Unisonic (Mediabook) [Special Edition, Extra tracks]

Unisonic's self titled debut album is certainly a quality release. The album is filled with musical variety, excellent vocals, solid guitar work and several unforgettable songs. It is not an epic magnum opus, but a fresh melodic hard rock release that just hits the mark.

Unisonic is comprised of vocalist Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween, Place Vendome), guitarist Kai Hansen (ex-Helloween, Gamma Ray), guitarist Mandy Meyer (ex-Krokus, ex-Gotthard) and bassist Dennis Ward together with drummer Kosta Zafiriou (Pink Cream 69, Place Vendome). By looking at the names of Kiske and Hansen one could mistakenly expect a power metal release, but Unisonic are rather focused on performing melodic hard rock with metal and AOR influences.

The album starts with the self-titled song, which is surely the perfect opener. "Unisonic" is an up-tempo power metal number with a dose of hard rock. Heavy riffing, an addictive groove, several guitar leads and a twin guitar solo, a good chorus backed by double bass, a confident vocal performance and you have the first Unisonic classic. This is the fastest and probably the heaviest song on offer, so don't expect the rest of the album to follow this path.

"Souls Alive" sounds like a cross between hard rock and melodic metal. The song is rather mid paced but still faster compared to other tracks. Things start with a bombastic intro backed by power metal like guitar leads and keyboards. The verses and chorus are owned by Kiske's melodic singing and some solid riffs. The song also contains a great guitar solo and a slow atmospheric part, with some emotional lower range vocals.

"We Rise" is a definite highlight. Heavy riffing, a crushing solo battle and a beautifully sang as well as addictive chorus, provide the recipe for another Unisonic classic. We Rise can also be considered a faster song, although the tempo varies. In summary this is pure gold and reminds of Helloween's uplifting spirit, while the chorus carries a hint of Gamma Ray's Heaven Can Wait.

"My Sanctuary" is an addictive mid paced melodic hard rocker. The verses are filled with guitar leads and the chorus is catchy as hell and a vocal highlight, with some classic high notes by Kiske. The song also features a very fitting solo section and a slower bridge with lower vocals that will work wonders in a live setting.

"Renegade" is another stand out. It starts with a pretty heavy riff which is repeated after the choruses, the verses are much softer, while the memorable chorus follows the melodic hard rock line. Another outstanding vocal performance and an excellent guitar solo round off the song perfectly. If you want to label it, the sound resembles a heavier Place Vendome.

My personal favorite song is the epic "King For A Day". A slower paced hard rock track, with some heavy riffing and Kiske's flawless higher singing in the verse. The chorus is epic and sang in lower vocals by both Kiske and Hansen in the background. After the second chorus the pace becomes faster for the impressive guitar solo and slows down again for the excellent ending.

"Star Rider" is another sure winner. It follows an atmospheric arena rock path and harkens back to Queen. A simple and softer song, with emphasis on a bombastic chorus and Kiske's truly outstanding vocal performance. On the second verse and elsewhere there are choirs that will certainly remind one of Queen.

The 'Limited Edition' (Mediabook) includes a brilliant bonus track well worth having. "Over The Rainbow" is a captivating power ballad with a truly stunning vocal performance (including some high screams). The epic ballad contains emotional guitar work, some heavier outbursts, an 80's feel and a wink to early Rainbow.

Most of the remaining songs don't disappoint either. "Never Change Me" is an uplifting AOR song with another notable chorus and a certain Place Vendome vibe. The closing song "No One Ever Sees Me" is an ethereal ballad with acoustic guitars and orchestrations. The vocal performance here is very impressive, covering various ranges and carrying lots of emotion.

Overall Unisonic offers a fresh sounding debut album with several noteworthy songs. Excellent instrumentation by the various veterans on board and one of Michael Kiske's most impressive vocal performances ever. The album's musical variety covering hard rock, heavy metal, AOR and ballads is another strong point. As for the bad, a few average songs and the fact that the songwriting is generally kept to the basics.

If listened as a rock album Unisonic totally delivers, if listened as a power metal release then it doesn't. Personally I can't wait for a follow up.

With two heavy weights from the power metal genre behind it you would be forgiven into thinking that this Unisonic album was going to be a visit to Helloween's past, or at least have a flavour of it. It would be be fair to say that a lot of that early Helloween audience will be interested in Unisonic with Kiske and Hansen joining forces again, I should know, I count myself as one of them. The lead video for the song, Unisonic, was, for me, quite disappointing as it was a generic but likeable song, but a song that Hansen has been chocking out for years with an opening riff he probably phoned in whilst on the toilet. This song is about as fast and as heavy as this album gets and, if you get past the fact that this isn't going to be Keeper part 4, then this album is quite enjoyable. It's catchy, well performed and contains a handful of decent tunes. In summary it is a good rock album.

For myself, it was all a little underwhelming and it sounds like they've written all the tunes in about a week. There's nothing technical, progressive or epic about this album, which is surprising considering the minds behind it and the catalogue of epic tracks they have clocked up over the years. Still, it's entertaining enough without being very challenging and we all need a few albums like this in our collection.

When I saw this, I was so excited - I love the classic 80's and 90's Helloween, so when I saw that Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske were doing an album together I ordered the EP and the album immediately.

How disappointing...

To explain:
The music is very slick and very well produced, and there is indeed a variety of (rock) styles in the songs. However, apart from the title song 'Unisonic', they are all very soul-less - yes, the playing is flawless, and the singing is what you would expect from Mr Kiske, but there is just no FEELING to it all. Regarding the 'Unisonic' track - this is also on the EP (Ignition - Mini Album) - I suspect it was written before the rest of the album as it definitely has a different feeling to the other songs.

If you, like me, think of buying this because you are a classic Helloween fan, listen to samples first... For the disappointment factor I would give this 1 star - but as it is actually a decent enough euro-metal album, I'll give it 3.