1142. The Unity / The Devil You Know: Live. 2021. 4/5

2015 turned out to be a big year for a few bands, the future of which were all tied by the same twist of fate. Kai Hansen had put Gamma Ray on a hiatus while he returned to Helloween for a reunion tour. This left drummer Michael Ehre and guitarist Henjo Richter looking for a project in order to fill in their days (and no doubt to pay the bills), and it was Michael who came to the party. One of his former bands, Love.Might.Kill had more or less called it quits, and so when he was looking to form a new project he came up with the idea to utilise his former bandmates. In the process, guitarist Stefan Ellerhorst, bassist Jogi Sweers, keyboardist Sascha Onnen and vocalist Jan Manenti joined forces with Michael and Henjo to form the new band they called The Unity. And of course, with the Gamma Ray connection, especially the guitaring of Henjo which has always been a joy, this is how I began to follow them as well.
Their sound is exactly what you would expect. It is European power metal, based on dominating drums and lots of harmony guitars and keyboards and soaring vocals. They aren’t rewriting history with their music, but if you are a fan of the genre then it’s hard not to enjoy it.
And the band hasn’t mucked around. Three studio albums have been released, their self titled effort in 2017, Rise in 2018 and Pride in 2020, and they have toured extensively throughout Europe as a result. With the onset on the covid pandemic there has been lots of time for bands to decide what their next move should be, and fortunately for The Unity they had already recorded some of their live shows with the prospect of releasing them in order to showcase their live performances, and with live music having stalled in almost all parts of the world, this album was released to keep their fans happy and to keep their name out there.

European power metal is an acquired taste. If you aren’t a fan then you won’t be jumping out of your skin about this. And of course you can love bands like Helloween and Gamma Ray and Blind Guardian and still not necessarily go for it. But all of the mechanics are in place with The Unity, and by showcasing the best of their material here in a live setting, they also showcase the best of their own musicianship.
Only one of the songs comes from their latest album Pride, that being “We Don’t Need Them Here”. This is essentially as the album takes songs from various recordings at different clubs and festivals, with most of the recordings coming from the tour of their second album Rise.
The opening to the album is where the money shots mostly take place. The opening instrumental of “Revenge” cuts straight into the high energy burst of “Last Betrayal” which immediately showcases the wonderful vocals of Jan Manenti and of course Henjo’s electrifying guitaring. “No Hero” gives the crowd another anthemic chorus and bridge to be involved in. “No More Lies” becomes a more steadying influence on the setlist, while “Welcome Home” is another of the intense faster tracks that has Jan soaring his vocals to the ceiling, taking on the song and driving it from start to finish. This is a great start to the album.
If you want to be picky, and many of you who may listen to the album are certain to be that, the remainder of the album can be either excellent or average depending on your personal music preference. Power metal can absolutely get a bit samey after a while if either the band isn’t good enough to keep every song interesting or the songs revert to a similar rhythm pattern throughout and rely on either brilliant vocals or hard core solo break to draw your attention away from it. And personally for me there is enough there to distinguish each song from the other. But I can also understand where some critics feel as though the rhythm of drums and bass tends to hold the same through many of the songs here, and in places on the studio albums as well. As an example, “Firesign” and “The Storm” could be seen as a plodder with only Jan’s vocals there to save it, and if you isolated it you could probably assess that it is a one trick pony. And there are definite similarities to some of the songs here to other power metal bands like Avantasia and HammerFall and the like. And of course, you can’t forget the power metal power ballad, and yes unfortunately that also has its place here, with “The Willow Tree” taking up valuable air time that could have been utilised with a much better song. But when the pace is cranked up again on songs such as “We Don’t Need Them Here” you get to experience the best that The Unity has to offer.

Live albums are generally difficult to review, and I’ve probably said this before but you would expect most live albums to have the best songs of the band on them, so if you like the band you should love the live album that they produce. This is certainly true of Iron Maiden and Slayer. So given that I do enjoy The Unity, it goes hand in hand that I enjoy this album.
But for those people who don’t know The Unity at all, then can I recommend this as a starting point? To be honest, the answer is probably yes. Even if you haven’t heard any of the band’s music before this, The Devil You Know (Live) is a reasonable starting point. Jan’s vocals are supreme in the live setting, and that alone should give you cause for going back and checking out the studio albums as well. Band leader Michael Ehre is a very impressive drummer and his work here is excellent, and well supported by his former bandmates on bass, guitar and keyboards. Front and centre for me, as biased as I am for anyone who has played in Gamma Ray, is Henjo Richter, the smiling assassin on guitar, whose technical style and flying fingers are always a favourite for me.

