The Youth Will Be Heard: Kage Archer Releases "Carry The Weight"

The world of metal has always been built upon the pain of the youth — the majority of musicians (as well as myself) feel the calling to write and perform in this aggressive genre of art because the genre tends to allow the listener to feel heard for the first time in their lives. For a lot of them, it was felt at a very young age. Metal built a community, a beacon, for those whom society had cast into the waste dump along with their angst and self-loathing and salvaged their grief with open arms. We saw this during the late 90's and early 2000's, when the world was conquered by the likes of Slipknot, Korn, Linkin Park, Deftones - there was a widespread movement, swarms of young teenagers and kids laced out in Tripp pants, frosted tips, and fishnet arm sleeves (the type that conventional parents would deem 'devil music' and not 'church ready'). The world is an awfully fucked place, and for once, this younger generation found a place where they felt they belonged. They were angry, hateful even, and upon these children of grief, they would be heard. Out of that swarm, a new wave of metal artists emerged, most of whom will cite at least one of the above artists (or one of that generation) as the spark that ignited their passion for the arts, and they roam headlining stages, like their heroes did, today.

The youth now shoves its anger back into the throat of the world once again, and it's being spearheaded by thirteen-year-old Kage Archer. Based in Wichita, Kansas, Archer began as an instrumentalist, mastering drums at the mere age of four, and shortly after, pursued guitar and bass before leaning into frontman roles as a vocalist. Prior to joining the ranks of established artists, Archer began doing vocal covers and posting them online- after covering Motionless in White's "Slaughterhouse," he found himself going viral. At the age of 10, Kage found himself on stage with the band (in front of 6,000 fans, no less), equipped with the black Kevlar vest and outfit, and annihilated the track alongside them. Vocalist Chris Motionless crowned it as a "top 10 career moment." Pushing himself deeper into metal's veins, Archer went on to share the stage with other metalcore heavyweights such as Fit For A King, I Prevail, From Ashes to New, and Alphawolf (a personal favorite of mine). As shown, the youth are the future, and the future is now.

Now releasing his own artistry, Kage Archer released "Carry The Weight," featuring Taylor Barber (frontman of Left To Suffer and Seven Hours After Violet). Produced by Hiram Hernandez (Blessthefall, Saosin, Left To Suffer), the track is beyond its years. The track is a splice of every caliber: nu-metal verses, metalcore-like chugs and breakdowns, and deathcore-oriented blast beats and gutturals. Kage may be young, but his genuine passion for aggression is not, and neither is the ass-kicking he's going to give you.

(Disclaimer: Even as a thirteen-year-old, I will not be changing my tone and diction or dialing it down to fit his age. Kage is his own person and also uses his own slew of vulgar language in his songs, which is badass. It would be dishonest to write something that I don't hold true. He's in the big leagues now and will be treated here as I have treated every other artist I've had the honor to cover and speak with: as an equal and with respect. If you don't like it, get bent.)

"So You Wanna Be Me?!"

Starting off "Carry The Weight", reverbed guitar leads that reminisce the echoes of KoRn pry open the jaws of the track, before Kage rips them from the bone with "So you wanna be me?!" - with a sick groove-oriented guitar riff, drums, and bass that you expect from a well-seasoned band. They say it's easier to teach young ones objectives or actions than grown adults, because they are incredible mental sponges. This proves true — Archer has observed the intricacies and nuances of vocal pitches and tones, cadence construction, and themes that are prevalent in the genre and terraformed them into his own. Better than most I've seen in their own signed bands. The choruses are layered between his mids and lows tastefully, and the chug-fueled verses show Archer rapid-firing, almost rap-like, angst. There is an obvious connection between the type of metal that he listens to and the type he wishes to grow into: metalcore's gruff mids against palm-muted chugs, and nu-metal's rapid-fire cadence followed by grooving riffs and reverbed leads is Archer standing on the shoulders of giants.

The track teeters into deathcore territory, with the biggest surprise being choosing Left To Suffer's frontman, Taylor Barber, for the track. Barber is one of the most prominent vocalists in the deathcore community, and his addition lifted this track into the ether. Coming in with an alligator-like guttural, his signature lows behind beatdown chugs open up the pit for spinkicks and feeding elbows to mouths. The next surprise is that Kage follows this shit — following quick behind-the-blast beats, he tears into rapid-fire highs in deathcore fashion. The child of the swarm is now speaking my damn language. Pushing his knuckles deeper into the earth, Archer showcases all he's learned with extreme metal's famous "Bleghs," pig squeals, and even an "arf arf" behind a breakdown that gets fucking slower. At this point in the track, Kage has easily opened up the room for every able-bodied person to break each other's limbs with their own limbs.

Speaking on the release, Archer says:

'Carry the Weight' isn't just another heavy song; it's a look at envy. People see the highlight reel, the good side of my life, and say, 'I want that.' Sometimes wanting to be in my shoes, but they have no idea the work that goes on when the camera isn't rolling. Or the work that had to happen as a 10-year-old to right now to get to this point.

The music video for the single is simple and effective- set in a single concrete room with body distortion, light outages, and severe arachnophobia. Opening with a group of spiders crawling upon an unbothered Archer, he's constantly shown between blurred body movement, duplications, and eyes rolling into the back of his skull. Barber strolls behind the scenes, while webs and arachnids make nests in Kage's body and internals as the track progresses. The key observation to take note of in the video is the thirteen-year-old's confident gestures and body language throughout it: his movement communicates aggression and isolation, the peak moments of pressing fingers to temples, and grabbing the attention as he wanders around this one room. Though you can be shown these movements for what to do in a music video, I've witnessed grown adults in seasoned bands attempt the same, and the result comes off goofy, cringey, and even pretentious. Here, however, the very nature of him is rooted in the passion for the genre. It looks like he knows what he's doing because Archer simply believes in what he's doing. Upon this rock, metal built a church, and Archer is its disciple.

"But Since We're Both Here, I'll Make It Hurt Worse...You Stupid Motherfucker!"

The message and lyrical content dive into the sin of envy: Archer opens with the jealousy and criticism he receives, which can be overwhelming for a child prodigy in an aggressive, self-cannibalizing music scene. It's a mature subject matter, and it shows self-awareness that at his age he recognizes the hands that will attempt to drag him into the shallow waters of the industry. It also ties back to the beginning of this article, where, ironically, the same lost souls who find this genre will eventually meet the very evil it contains that they attempted to escape from in the first place. The complex issues of a thirty-year-old vs a thirteen-year-old will not equate; however, the common afflictions of anger & malice, self-loathing & doubt, and loss & grief are not bound by age. They do not discriminate. If you believe they do, you're behind the curve, son.

Kage Archer is not a "novelty" — he is not Shirley Temple. Archer embodies the hereditary inspiration that metal tends to pass down to the generations of its own fans. Teaching himself various instruments before he was even in kindergarten, playing on stages with headlining bands before he graduated middle school, and releasing his own heavy hitters before he has a driver's license — Kage breathes and bleeds for the genre just as much as the rest of us do. Upon just one of his singles, he snugs himself into the center of the genres he enjoys, and performs in the same vein as them even when the track changes shapes on its own — which is impressive, versatile, and beyond his years. He is self-aware of the weight that he must carry, being as young as he is, in an environment that will tear itself inside out at the slightest difference of the norm, and he shoulders his cross well. You cannot teach heart; you simply have to be born with it. Metal's pillars have always been built by the pain of the youth, and Kage Archer will find himself among this genre's next generation of architects.