There's a reason this album won the Juno for Heavy Metal Album of the Year in Canada, it's just so good. Each song just builds on each other. I highly recommend Faster then Light, the video is hilarious and the music is even better. Great Review! I love watching your discovery of Unleash the Archers

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for that! I appreciate you watching! 😁🤘

IMMORTAL IS MORE THAN A NAME! THE WIND THAT SHAPES THE LAND Somehow I find myself Standing on the edge of something that I desperately need From this moment I will not be the same No more crying for the things I can't change Here I will put this tale to rest Finish what I started long ago And though it may not be the ending I wish Only victory can bring me home Come I won't wait for long I was never your slave for all eternity And now here we stand face to face Feel the ground Crashing all around Fight to fan the flame Ignite the battle rage Tear the sky Watch the boulders fly As the mountain scape Crumbles in her wake So, you've come to prove yourself Despite the lies you tell You know you won't prevail And I, most powerful of all Have come to see you fall You'll find no mercy here Search within, uncover the will to win Turn against the tide that washes o'er Find the strength to fall and rise again Open up the gates, unleash the force I am the wind that shapes the land Old as time and twice as strong Oceans arise at my command I alone can carry on To break her chains Forward I push on into the storm surrounding me I await her strike Could it be she's reached the pinnacle now? Silence as I stand within the eye In this hurricane of her design And watch as I drain the light from inside Now at last I see what must be done and so I fly Firm within my grasp I hold the spark and shatter it See her eyes go dark Could it be I've finally won the war now? I see the clouds are gone The storm that raged is quiet once again I feel the stars above Shining on the fragments that remain Search within, uncover the will to win Turn against the tide that washes o'er Find the strength to fall and rise again Open up the gates, unleash the force I am the wind that shapes the land Old as time and twice as strong Oceans arise at my command I alone can carry on No What is this I see? Broken before me Once again I pay the price I've nothing without sacrifice

the vocal vibrato on the end of the word "ago" in the intro gives me chills every time. I've owned this record since it came out and never fails. I agree that even though this feels very "album defining opus"-y everything serves the song

Every single time I listen to this song I still get goosebumps. When they played this live, I cried because of how awesome it was. You can feel the power and emotion through the recording, but live just blew me away. This band deserves to be huge and I would take off an entire summer of work just to follow them around the country and hear them night after night. For most of Abyss, both Andy and Grant have solos that they trade off. Great reaction.

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks man! They are pretty stellar. I think seeing the live is my newest bucket list item.

This album came out 1.5 years ago, and I still listen to this song at least once a week. I'm 49, grew up in the wake of the birth of metal and enjoyed every incarnation since, and this song is one of the all-time greats among all metal bands, IMO. So what next from these guys? If you're looking for produced videos, your options are dwindling. On the latest album, you have videos for Soulbound, Faster than Light, and Legacy. All are fantastic. I recommend listening to Faster than Light without the video though; the video's pretty clever and engaging and tells its own story, and all the reactions I've seen they're always focusing more on the story the video is telling than what's going on in the music. Maybe just play through one verse and chorus with a lyric video or something so you can get its full face-melting effect, and then switch gears and start up the official video so your attention isn't divided between two very different works of art happening simultaneously. From their prior 2017 album Apex, you've already seen their two videos from that (Awakening and Cleanse the Bloodline). Their best song from that album doesn't have a video, though. It's the title track, Apex. Another epic opus like this song, and a huge love letter to Iron Maiden's sound and style. Prior to Apex, your options get more limited. You already reacted to Tonight We Ride, and that was their big one off Time Stands Still. That album has yet another 8+ minute magnum opus on it called Dreamcrusher, and it's also sickeningly good (my favorite UTA song until Wind that Shapes the Land supplanted it). Oh, and if you ever want to do a quickie, the song Test Your Metal is some fun brain candy off that album. Finally, be aware that if you go too far back to either of the first two albums (Behold the Devastation or Demons of the Astrowaste), you will be listening to a drastically different incarnation of the band. The first two albums feature a different guitarist and songwriter, and to my ear they might as well be two completely different bands. A lot of people were introduced to UTA through General of the Dark Army off their 2nd album, so you'll get a lot of recommends for that, but again be prepared for a pretty different sound. It still amazes me that their guitarist and main songwriter left, and Brittney and Scott somehow managed to replace him with not one but two amazing guitarists and songwriters who have pushed the band to amazing new heights. On their 3rd album Time Stands Still (the first one with their current incarnation), there's a song called Going Down Fighting, and if you read the lyrics to that, I'm pretty sure it's an open letter to their departed leader, and expresses the stress and determination that the band through in that time. Pretty cool stuff....

