UNBOWED are a metal band from Ontario, Canada. On the 25^th October 2014 they released their second full-length album, "Collapse the World". It is a beautifully woven piece with plenty of experimentation from obscure metal sub genres that make it original.

The most notable thing about this album, the thing that makes it different, is the way the orchestral elements and gritty metal sounds work together. Symphonic metal is a huge sub-genre nowadays with bands like NIGHTWISH existing. UNBOWED have most obviously been influenced by these bands. The melodies of the orchestra they use really enhance the metal parts and also create a narrative. It gives the listener a sense that they're going somewhere, somewhere exciting.

The band show off their impressive guitar work with sections of acoustic harmonies that is both articulate and intelligent, as well as adding to the dark tone of the music. The guitar lines are a mixture of melodic and sharp sounds like thrash or death metal riffs. Whatever style the band has chosen to play in, the crescendo of pounding instruments and intense growling really hits you hard. This affect might also be caused by the dramatic style of the music.

Facebook classifies UNBOWED as "Brutal North" metal, which is a perfect description of all the sub genres that the band has combined in this album. When listening to this album you get strong images of a bleak, winter settings. The visions are so strong that the temperature of your body drops. This shows how powerful UNBOWED's experimental music is. The album is overall a pleasure to listen too. However, the song structure is a bit unpolished and I feel this may be due to the flux of influences they have tried to include. The next step UNBOWED need to make is honing their signature sound. They could be more established as a result.<