Band celebrates new CD Aug. 1

The words ‘metal’ and ‘Victoria’ aren’t often coupled.

People within the local music community would argue Victoria has a healthy metal contingent. Bands like Kincaide, Meatlocker Seven and Archon Legon have helped keep the metalheads banging away until all hours of the night. Now you can throw Unleash the Archers into the mix, a new metal band with an interesting twist.

Besides playing technical, old-school metal reminiscent of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, Unleash the Archers has a serious ace up its sleeve: vocalist Brittney Hayes. She’s performed with the UVic Chamber Singers and her soaring vocals create an amazing juxtaposition with her bandmates.

“It hasn’t really been done too much in North America,” said guitarist/vocalist Brayden Dyczkowski of female-led metal bands. “It’s pretty big in Europe, but there’s just not many people doing it over here. And I wanted to start something that was new and fresh. On top of that I knew I wanted to find a singer that was 100 per cent on top of her game – professional.”

Dyczkowski had just seen his former band, From The Shadows, breakup in 2007 when he approached Shadows drummer Scott Buchanan – Hayes’ boyfriend – to see if the couple might be interested in starting up another band.

By August of that year the band was complete, with guitarist Mike Selman and bassist Zahk Hedstrom added to the mix, and they played their first show – a performance in Vancouver – in May 2008.

“We were all pretty nervous,” recalled Dyczkowski of playing at The Cobalt, a place known for breaking metal and punk bands.

“We ended up getting it videotaped and you could tell from the video tape that we were nervous. But it was good, because we had what we would actually consider our first hometown show in Victoria a month later and it was huge. We sold out Lucky Bar.”

The band unveils its debut record, Behold the Devastation on Aug. 1 at the V-Lounge, 3366 Douglas St. with Rotterdam and The Deception.

Doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets are available at the B.C. Smoke Shop and Lyle’s Place.

patrickb@vicnews.com