing in choirs, doing musical theater, and performing in stage productions, but Iron Maiden helped me realize that my true path might be elsewhere—and that’s when I started thinking seriously about forming a band.

Do you enjoy genres like hip-hop, R&B, or country?

Yes, I do! Right now, I’m really into Orville Peck. He has this sultry, country sound with a bit of a Lana Del Rey vibe. I’ve been loving it. I enjoy all kinds of music—there’s a lot of hip-hop I listen to as well. If it’s good music, I’ll give it a chance. I’m definitely not one of those people who listens only to metal. I try to keep an open mind to everything out there.

What was your first rock concert, and did your parents always support your musical interests?

Yes, my parents have always been super supportive. My brother actually introduced me to heavy metal—he was the one who bought the Megadeth tape, although I ended up being the one who fell in love with it.

My first rock concert was Finger Eleven. I know they’re considered more radio rock now, but back in the day, they had a heavier sound. I was probably around 12 or 13, and my brother took me to see them at the Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. It wasn’t a huge venue, but it was a great hall and such an awesome show. I’ve loved live music ever since.

What was the first piece of music you bought with your own money?

The first CD I ever bought was by an R&B artist—I think her name was Cherie, though I can’t quite remember. She had a Beyoncé/Toni Braxton kind of vibe, and I just loved that album. I used to play it all the time, even in class when I wasn’t supposed to. My mom let me pick it out myself at HMV, back when they had those listening stations. That was the first record I ever truly chose on my own.

When did you start singing, and what got you into performing?

I’ve been singing since I was really young. My mom realized I had a talent when she came to pick me up from daycare one day—I was the last kid there, just whistling a tune on my own. The staff told her I had been doing it all day, and when she recognized the melody as the theme from a movie we’d watched the night before, she was amazed I had memorized it and was whistling it in perfect key. After that, she enrolled me in choir at age seven, and that’s where my journey really began.

Tell us about Explorers and your thoughts on the future of music.

Explorers is our latest release—an EP—and honestly, I think EPs are the future. With streaming and digital downloads, physical media just isn’t as important anymore. A lot of big artists are now dropping single after single digitally, sometimes compiling them into an album later.

That approach makes sense. The more music you release, the better. Bands like Ghost are great examples—they alternate between full albums and EPs. Explorers was a covers EP, featuring songs that really meant a lot to us and helped shine a light on Canadian music. In the future, we may do another EP of original material. We’re definitely interested in releasing music more frequently, and not necessarily focusing on physical releases.

How has your writing and recording process evolved, and are Canadian grants still helpful?

Our process has changed a lot since Behold. Back then, someone would bring in a riff, we’d write a song, and move on. But with Apex (2017) and our upcoming 2020 album, we’ve taken a much more structured approach. They’re both concept albums, so each song was written like a chapter in a story. That framework helped us shape the riffs, the emotion, and the overall direction of each track.

As for grants, we’ve never actually received one ourselves, mostly because we haven’t had the time to apply. But we know other Canadian artists who have, and they’ve said it’s a huge help. We’re planning to apply for the next album, especially since recording and touring costs are so high. It seems like you need some industry cred to get one, but if you can prove yourself, they’re very generous.

What can fans expect from the next Unleash the Archers album?

There are definitely some changes. We’ve added synths and keyboards, and the guys wrote everything on seven-string guitars. The result is very melodic—catchy choruses, catchy riffs. We’ve leaned more into progressive and symphonic elements while keeping our power metal core.

There’s even a bit of synthwave influence—it’s not overwhelming, but it’s there. We’re all into that sound right now. While the album isn’t as heavy as some of our earlier stuff like Behold the Devastation, we’ve still kept our screams, growls, and heavy riffs. It’s different, but we’re really excited and hope everyone enjoys it.

What’s it like touring during a pandemic?

Honestly, we just hope people keep coming out to shows. We’re not too worried—we’ve got plenty of hand sanitizer, and we’re doing our best to stay safe. Our biggest concern is that people will be afraid to attend, or that shows might get canceled due to health concerns.

So far, nothing has affected us directly, but we’ve already heard of other tours being canceled. It’s definitely in the back of our minds, but we’re staying positive and hoping for the best.

Are you familiar with DragonForce and Visions of Atlantis?

Absolutely! We’ve known DragonForce for a long time—I personally saw them back in the Valley of the Damned days and traveled down to Seattle for their show. I still love their music. Mark is great on vocals—ZP was fantastic too, but Mark fits in really well. Cry Thunder is probably my favorite DragonForce track.

As for Visions of Atlantis, I’m not super familiar with their whole catalog, but I’ve been watching their videos for The Wanderers EP and singing along during warm-ups. Clem is awesome—we’ve known each other for a while from a Facebook group called Eve’s Apple. Touring with both bands has been an incredible experience.

When can fans expect your next release?

We have a new album coming out in 2020. It’s currently in the mixing stages, and we’ve already received some early mixes. If all goes as planned, it should be out by July. Make sure to follow us on Bandsintown—it’s a great app that notifies you when we’re playing near you based on your location.

We’ll be announcing our tour dates there soon, and of course, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We’re not super active on Twitter, but I do check it about once a month and try to reply to everyone’s messages.

So yeah—keep an eye out for the new record. We can’t wait for you to hear it!

Catch Unleash The Archers on tour and stream Explorers wherever you get your music.

Watch the full video interview below.
Interview by TheMightyZee | Editing by Capital Chaos TV

Categories: Interviews, Unleash The Archers