Unia - Sonata Arctica

Advantages: Great first half, slight new direction for the band.
Disadvantages: Second half is not so good.

While Unia is a great album in its own right, it is a little different to the previous albums. It almost feels like it is split into 2 halves. When i first listened to it the songs on the first half (before "The harvest") are quite catchy after a few listens but in a different way to the catchyness of Ecliptica and Winterhearts guild. There seems to be a much darker feel to the rest of the album with a lot more tense, minor, dischordant almost and ...
...the final song "Good enough is good enough" which takes you back to "Tallulah" but with less piano and more strings. If you like songs that are more like "Wildfire" then "The vice" is a great song to listen to, but if you are a fan of the more meaningful love-esque songs then definately "For the sake of revenge" and "Paid in full" which could practically lead on to each other themewise. If you like storytelling songs like "White Pearl Black Oceans" ... Read review

Advantages: Catchy, well produced
Disadvantages: off the bands beaten track, takes getting used to

For Sonata Arctica this album is... unusual. Not they're the most normal band in the world to begin with, but this.... is plain wierd! I bought the album thinking it was going to be more of their trademark high speed power metal, but its really not... its more geared towards the technical side of things - changes from 4/4 to 3/4 and back again, lots of - as tony once put it - vocal masturbation, and suprisingly catchy lyrics. Most sonata albums ...
...scruff of the neck and shaken them into submission while the pretty colours went off in your synapses. This one, on the other hand, takes a while to get settled in, and takes some getting used to. Give it a few listens before you make your mind up and you'll find yourself walkign along humming the tunes without realising it! So, their most unusual offering to date, but probably the most successful in my eyes - Brilliant vocals, catchy rhythms and ... Read review

Advantages: Amazing musical talent is certainly displayed here.
Disadvantages: Some tracks seem a little misplaced.

...riffs and growls of singing. Unia takes more of a relaxed pace, taking you hand-in-hand through it's tracks and gently guiding you through. You will not get instant gratification with this album, but give it a chance and a few more listens and you'll certainly reap the rewards. Excellent production value and an almost dream-like quality to the songs, Unia is something that deserves to be listened to more than once. ... Read review

Advantages: Has some songs that are worth listening to
Disadvantages: Not as good as previous work

...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... Read review

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