Melodic Metalcore has come on in leaps and bounds in the past half decade, with acts like Catch Your Breath earning their stripes with the high numbers of streams on TikTok as well as Bad Omens becoming a stand-out act in the genre with the help of a single album, the cleaner, more Pop and R&B-influenced side to the genre is making waves in the scene. 

Quartet Archers are no different, making their debut a decade ago with their cover of The Weeknd’s “The Hills,” the band have made it clear from the start that they’re equally influenced by R&B artists as they are the other big-hitters in the Metalcore scene. 

Now a decade on, and the band are showing their prowess with their latest EP, Temporary High (SBG Records). Will they become another stand-out like the two aforementioned bands?

A common criticism of these Melodic Metalcore acts is that they tend to hang a little too hard on the Pop side of the genre spectrum, losing the part of the music that makes it truly Metalcore. It is clear from within the first five seconds of the opening song, “Better Off,” that this is not the case for Archers, as the band perform this chunky Nu-Metal-inspired riff, as vocalist Nathanael Pulley screams down the microphone to the frenzy. When switching into the cleans for the chorus, the result feels reminiscent of bands more like I Prevail and Beartooth, Pulley’s ability to switch between these cleans and screams feel very at ease for the belter. 

The band’s appreciation for Pop music is apparent throughout the EP, however, it never shows more than during the release’s choruses, littered with tight, Pop hooks that would have any fan of the band screaming the lyrics right back at the band. The band’s focus on these vocal runs alongside these infectious melodies show that the group have taken in more than just an appreciation for the music. There are some drawbacks, however, to this heavier focus on the poppier rhythms; on the second track “Wide Awake” there are a few vocal runs and refrains that unfortunately can hear the autotune creep in too heavily layered on Pulley’s voice, resulting in an almost robotic sound. The vocal range is clearly there, but the production takes away from the talent.

It’s in the final track that the band really goes out there with a completely different sound. “Crooked Smile” brings out a sound that feels as if it’s Issues-meets-Sleep Token. The trap beats and rhythms are straight out of the Sleep Token book, but it’s the more technical side of the instrumentation that brings out the Issues inspiration. With these two sounds, the band can clearly go far with their own input and exploration into this sound.

For a band that has been releasing music for a decade, it seems the act have started to come into their own, sonically. It is undeniable there is some raw talent out there and potential to come from the band, but to reach these lofty heights others have reached, they’ve got to trust their sound and bring in more of their own input and unique qualities that they’ve shown behind Temporary High. Tapping into their influences mixed in with their own sound and the band have the makings to take their music to the next level in the Melodic Metalcore sphere.

Buy the album here:
https://linktr.ee/archersband

6 / 10
CHARLIE HILL
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