Unia [Digipak] - Sonata Arctica

...instantly memorable and incredibly compelling. Unia may take a while to settle into, but when you have listened to it a few times, you begin to understand the subtleties that the band have integrated into their songs and gives us more reason to praise them for being one of the best power metal bands in the world. It may not seem like it at first, but they still have their fast paced, heart racing songs and dark, lyrical ballads that show them to ...
...have replaced most of their fast paced guitar solos for more keyboard, so gives their music a darker quality than would have been found on previous albums. Lyrics have always been a bit difficult to swallow, as with most power metal, but “Unia” seems to be pushing the boat out even further with their whimsical chants, but can still be said to be enjoyable, none the less.

The album starts off well, with “In Black And White”, which fans ... more

This album has been both praised and critisized by long term Sonata Arctica fans and if you are a first time listener, I would recommend listening to "Ecliptica" or "Silence", which are two of their earlier albums and will give you a taste of the type of music that they usually produce.

This album is different from the others that they have made. The others you could just listen to once and they would be instantly memorable and incredibly compelling. Unia may take a while to settle into, but when you have listened to it a few times, you begin to understand the subtleties that the band have integrated into their songs and gives us more reason to praise them for being one of the best power metal bands in the world. It may not seem like it at first, but they still have their fast paced, heart racing songs and dark, lyrical ballads that show them to be an extremely versatile band.

They have replaced most of their fast paced guitar solos for more keyboard, so gives their music a darker quality than would have been found on previous albums. Lyrics have always been a bit difficult to swallow, as with most power metal, but “Unia” seems to be pushing the boat out even further with their whimsical chants, but can still be said to be enjoyable, none the less.

The album starts off well, with “In Black And White”, which fans of earlier work will be able to compare easily to other songs. This song is fast and lively but you get the sense that something has changed. These lyrics are some of the best on the album as they will have you singing along to it in no time.

“Paid In Full” and "For The Sake Of Revenge" are also great songs, if you are a fan of the slower, more progressive songs which seem to appear every so often on their albums but make up a larger part of this one.

"Caleb" is one of Sonata Arctica's ballads which is an impressive change from the repetitive double bass filled tunes that we are used to. It is heartfelt in its lyrics, but it has been sung in a way that still retains the bands metal background.

“My Dreams But A Drop Of Fuel For A Nightmare” starts with soft vocals and steady keyboarding, which escalates into their usual ballad, such as “Caleb”. I found with this song the lyrics to be so outlandish that I couldn’t help grimacing at parts. I realise that power metal usually has odd lyrics, but these really do make you wonder what they were thinking when writing this. Fortunately, the other elements of the song, such as guitar, keyboard and drum work, manage to pull it through, just.

"The Harvest" drags the album back from the edge of the abyss, as it shows a side of the band that we had nearly forgotten, the fast, dramatic songs that we have been used to.

Towards the end of the album, I couldn’t help but be a bit disappointed by the lack of inspirational songs that I would expect. “Fly With The Black Swan” is the only song on the last half of the album that I would go out of my way to listen to and as for the others, I have to say I usually give them a miss.

Not to be completely disheartened by some of my opinions in this review, it is still a worthwhile album to buy. It shows that the band are moving in a different direction, a darker, more progressive one but it shows that they do have the ability to change their style, which is the most impressive thing. They have left their power metal days, and have moved on to a more progressive, melodic phase, which may loose some fans but as for me, I will still love their music because they have proven how talented and ambitious they can be.

Songs that are worth buying the album for: "In Black And White", "Paid In Full", "Caleb", "The Harvest", "Fly With The Black Swan". 

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