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Man! Thanks so much for filling me in. I'll probably use this as a bit of a guide for future UTA reactions. I can't wait till I've reacted to all of the major stuff so I can deep dive just for myself. I need to check out the two concept albums in context.

My favorite UTA song and your breakdown makes me appreciate it even more. Thank you!

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I appreciate that!

I absolutely love seeing someone experience UTA songs for the first time and your reactions have been fantastic. This album won the Juno Award for best Metal/Hard Rock Album in 2020. Not only great musicians, but also great people. Between meeting them at shows and chatting on their Twitch streams, they make everyone feel like part of the family. Next songs in this style would be Afterlife, Apex, or Dreamcrusher. A quick banger as UTA puts it would be Soulbound, The Matriarch, or Test Your Metal. Faster Than Light and Legacy are different and completely awesome.

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tips! The have a great energy, I'm sure they're fantastic to hang out with. 😁🤘

Yay!!! This is the song that converted me. So happy you've diving so deep! Looking forward to Abyss and General of the Dark Army. And Faster Than Light, cuz what a fun video! ...The whole band has So. Much. Control. hot damn. Pretty sure Britney hits a higher note on Abyss. I'm never gonna hit that note dammit. I can hit the F# sometimes-but certainly not hold it as prettily as she does, my poor neighbors!! I still hope you check out Be'lakor sometime, Smoke of Many Fires from their Vessels album or more recently, Valence from the Coherence album. Have a great day!

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

It's not about the notes you can hit compared to someone else, it's about what magic you can bring through the quality of your tone and the way you interpret the melody and lyrics! Focus on that and you will blow people's minds just like Brittney does. Thanks for the suggestion too! 😁🤘

This intro, and the intro to 1st track to the album, I believe just before the song Abyss. Almost exact. When I hear this I hear hints of bands like STYX... Think of Suite Madam Blue.. Then when you get into Abyss, I kind of feel like I'm hearing Journey, from the Escape album.

Time to get some popcorn!

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

😂

Stellar, perfect reaction to this perfect track. I am glad Grant and everyone else is proud of this song because it is my favourite too! Your comments about their devotion to tasteful album creation are so spot on. It is the difference. Yours are becoming my favourite UtA reactions.

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Wow! Thank you! What a compliment. I feel like there's plenty of UTA left to do.

If you ever get the chance to see them live, just go. You will not be disappointed, and yes she hits those notes live.

Great reaction. I just stumbled across your channel recently thanks to one of your “The Warning” reactions, and saw this reaction for my favorite UTA song while digging through some of your older reactions. Your reaction sums it up nicely, and you are even missing out the impact of all the lead up from the other songs on Apex and Abyss. Both of their concept albums are epic, but this song especially so. It's just amazing how good UTA is as songwriters and musicians. If you want to hear something different from UTA, check out “Test Your Metal” as it’s simple no-nonsense power metal banger. Keep up the great work, as you are able to add something to the discussion when you react to a song unlike most reactors on KZread. You are constantly pointing interesting things out and explaining musical stuff in easy to understand language that adds to my appreciation of the song.

Best song on the album. Such a moving ambiance

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

I loved it!

And now here we stand face to faceeeeeeeeeeeeee! :)

Epic UTA right here. I'm a huge fan of this group since I first heard the.. Each member has so much talent and just cool people in general. ❤ 😍 🎸

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed

The truly correct way to listen to their music is to get Apex and Abyss on vinyl and sit down with a glass of rum in one hand and the lyrics sheet in the other and listen to all of it back to back. I did that after first hearing Awakening and it was the best thing I ever did 😁 Especially since they are connected concept albums

Congratulations, you're hooked! There's no cure for UTA. I got addicted during the beginning of the pandemic and I made damn sure they were the first concert I saw when the restrictions were lifted. I met them before the concert and chatted lightly with them during an early dinner. (We were seated next to them at a restaurant. How's that for luck!) This particular song is a favorite of all the band members and is practically on every setlist. Your analysis of UTA has been delightful and insightful so far. I hope you can get to the songs "Legacy" and "Cleanse the Bloodlines" soon. Keep up the good work!

