Unshine
Astrala

Finnish band Unshine were rather impressive last time around when they released their album Dark Half Rising on Massacre Records, I think that was a great and exciting album. Now they are back with their new album Astrala that is being released on a new label and doesn’t have as exciting artwork as the predecessor. But the press material once again pick the subject of druid metal and such things and that might actually be a pretty good description of this exciting band from the dark forests of Finland.

Offerings of folkish metal with female vocals are what we are getting from this band. Folk music inspired gothic metal is probably a good way to describe this album, surprisingly raw production that sometimes makes the vocals drown a bit in the soundscape, something that is a weakness at times. I think the predecessor had a slightly better sound than this one has. The vocals are quite good and should really be allowed to shine more than they are, but the sound is quite powerful and they have a fairly personal voice with which they tell their stories. It is music that gives a sense of fantasy adventures with elves, druids and other mythical beings – perhaps druid metal is a good description of what we get from this album.

Likeable album is a conclusion that I make, I find it quite appealing as the music is rather nice and the songs are good all the way through. There are some downsides though, the soundscape is a bit too raw at times making the adventurous fantasyscapes loose their appeal. The album is also a bit on the long side with 55 minutes playing time, which is a bit too long for my taste even though it is a fairly varied album. Other than that I think it is a strong album with appealing music, I especially like when they slow down, like Pan the One is probably the greatest track of the album.

Kalnun Kuningas and the other track in Finnish Suo (Kantaa Ruummit) are also two of the highlights of this pretty good album. I would say that it is good but ultimately a little bit forgettable and not as good as the predecessor. A good album for the one who enjoys druid metal or have liked Unshine’s earlier works, you should check this one out, chances are that you’ll like it.

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