For Unleash the Archers lead singer Brittany Slayes, the world of science fiction, comic books, and the like has always been a source of inspiration. As an avid reader of the genre and a self-proclaimed lover of all things nerdy, those stories have guided her own writing as the primary lyricist for Unleash the Archers, leading to top-notch storylines for their six studio albums, most of which are intricately written concept albums. When the opportunity to lend her voice to a legendary franchise’s reimagining of a classic soundtrack in the same ballpark as all of the entertainment she knows and loves, Brittanyjumped at the chance, breathing new life into the classic theme song for the Transformers. In collaboration with Hasbro, Reigning Phoenix Music has released The Reformatted Edition of the classic The Transformers movie soundtrack to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release, re-imagining and re-recording these classic songs with some of the bright stars from today’s rock and metal world, with a few from the original soundtrack coming back to contribute as well.
In addition to the soundtrack, fans attending Comic Con in San Diego this past July were treating to a one-of-a-kind celebration of life for Optimus Prime at the House of Blues, where the Knights of Unicron performed all songs from the album, with all contributors past and present coming through to serenade the crowd. I had a chance to speak with Brittney about this show, and many other topics, including:
- how she was selected to perform on the reformatted soundtrack, whether there was any debate on which song she would sing, her recording process for the track, and any additional pressure she felt on being given the title track.
- performing with the Knights of Unicron at the celebration of life for Optimus Prime, how her usual crowd work differed from a traditional set at a festival or tour stop, and how it feels to replace an imaginary robot in a fictional band.
- the influences that led her to write the storyline for Phantoma, her thoughts on how technology was intended to work vs. how it’s actually being used, and how she’s working on graphic novels to accompany and accentuate the stories she’s created on recent Unleash the Archers albums.
- the lead vocalists who inspired her in the past like Bruce Dickinson and Geoff Tate, how those singers crafted storylines that motivated her to write, and her karaoke rendition of “Queen of the Reich” and the crowd’s reaction.
- the tip she received from Bjorn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork and how it shaped how Apex, Abyss, and subsequent albums are written, and an update on the next record the band is slowly but surely working on.
You can watch the entire interview HERE:
It was great speaking with Brittney about all of these things and how she draws inspiration from different sources and how they manifest themselves into her own writing. Judging by her resume so far, with the detailed fictional concepts behind many of Unleash the Archers albums, gravitating towards contributing to the Transformers franchise and reinvigorating the classic theme song was a natural step for Brittney given her interests outside of music, and the results are fantastic as usual.
To order your copy of The Transformers: The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition, check out the link below.
For updates on their new album and any other news from Unleash the Archers, stay tuned to their social media channels and their website.
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