Review by Gary Spiller for MPM
“Well hello London!” greets powerhouse front-lady Brittney Slayes before ‘correcting’ “Or should I say Hello United Kingdom?” When Unleash The Archers pocket dynamo vocalist Slayes, during a stellar Bloodstock performance last summer, announced a European tour in the early months of 2025 there was an instant and very tangible buzz along the leafy banks of the River Trent.
What actually transpired when it came to the actual tour announcement was a single UK show at Camden’s Underworld venue and what, in my mind, was a misjudgement on the high demand and clamour for UTA tickets. Slayes is genuinely apologetic in her sincere explanation stating, “We squeezed as many shows into our European tour as we could,” before furthering “Unfortunately that meant only one show on the island, [we’re] sorry about that.”
Now the science and logistics of planning a tour, especially one so far from home, is to say the least a challenging proposition and one that is done, more often than not, a year or two ahead of the actual event. However, the proof was in the pudding as the original show rapidly sold out and the venue was upgraded (and what an upgrade it proves to be!) to the prestigious, well-appointed surrounding of Islington’s Assembly Hall. In no time at all the additional allocation of tickets were completely sold too.
Thus, we find ourselves, on a particularly chilly and grey capital city evening, in a lengthy queue afront the beautiful exterior of the grade II listed Assembly Hall. One of England’s densest populated districts Islington hustle and bustles even on a Sunday. An expectant buzz rises in the air above the already sizeable pre-gig line.
We’re just a couple of miles north of St. Paul’s Cathedral and amidst plentiful history here. Less than a mile down the road is the former Peacock Inn where the fictional character Tom Brown (of Tom Brown’s Schooldays) stayed en route to Rugby School. Whilst Arsenal ladies have just stuffed local rivals Tottenham Hotspur 5-0 in a Women’s Super League fixture in front of over 56,000 at the nearby Emirates, a mile or so in the opposite direction.
Before even entering this evening’s venue of choice there’s a clear sense of pride emanating from the staff on duty. Not an overbearing or jobsworth kind purely a genuinely sincere one “Please no chewing gum, we’ve had a brand-new red carpet installed recently” instructs the friendly security supervisor as she greets the queue outside. Once inside the opulence of the interior is on a breathtaking level, art deco features such as decorative panels and paintings have lovingly restored to their original splendour.
It’s quite a befitting setting and an undeniable upgrade in every respect from the show’s original host. Even inside we’re amidst history, in the post-war period it’s noted that Diana Dors and George Formby performed here as the venue gained a reputation for hosting dances and variety shows. It’s all a bit different nowadays with H.E.A.T., Cats In Space and Elles Bailey amongst recent headliners here.
The number seven has long held a special position in many realms; religion and mythology for example. The seven classical planets resulted in the days of the week; the powers of a seventh son of a seventh son and so forth. As for mathematics well the fourth prime number could have an entire article to itself. This evening’s opening act Seven Kingdoms, formed in Florida in 2007, take a heavy influence from A Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin’s series of novels that spawned the HBO television series.
With a roar of Scorpions styled guitars along with a tumbling of percussives their arrival is announced. After supporting Danish metallers Manticora at, quite ironically, The Underworld over ten years ago tonight is just the band’s second return to London having opened for Wind Rose 18 months ago. Following a slew of lineup changes early on this current quartet was completed with the recruitment of dynamite vocalist Sabrina Valentine slotting in alongside founder guitarist Camden Cruz and long-serving brothers Kevin and Keith Byrd (guitar and drums respectively).
In a set almost entirely focused upon their latest album ‘Zenith’ and EP ‘The Square’. Valentine, out front, is the band’s shining keystone with an immediately engaging persona and delicate touches like forming a gem shape about her mic amidst the introductory ‘Diamond Handed’. This, however, isn’t a one-dimensional outfit with the two six-stringers trading speedy solos throughout all atop an earthquake inducing foundation of low-end rhythms and beats.
The set-opening rapid onslaught blends symphonic tendencies with a leaning towards NWOBHM getting the capital city crowd onside. The electrifying output of ‘A Silent Remedy’ packs a punch precedes a cogent blending of myth and magic within ‘The Square’. The twin lead guitar sparks ferally as Valentine pleads “Please don’t break my heart.”
