French melodic death metal troupe Once Upon the End to release new EP ‘Archive 200’

Three years on from The Next Chapter, their tempestuous 2021 debut album, progressively minded Parisian death metallers, Once Upon the End, are back. This time they come armed with a stunning four track EP, featuring a mixture of new and re-recorded, re-imagined songs from their impressive back catalogue – Archive 200 – which is set in a dystopian near future where the world has been ravaged by climate collapse and human society lies in ruins. Branding their individual take on melodic death metal ‘Post Apocalyptic Metal’, with the Archive 200 EP Once Upon the End have forged a powerful and individual collection of songs that is both immediately impactful and ripe with limitless potential.

Opening with the propulsive anthem that is ‘Dying Concrete‘, Archive 200 takes the listener on a thrilling ride through the wastelands of human folly. Unforgettable choruses and breathtaking riffs, blazing solos and melodious bass, thunderous drums and masterful shifts in tempo and atmosphere, precision performances and effervescent energy…so many outstanding elements combine within these four songs – four songs overflowing with more ideas than some bands manage in four albums! Archive 200 features the first recorded performances of Once Upon the End‘s new vocalist, Ezalyr and her voice is yet another formidable weapon in the band’s arsenal, effortlessly shifting between melody, passion and venomous attack. Each song on this EP of remarkably accomplished melodic death metal is an absolute triumph – from that glorious opening of ‘Dying Concrete’, through the many hued magic of ‘We Are The Dead’ and the glorious riffs and imaginative structure of ‘Moon Scavengers‘ to the towering monolith of epic finale, ‘The Old Ones’. You’ll not hear a better EP this year.

Immaculately mastered by the world renowned Frédéric Gervais (Pensées Nocturnes, Glorior Belli, In The Woods etc), Archive 200 will leave you spellbound. Upon its April 5th release, this EP will herald an exciting new era in the ongoing tale of Once Upon the End. Seize this invitation and embark upon an adventure like no other with these bards of the broken badlands.