Search - Unsun :: End of Life

A Jarring Refreshment

Renbletz | 10/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this one up some months ago while browsing Amazon's recommended albums (...of recommended albums ...of recommended albums). It looked intriguing, so I gave the sample playlist a run.



Initially the sound seemed "off" compared to the Within Temptation, Nightwish, Lunatica, and Autumn that I'm used to. I thought, "Wow. I don't think I like this... but I'll listen a little longer." Inexplicably hooked, I bought the album and gave it a full listening. And you know what?



It's excellent.



The songs are generally very upbeat and intense; the album kicks off to a strong start with Whispers and takes few breaths (Face the Truth, Memories) as it pounds through over fourty minutes of awesome before closing with a bang on Indifference. Unsun's enthusiasm really shines through the composition and the performance - they love what they do, and they let you know it. They also tap into something that the genre and modern music in general is by and large lacking: FUN. You cannot help but bob your head to some of songs or grin with pleasure as the band simply ENJOYS itself in the songs (whether it's random speed riffs like in Lost Innocence, toying with effects in Whispers, or ripping through an insanely catchy chorus in Closer To Death).



It's this sense of fun and enjoyment that I believe has proved to the band's "inexplicable" pull. And it's this same sense of fun that allows the album to grow on you the way they almost assuredly will. It started off as a hesitant purchase, but quickly steamrolled over hundreds of songs to the top of my playlist ranks, where it has reigned unchallenged for months.



Unsun's debut has produced an album that, through its playfulness, energy, variety, and expressiveness, breathes a fresh breath into the "tried and true." It pays mere lip service to the temple of "The Formula" before paving its own road into fresh territory. And you'll love it."