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

😁🤘 kzread.info/dash/bejne/f2au0LurfJbVlc4.html

@deansharinus7165

2 жыл бұрын

Damn it! My nurse must not have given me my medication that day...if I had medication...if I had a nurse... 😞@@PrymalChaos

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

@@deansharinus7165 😂🤘 don't worry, I just realised that I have over 70 videos now. I can barely remember some of the tracks I've reacted to!

This was my favorite song on the first listen of the album and i witnessed them do it live to perfection just a few months ago! UTA is an amazing band full of talented humble people. I could probably just like every comment here and be done and this band deserves it! DON'T MISS THEM LIVE!!! You'll be thankful!! Awesome reaction!

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

I'll definitely have to attend a show at some point!

This song is Epic!!! Probably may favorite song by them!!! britneys vocals are insane in this song!!!!

Legacy from this album is cool. Of course sometimes doing these albums in order is cool.

Oh, man... "Last Bastions"... What a great band name. "You've been a great audience. We are the Last Bastions! Thank you and goodnight!" It must be taken. They all are. ••• Loved that. Thanks! PEACE!!!

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Haha. You're right! Great band name!

One of the most beautiful and epic climactic songs I've ever heard. It literally gave me "Neo vs Smith" Matrix vibes when I first heard this song. Edit: If you want to hear Brittney hit a really high note, check out her singing karaoke at a Scotland bar, when she did a vocal cover of Queen of the Reich by Queensryche. Still gives me chills.

@PrymalChaos

Жыл бұрын

I’ve seen it. What an amazing voice!

Fantastic review. Btw, they are d&d nerds too ❤️

Hell yeah!! Love it.

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Quinton!

I imagine you figured this out already, but since you mentioned album structure in the video: this is the 8th song out of 10 on the album, and functions as the climax - of both the album, and the conceptual story behind Apex and Abyss. The next two tracks are more denouement and epilogue in purpose.

Really digging your channel so far. You point out things my brain knew were there but I didn't. Gives me a new appreciation for a song. Glad I subbed. As far as where to go next, another commenter mentioned "Legacy." Good choice there. It has a lot of familiar elements from the band, but it has a different feel. To me at least. The video is also really cool.

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Ok cool! Thanks for the tip. Appreciate you watching!

Awesome rect Man..... Yes one of the Best songs on this LP (uh huh.. dating myself right there) In this review you spoke of "nerds"....... just so happenes that UtA are a bunch of the Coolist Nerds you would ever want to meet !!! They are also quite accessible from what I've heard from other great reactors... much like yourself.... hey... give it a shot some time!! Cheers !!!

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

I respect artists that wear their geekdom as armor. They seem like really cool folks!

If you like the subtle textures in the background that add to the music, you need to check out the new single, Cardinal Red, from Monuments. Brittany is amazing btw. I love UTA. Such a good band.

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip!

Btw. Xbox shirt, now I like you even more.. 😉😋 Greetz from Germany

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

I love my Series X. This shirt was a gift from Microsoft right after I changed my Gamertag to PrymalChaos so that was great timing!

Funny you mention D&D... these folks had D&D nights on Twitch or some such during the shutdowns. Brittney's got a few D5's out there on record... and that's in a mixed belt. Not sure what her operatic head-voice/top-end is. For another side you should listen to Legacy (not sure if it's on Apex or Abyss ... I'm just becoming a UTA nerd.) It's so funny you mention earlier 70s/80s storytelling rock bands... I find myself trying to write violin-ish solos (ala Jerry Goodman) when I hear their longer songs like this one. ... a violin on a wah is SUCH a great war toy (Birds of Fire, etc) ... It doesn't really fit power metal, but it could, with the proper melodic shoehorn. Great reaction... always fun to see what you are listening to.

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Oh yeah, I'm sure she can go higher. It's a big note but seemed comfortable. Dude, wah and violin is a great mix, and don't ever let anyone tell you what 'fits' into power metal!

@glennolson6505

Жыл бұрын

If you haven't seen it already: she joins Lords of the Trident for a rendition of Brindisi, which shows about where her 'operatic head-voice' would sit. kzread.info/dash/bejne/hqyWkqmPabOtnJc.html

Thanks for the reaction!!! I hope you get to react to (soulbound ) and (abyss) both have music videos

@PrymalChaos

2 жыл бұрын

Abyss comes up a lot, may have to be next!