If you are a fan of European power metal like me, then you will find that not only does The Unity have plenty to offer you musically, but also on this live album. I have pretty much picked the eyes out of it here with what I consider the best performances from the album, but if any of this has caught your fancy then I highly recommend that you got and check out all three studio albums as well. No, this is not the next Helloween or Gamma Ray, but they are a very enjoyable band who put the right attitude and joy into their music, and sometimes that is enough just to raise a fist to.

1097. The Unity / Rise. 2018. 3.5/5

With Gamma Ray still on hiatus as Kai Hansen participates in the juggernaut that is the Helloween reunion tour, The Unity continued on their way as a group uninterrupted and decided to follow up their debut album with another one in quick time, no doubt as they had been writing songs on the road but also to give them a better choice of material to perform live. Thus we have Rise.

I went in to this album expecting a lot more than I did of the first, mainly because they had now been on the road and come together as a band for twelve months, and now for their sophomore effort I wanted to hear the growth that would have come from that time together. There was always going to be the anticipation of something close to what Gamma Ray has always produced, but more than anything else I wanted something hard and fast and catchy. I got some of that, but maybe not as much as I was hoping for.
The opening tracks do come across as the best on the album, which sets it up to drag the listener in hard at the start. The opening instrumental “Revenge” leads in to the fast and flailing opening track “Last Betrayal”, full of great guitars and high pitched vocals that illuminate the best of the power metal sound. This cascades into the harder edge of “You Got Me Wrong”, full of excellent riffs and layered vocals that hit the right chords. “The Storm” follows this, but it is a fairly average hard rock song that doesn’t provide any real excitement beyond the standard lyrics/chorus/guitar signature. “Road to Nowhere” has a much better sound to it, with the harder edged drums and guitar riff thumping through the song.
The middle of the album keeps the album on an even keel, perhaps promising more than it delivers depending on your own point of view. I enjoy “Welcome Home” which is upbeat and vibrant, with a join-in-chanting chorus that just begs for a live audience to sing along. “All That Is Real” is a change up in style that actually works better than I would have expected. It utilises the emotional value of the spectrum without pulling it into the dark depths of a power ballad, and for me this track is perfectly executed, especially with the keys around the vocals. This is followed by “No Hero” which like “Welcome Home” is another sing-along song - though it probably feels more like that as they released a lyric video for it – and though it doesn’t procreate the genre it is still one of those songs that is catchy and gets in your head.
“The Willow Tree” slows down the pace again, bringing in the emotive vocals without completely digressing into the power ballad area. Though it sounds great, and Henjo’s guitar work is just terrific, the song is not one I can get on board with. “Above Everything” is designed as another crowd involvement number and again is performed well but sits a bit right of centre for me. For my taste these songs are missing something that would make them worth listening to time and again, and it is just the style more than anything else.
“Children of the Light” is much more in my musical frame with a much more enjoyable tempo led by the sterling double kick drumming from Michael Ehre and brilliant soloing from Henjo once again. “Better Day” and “L.I.F.E.” not the closing songs I was looking for, as again like a few songs in the middle they are missing that ingredient that appeals to my taste. Everything just seems a bit flat and lifeless compared to the better tracks on the album.

There can be no argument about the ability of the members of the band and their musicianship. Everything sounds great and is performed perfectly. The songs here cover a broad range of the genre, with the faster and more lively songs such as “Last Betrayal” for me being the star attractions, while the songs that settle in the middle range don’t quite have the kick necessary to drive any enthusiasm.
When I first heard the album I was immediately won over. After thirty or so listens I find that the good songs still resonate with me, but the ones that are not up to that high standard tend to pull the album back as a whole. Jan Manenti has a great set of vocal chords and gives another great performance here, showing similarities to Jorn Lande along the way. Henjo Richter is superb once again on guitar and is well supported by guitar partner Stefan Ellerhorst and Jogi Sweers on bass. Michael Ehre’s drumming is as solid as always.

