Unia - Sonata Arctica

Advantages: It is Sonata Arctica.......just
Disadvantages: Changed their style for this album, what a shame

UNIA- A REVIEW BY ADDY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SPECS Released May 25, 2007 Recorded December 2006-January 2007 Genre Power metal Length 58:34 Label Nuclear Blast THE BAND NAME: Tony Kakko INSTRUMENT: Vocals, Keyboards DATE OF BIRTH: May 16th 1975 PRESENTLY LIVING IN: Finland JOINED SONATA ARCTICA: 1996 NAME: Tommy Portimo INSTRUMENT: Drums DATE OF BIRTH: September 5th 1981 PRESENTLY LIVING IN: Kemi JOINED SONATA ARCTICA: Original member ...
...10th 1978 PRESENTLY LIVING IN: Kemi, Finland JOINED SONATA ARCTICA: Summer 2000 NAME: Henrik "Lance" Klingenberg INSTRUMENT: Keyboards DATE OF BIRTH: October 21st 1978 PRESENTLY LIVING IN: Kokkola NAME: Elias "E.Vil" Viljanen INSTRUMENT: Guitar DATE OF BIRTH: 8th of July 1975 PRESENTLY LIVING IN: Pirkkala TRACK LISTINGS "In Black and White" − 5:03 "Paid in Full" − 4:24 "For the Sake of Revenge" − 3:23 "It Won't Fade" ... Read review

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