The cumulus nimbus despatch of ‘Through These Waves’ is dedicated to all those gathered who have been struggling with Valentine adding comfort “I want to let you know you’re not alone.” The output from a raw bleeding heart continues apace with the prophetic melodic highs of ‘Valonqar’. Reaching out to the crowd with searing inflections ‘Wilted Pieces’ is effective in its connections.
Rivalling the grandiose interiors ‘Magic In The Mist’ gallops at a rare velocity with a rasping edge to Valentine’s crystalline vocals. Tsunamic waves crash seismically in ‘The Serpent and The Lotus’ with the track ascending to lofty summits afore the set-concluding hyper-paced ‘In The Walls’ – lifted from 2017’s ‘Decennium’, the sole diversion from the two most recent releases – garners a sizeable appreciation. Forming a heart symbol Valentine acknowledges the crowd blowing a kiss in recognition of the deservedly warm welcome they have received.
Very much like Seven Kingdoms the next band on tonight’s billing Canadians Striker are firmly in the ‘new to me’ category. Like their Floridian counterparts they too have a career stretching back to 2007 but despite occasional forays to the UK in the company of the ilk of Sonata Arctica and Exodus it has taken until now for our respective paths to intersect.
Bursting on-stage to the Teutonic techno of Zombie Nation’s ‘Kerncraft 400’ might, on the face of it, seem an unlikely methodology. However, the old school techno and heavy metal aren’t that disparate in truth – music of the urban streets with a driving beat. This evening, in the heart of the second most densely populated district in the UK, nigh on a 1,000 metalheads are right in tune with this Ibiza anthem getting the middle segment off to a banging commencement.
Untethered Striker is in an immediate mean mood detonating a heavy hardened LA vibe with the muscle car roar of ‘BEST of the BEST of the BEST’. One of the lead singles off of last year’s ‘Ultrapower’ album it’s a no-nonsense kicker of the posterior region. Frenetic and punchy this an almighty hail to rock n’ roll!
The grade II building is truly buzzing, and the accelerator is pressed that hard it’s sparking off the blacktop with the old school metal aesthetics of ‘Born to Lose’. As we’re rocketed towards outer space vocalist, and sole founding member, Dan Cleary yells ‘London help me out!” Clearly loving it the gathered ensemble respond in time honoured fashion with a raucous wall-shaking roar.
More akin to hollering out of the hallowed halls of Valhalla as opposed to their Edmonton base ‘Heart of Lies’ is bruisingly uncompromising in its nature and very much the better for it. With touches of Diamond Head and the harder, faster fringes of NWOBHM it receives a rowdy reception. Comically introduced, by Cleary, as “the vanilla gorilla” and “the man with the mullet” brightly shirted guitarist Tim Brown is, apparently, enduring ‘technical difficulties’ this evening. ‘Blood Magic’, the first of five back-to-back inspections of ‘Ultrapower’, delivers an electrifying shock with its high velocity NWOBHM redolences. The rapid artillery barrage segues flawlessly into the hard-hitting highway brawl of ‘Sucks to Suck’.
With an unwavering likening for matters of not only NWOBHM but also for those of LA’s Sunset Strip Striker continue with the tidal wave kinetics of ‘Ready For Anything’ that lob in a dash of Black Spiders into the broiling broth. “Holy shit! Look at you guys out there, you look amazing!” enthuses bassist Pete Klassen at track end. There’s not a single dissenting voice to be heard.
With the singular flick of the switch the instant powerings of ‘Thunderdome’ increase the levels of contagion further. The tight as heck delivery is precision to behold. Alloying a strong cast of Diamond Head and Helloween in the ferocious avalanche of ‘Circle of Evil’ wraps up the inspection of last year’s long-player with Cleary acknowledging how quickly tonight’s gig sold-out for a second time following the upgrade announcement.
With tongue inserted most firmly into cheek Cleary ‘mocks’ Brown’s country-ravaged tonage “We’re gonna keep the country shit going” as he introduces ‘Former Glory’ a most un-country combining of the industrious elements of Priest and Saxon that paves the way for the strong pulsing of ‘Phoenix Lights’ to draw the curtain upon an excellent 45 minutes in the Canadian’s affable company.
