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.
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