Review Summary: UnSun beats Evanescence into the ground.
Following in the footsteps of Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, and Evanescence, UnSun is the next band to attempt mainstream gothic success. The similarities between these bands are endless, and yet UnSun stands out for a few reasons. Aya, the bands lead singer, has a distinct, ditsy voice that would fit in the euro-pop scene and yet is used for a metal band. Another interest is Maurycy "Mauser" Stefanowicz’s decision to quit his position as guitarist for Vader to form UnSun. With the addition of a technical death metal guitarist you have to wonder just what kind of crazy this album is.
The thing is, this album isn’t crazy at all, and in fact it’s fairly normal. Although Mauser tosses in some fiery guitar solos once in a while, the guitars fit nicely into the band’s overall sound like a glove. The atmosphere of this band generally consists of pianos, strings, synthesizers and guitars mixed together in a very melodic assortment. ‘Lost Innocence’ follows this pattern in a very appealing manner easily comparable to Lacuna Coil’s Karmacode. The main difference between UnSun and all other similar bands, however, is the addition of Aya who provides attractive soaring vocals. She can belt out inspiring choruses with the best of them, as proven in ‘Bring Me to Heaven’. Aya’s distinct features don’t stop there, however, for she seems to have a pop presence.
UnSun is often called pop metal because of Aya’s ability to make an already overly catchy song even catchier. The songs that have naturally captured her pop tendencies generally ended up as the better songs off the album. These songs are: ‘Whispers’, ‘Closer to Death’, and ‘Blinded by Hatred’. The first of these songs, being UnSun’s single, is a happy-go-lucky and mindless tune that no other song on the album can compare to. Of course not all songs fit with her voice, for instance - ‘The Other Side’.
The biggest problem with UnSun is their genre. They claim themselves to be gothic/symphonic metal, but after a bit of listening it should be apparent that the first claim is completely inaccurate. Aya is unconvincing in a gothic setting, and it would do the band well to drop the title. What is the band then? UnSun is a symphonic metal/nu-metal/pop band. Since this fusion of genres isn’t found anywhere else, it will be interesting to see what people will call this. To confuse genres even more, the album ends with ‘Indifference’, an industrial metal song! The debate as to what this band is could go on forever, but ultimately whatever this band does, they do it well.
