Unia

Nuclear Blast

One of my favorite artists to emerge from the massive European Metal scene is Finnish progressive/symphonic Metaler’s Sonata Arctica. Boasting a sound that is at once unique and intrinsically superior to many of their peers I can only wonder why they are not further up the musical food chain than where they currently reside. Understandably their primary market lies outside the U.S. but I am thankful that they have managed to gain some momentum within the past couple of years by bringing their potent brand of classically tinged music to American shores via their live performance. I was privileged to have caught their show earlier this year when they played the Galaxy Theater in Southern California and am very thrilled about their return which will come this fall.

Sonata Arctica’s latest opus Unia, (Finnish for "Dreams") is another exciting progression in the evolution of their compositional wisdom and presents a well defined album of sonically majestic proportions. Perhaps a bit more aggressive than the bands former offering 2005’s Reckoning Night, Unia does not lose sight of the bands trademark symphonic element. Beautifully orchestrated and distinctively competent each song stands out on this provoking new release. Favorites include the heartfelt “Under Your Tree”, the driving “In Black and White”, the opera/medieval attributes of such tracks as “Caleb” and “The Vice” as well as pure rockers like “Paid In Full” and “For The Sake Of Revenge”.

Sonata Arctica have truly outdone themselves this round and Unia is sure to garner greater critical acclaim with each and every review put forth. In my view I rank this album as a perfect 10! I only wish that there were more readily accessible media outlets for the band to pursue, especially state side. As it stands though, our industry has become so complacent with inferior musicianship and reality TV that it is any wonder that Sonata Arctica’s work is as well known as it is. Nevertheless I truly believe that in the larger scope of things true artistic talent will inevitably prevail and Sonata Arctica are helping to lead the way.

-Priest