Album Review: Archives – No Bliss In Ignorance (Self Released)

Northern Irish metal outfit Archives will release their new album, ‘No Bliss in Ignorance’ on June 7th, 2024.

When you look at the trajectory of Archives, it’s fair to say that they’re on an upward curve. Which is all the more impressive when you take into account that they only formed in 2020. That’s four years to get to this point, and based off what we’re hearing on No Bliss in Ignorance, there is no ceiling on this band.

They’re well and truly off to the f**king races with the chaotic intensity of Death Dealers. An opening blast of heaviness that burns with metalcore fire to the point of being blinding. It’s a defiantly savage start, balanced by strong melodies, but notable for the use of electronica and the impact of the drumming.

The first of two guests, Lewis Macrae of Rituals joins Archives on a track that embodies the word ‘mania’. It’s Sharkpit, it has a killer chorus, and is going to be considered an Archives anthem for many years to come. Although you don’t have to look too far for anthems on this album as previously released single, Self Inflicted proves. The heavy groove and furious roars of this track making an immediate impact and it just gets better from there. Clever melodies, a huge chorus and glorious head-banging intensity.

That track, like so much of the album is a showcase of energised and passionate modern metal blended with hardcore. The kind of noise that everyone will want to embrace. Which does make the intro of No Sweat a bit of a surprise. Only because it is so such melodically subtle and touching, and because the eruption of heavy noise that follows is bloody startling. Once it settles, it shows a band in complete control and capable of being as varied as they can be intense.

The second guest is Benji Mars of Waterlines, a vocalist who knows a thing or two about letting loose, and the track is Make No Mistake. Guess what? It’s another absolute banger from this band. Continuing the brilliant blend of heaviness and melody that exemplifies the entire album, but sounding grander than ever.

How good is this album? Halfway done, and nothing but banger after banger. Something that certainly isn’t changing with The Easy Way Out and a vocal performance that is phenomenal. Nor is the love for this album diminishing when a track like Catharsis comes along and has Archives pouring so much passion into sounding both feral and soothing.

One of the best things about this album is its ability to be indefinable and there is no way any listener will have reached this stage without noticing the variety in sound across the album. There are many great examples of Archives masterfully demonstrating speed and heaviness, but it’s the immensely impressive shifts into differing metal styles and the layers of melody that make it truly outstanding. Matriarch is one mighty fine example of this, but Liquid Love Affair isn’t far off that too, especially as it’s one of their more experimental sounding efforts.

This album flies by. It really does. Just like that, it’s the end, but what an end it has. Injustice putting an emphatic exclamation point on No Bliss in Ignorance with some of the meatiest riffs, most scathing sounding vocals, melodies that soar, and crushing percussion. It’s a remarkable closing track to an album that is remarkable in every way. You might have expected something great from Archives, but this great? They have smashed it out of the park here.

Archives – No Bliss in Ignorance Track Listing:

1. Death Dealers
2. Sharkpit (ft. Lewis Macrae)
3. Self Inflicted
4. No Sweat
5. Make No Mistake (ft Benji Mars)
6. The Easy Way Out
7. Catharsis
8. Matriarch
9. Liquid Love Affair
10. Injustice

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