Unisonic
Light of Dawn
earMusic
2014
After 2 years since the band’s debut, the super-group Unisonic are back with their sophomore release. Even though I despise the word “super-group”, sometimes it seems to hit the target. After the wonderful debut, everyone was worried of what they would come up with. So what did the guys do? They heard what the public demanded and put some more power metal in their music. Dennis Ward is a very smart guy and knows exactly what to do and when.
Hence, inspired by the “classic Helloween” song formula… we’ve got the enjoyable “Your Time Has Come”, “For the Kingdom” and “Find Shelter” – right from the late80s/early 90s Helloween period. It’s true that those two tracks sound more Helloween than Helloween themselves! After all, 2/4 of Helloween is on Unisonic, so no harm done! The power metal maniacs will get crazy over them!
Then, there are the hard rock & melodic metal tracks also which Kiske seems to be very fond of. “Exceptional”, as the title suggests… is simply exceptional in every part! What an astonishing track! It was the right choice to be released as a video too.
“Not Gonna Take Anymore” and “Night of the Long Knives” are very good hard rock/melodic metal tracks as well.
“Blood” is a fantastic slow-tempo melodic hard rock song with great lyrics. Kiske nails it with his performances once again!
“When the Deed is Done” is a stunning atmospheric melodic metal track. Marvelous solo as well! One of my favorites on the album!
“Throne of the Dawn” is a really nice melodic heavy/power metal track with a fine chorus.
“Manhunter” is a “fun & relaxing” hard & heavy track in a way. It doesn’t work that good for me. I would prefer a cover on the known 80s pop hit “Maneater” instead… due to the lyrical concept! Whatever!!
The album closes with the astounding ballad “You and I”. What a ballad! A classic one! The guitar solo is impressive and Kiske… well nuf said! No more words! Just listen to it!
There are also two bonus tracks. “Judgement Day” is the bonus track for the European special edition and “Dare” is the Japanese bonus. Both are fine but nothing that will change your mind for the better or the worse about the album.
Probably the Uni-team is tighter than before and time has worked for their own benefit as they sound more cohesive as a band now rather than a project. Mandy seems to be more relaxed than before and he delivers some killer solos throughout the album, Kai is the well-known Kai, Kosta is a solid force and Dennis is a freakin’ genius! He has also taken care of the recordings and the mixing and he did deliver a great production overall! Ohh, did I mention that Kiske sings his heart out here? He’s back on his throne proving that his is among the top singers of rock/metal genre of all time. It’s truly a blessing to listen to this “angelic voice”!
When all is said and done, “Light of Dawn” is a worthy follow-up to the debut and a brilliant album on the whole. It will surely be among the best albums of 2014. The big question is what Unisonic are willing to do from now on. Their reputation and their expectations are growing rapidly so the band members need to reconsider their priorities. You see Unisonic is working better than any other of the other members’ bands, so they should focus all of their powers on Unisonic (Dennis told me that they already do so)… the third release will show the way… till then enjoy “Light of Dawn” to the fullest...
Hence, inspired by the “classic Helloween” song formula… we’ve got the enjoyable “Your Time Has Come”, “For the Kingdom” and “Find Shelter” – right from the late80s/early 90s Helloween period. It’s true that those two tracks sound more Helloween than Helloween themselves! After all, 2/4 of Helloween is on Unisonic, so no harm done! The power metal maniacs will get crazy over them!
Then, there are the hard rock & melodic metal tracks also which Kiske seems to be very fond of. “Exceptional”, as the title suggests… is simply exceptional in every part! What an astonishing track! It was the right choice to be released as a video too.
“Not Gonna Take Anymore” and “Night of the Long Knives” are very good hard rock/melodic metal tracks as well.
“Blood” is a fantastic slow-tempo melodic hard rock song with great lyrics. Kiske nails it with his performances once again!
“When the Deed is Done” is a stunning atmospheric melodic metal track. Marvelous solo as well! One of my favorites on the album!
“Throne of the Dawn” is a really nice melodic heavy/power metal track with a fine chorus.
“Manhunter” is a “fun & relaxing” hard & heavy track in a way. It doesn’t work that good for me. I would prefer a cover on the known 80s pop hit “Maneater” instead… due to the lyrical concept! Whatever!!
The album closes with the astounding ballad “You and I”. What a ballad! A classic one! The guitar solo is impressive and Kiske… well nuf said! No more words! Just listen to it!
There are also two bonus tracks. “Judgement Day” is the bonus track for the European special edition and “Dare” is the Japanese bonus. Both are fine but nothing that will change your mind for the better or the worse about the album.
Probably the Uni-team is tighter than before and time has worked for their own benefit as they sound more cohesive as a band now rather than a project. Mandy seems to be more relaxed than before and he delivers some killer solos throughout the album, Kai is the well-known Kai, Kosta is a solid force and Dennis is a freakin’ genius! He has also taken care of the recordings and the mixing and he did deliver a great production overall! Ohh, did I mention that Kiske sings his heart out here? He’s back on his throne proving that his is among the top singers of rock/metal genre of all time. It’s truly a blessing to listen to this “angelic voice”!
When all is said and done, “Light of Dawn” is a worthy follow-up to the debut and a brilliant album on the whole. It will surely be among the best albums of 2014. The big question is what Unisonic are willing to do from now on. Their reputation and their expectations are growing rapidly so the band members need to reconsider their priorities. You see Unisonic is working better than any other of the other members’ bands, so they should focus all of their powers on Unisonic (Dennis told me that they already do so)… the third release will show the way… till then enjoy “Light of Dawn” to the fullest...