With the well-appointed internals of the Assembly Hall now more than sufficiently warmed up its nigh on time for all herein to banquet upon the headline course that Unleash The Archers destined to serve up. Completing an on the night bizarre three-way coincidence this Vancouver genre-blurring outfit pressed their particular mission launch button, like the two support acts, in 2007 too.
Their intricate weavings of the more technical progressive constituents into a framework of a traditional leaning ensured that upon my first listening, last year, that I fell down their particular ensorcelled rabbit hole destined not to emerge. No complaints whatsoever though as during the summer we caught their stellar sets at both Rockharz Festival and Bloodstock Open Air, outings which cemented the deal upon a new musical addiction.
A smoky haze swirls languidly about the darkened stage with an electric atmosphere of expectancy building nicely. Sinister droned keys strike forth and blue ‘feathered’ spots illuminate the synched crowd. A deafening roar greets the emerging of the individual band members. Scaling lofty pinnacles ‘Ph4/NT0mA’ tears the ether asunder. A rapid commencement of proceedings is heralded by powerhouse vocalist Brittney Slayes’ trademark energised high-end roar.
The double seven string assault of Grant Truesdell and Andrew Kingsley Saunders is a towering impact whilst the ever-beaming Nick Miller employs his six strings of bass entwined securely about the thundering harvest of Scott Buchanan’s drum kit. Modern progressive metal doesn’t get any better than this, perfection levels achieved in the humblest of my opinions.
It’s UTA’s first headline show in the UK since their short set of dates back in 2017 and it’s most readily apparent that they have a truly solid fanbase upon which further UK dates can be planned. Surely more dates in venues of this size and larger await. Seamlessly rolling into the avenging flood of ‘Ghosts In The Mist’ UTA are right on form.
The blistering momentum of ‘Green & Glass’ assures take-off as Truesdell arcs his fret out towards the crowd. Crowd-surfing breaks out above the moshing frenzy in the centre of the hall. One particular bloodied surfer is noted returning to from the pit to the crowd several times throughout the night, his face is one that doesn’t cease smiling.
With the powerage meter steadily elevating the beautiful pummelling of ‘Gods in Decay’ concludes a quadrumvirate from last year’s much praised ‘Phantoma’ album. Cutting shadowy figures in the heavy haze the band must surely sense the utter reverence of the gathered crowd packed in. It’s a shift back to 2017, and the ‘Apex’ long-player with the album’s opening gambit ‘Awakening’. The stage, bathed in a moody red, Miller hits an instantly recognisable bass note. Guitars rasp in the murk afore Buchanan’s thrashing drums lead the maelstrom. Clenched fists punch skywards in tribute. Saunders’ solo is simultaneously furious and coruscant.
The mighty behemothic stampede of ‘The Matriarch’ supplants, a seismic uplift normally reserved for the formation of horst and graben landscapes is at employ herein. Richter levels right up to ten, a striking conveyor belt of industrious licks and grooves all coated in Slayes’ extremely efficacious vocals. Her announcement of the incoming ‘Apex’ is met with deafening approval, the mandrake screams in its towering, billowing storm clouds.
Via a bridging taped ‘Waking Dream’ the band exit to gather their breath. It’s been noticeable that Slayes is struggling between songs but to her absolute credit not a note is missed. The cloudburst speed metal of titular track ‘Abyss’ provides a detonation into the second section of the set. The snarling opulence of ‘Soulbound’ is rumbustious in despatch with a Celtic resonance darting in and out as the track edges towards its consummation.
Trademark in its UTA gallop ‘Faster Than Light’ careers manically nodding towards Maiden’s opus ‘Phantom Of The Opera’. Faces have been most suitably melted by the time Slayes announces the last song of the night ‘Tonight We Ride’. “You have free rein to blow out your voices!” she riles. Sonic assertions are met with total and complete immersion before UTA exit the stage assured in the knowledge that the ramparts have not only be scaled but totally pulverised into dust.
A repeated chanted demand for “One more song breaks out in the crowd, a call that is naturally answered with positivity. “This one is special to us – as humans on the road of life” observes Slayes of ‘Northwest Passage’. An utterly deafening reception is given to UTA’s barnstorming version of Stan Rogers patriotic folk-shanty. It’s truly goosebumping to the core, intense in its nuclear fission. An incredible high-note to conclude a set of high-notes. A night which surely will provide this fine band the springboard to further success on this side of the pond.
Photography by Kelly Spiller for MPM