This is a better-than-average album for those who enjoy this branch of the heavy metal tree. It doesn’t really bring anything new to the table, and it won’t be an outstanding addition to your collection. Despite this, there is more than enough here to enjoy, and in a year where there was not a great deal of outstanding albums released this is one that will be better than most.

Best songs: “Last Betrayal”, “You Got Me Wrong”, “Welcome Home”, “All That is Real”, “Children of the Light”

Rating: “You think you're strong, but I won't give up anymore”. 3.5/5

977. The Unity / The Unity. 2017. 3.5/5

It’s a tough gig when the leader of the band you are in decides to go off and do one of his side projects, and thus leave your band in limbo for that length of time. In essence that is what happened to new Gamma Ray drummer Michael Ehré, who found himself at a loose end when the reformed and expanded Helloween tour project was announced late in 2016. So what do you do? Well, you give a nudge to Gamma Ray guitar god Henjo Richter, get him to follow you, and with your own band The Unity decided to record and release your own album. And this is where we are today.

It was always important to go into this album remembering that this isn’t Gamma Ray. Two excellent musicians from that band have joined four other excellent musicians from other projects to form this band that is not Gamma Ray. Now, once you accept that fact, and also listen to this like it is an exciting new band playing Euro styled metal in the traditions of those bands, then you will have a better chance of appreciating it from the outset.
For the most part this is a pretty solid release. The first two singles released prior to the album coming out lead off the list, and both "Rise and Fall" and "No More Lies" hit all the right places. It is very much in the traditions of European power metal, but both opening tracks edge the power to a higher setting, led by the rising vocals of Gianba Manenti who proves from the outset he has a fair set of pipes on him. "No More Lies" did have to grow on me, but I now find I'm drawn to sing and play along with it. "God of Temptation" goes for a slower and heavier back track which they actually pull off really well, factoring in the chorus of vocals over the top. "Firesign" is one of a number of sings that has more than just a touch of Avantasia about it, and vocally it reaches the two pinnacles with what seems like a minimum of effort.
"Always Just You" is a plodder after the opening tracks, without much inspiration and just the basic guitar and drum tracks. This is overturned by "Close to Crazy" which picks things up a bit and adds a bit of individuality to the guitars and vocals. "The Wishing Well" and "Edens Fall" are middle of the road tracks for this genre, not bad songs but without inspiring anything out of the ordinary for the listener. "Redeemer" acts as a vehicle especially for Gianba's vocals, showing off his crooning abilities. The short and sweet guitar riff of "Super Distortion" sweeps straight into "Killer Instinct", before the closing track "Never Forget" ties off what is a very acceptable debut release.
Gianba Manenti on vocals is powerful, has a great range, and does an excellent job on this album. He finds the mark immediately and doesn’t hold back. The rhythm section of Jogi Sweers on bass, Sascha Onnen on keyboards and Ehré on drums is fantastic. They hold the songs together in admirable fashion given the power of the vocals and guitars that take centre stage for the most part. Stefan Ellerhorst is excellent on guitar, and in the company of Henjo throughout creates an brilliant dual guitar attack that makes the most of the written material to create the atmosphere required for enjoyable listening.
I won't lie that the album doesn't contain a lot of some of the aspects I would loved to have heard, that being some real speed, and some scintillating solo bursts from the guitarists. For the most part this settles nicely into the tempo you would expect and doesn't compete with the heavyweights of the genre such as Gamma Ray, Helloween or Blind Guardian. And fair enough too, because both Henjo and Michael made it clear early on that this band was looking to record the kind of music that the two of them enjoy that is separate from Gamma Ray's material. So going in I knew this would be the case. Still, one can only dream of what they could produce in that direction should they want to.

Given this sextet has signed a multi-year deal with their record company, you can only hope that if this succeeds then there will be more albums to come. How that all ties in with the members’ other projects remains to be seen, but it augers well for what will hopefully be a long term band rather than a one-off project.

Rating:  A debut worth a listen.  3.5/5