Archer Nation - Beneath the Dream

Originally posted on Heaps of Metal 05.11.19 



Archer Nations “Beneath the Dream” is the bands 2nd album, the first, “Culling the Weak” having been released in 2015.
The album has nice melodies, and I’m happy to find that there are guitar melodies also on the parts where there are vocals. The album is overall well arranged and well produced, which is not surprising as they used a rather well known producer, Mike Clink, who did many big heavy rock and metal bands in the 80s.

The band describe themselves hard rock. I hear both heavy rock and heavy metal here, as well as some power metal and technical metal elements here as well.
While the band is a trio with guitar/vocals, bass and drums, there is also some background keyboards that add a bit atmosphere here and there.

I like that the album starts with a melodic riff that sets the stage for the band, making me expect a melodic band and making me think of Angra, the Brazilian progressive power metal band.
The vocals vary from more classic 80s heavy rock to reminding of early thrash metal bands like Metal Church. While there was no lyric sheet provided with the EPK, the vocals are easily discernable and there are some quite good lyrics on this album.

There is overall a good mix between the heavier and more hard rock songs on the album, however I might wish for the band to go in a heavier and more technical direction, but that is mostly based on what I look for in bands in general.
The band seems to be a bit dominated by the guitars, and I would have wanted more space for the drums and bass in the song arrangements.
This is the most technically accomplished guitar playing on any band I’ve reviewed so far, which makes this band a pleasure to listen to for me as a guitar player.

All in all I find the band at it’s best when they go towards melodic metal. They are currently on an European tour with Annihilator (an accomplishment in itself), so check them out live!

Link to facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archernation/
Link to bandcamp: https://archernation.bandcamp.com/album/beneath-the-dream-2019


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