The End of Life

Well, this review is yet another result of hopping around different artists on YouTube. They seemed kinda interesting, so I though "Meh, why the hell not?" and sat down to look at an entire album. But before I actually start reviewing, can someone please explain to me how I can go from Unsun to Nekrogoblikon in the space of three videos? Talk about things escalating quickly...

Anyway, back on track. UnSun is a Polish gothic metal band formed by Mauser of Vader. A bit of a change of pace, but probably not all too surprising given that his wife fronts the band. Unfortunately though people seemed to be unaware of Mauser's pedigree so he had to resort to playing the hot frontwoman card and put Aya on the cover art in order to try and entice listeners. It always makes me cringe when I see something like this, no matter whether it's a good band like Imperia or a shit one like Drain. Generally speaking, it doesn't tend to be a good sign though. Thankfully here the music isn't all that bad.

Seeing as she's the cover star and clearly meant to be the centre of attention, let's start with Aya's performance. It's actually a bit of a misleading one and it is difficult to say exactly whether she's good or not. Her range isn't incredible, but she does appear to have a decent voice, one that appeals to me at least. But at the same time, the thick accent is really quite irritating at times, particularly on Whispers. And there are other times that I find myself wishing that she would just hand over to someone else who would fit in slightly better with what is going on behind her. The fact that she seems to be too far forward in the mix is not a great way of making her seem better either as it makes other parts of the band redundant since they can't be heard.

The guitar work is also an odd thing to comment on because at various points it seems interesting. In the same way as with Vader I find the solos to be by far the best part of the band, but the riffs are actually surprisingly strong for a gothic band. They don't just chug along in the typical metalcore fashion either, which is a pleasant change. I just wish that they were slightly more prominent instead of being buried behind the chick who pronounces stuff strangely.

There are a few issues with the lyrics that the people who care about deep and soulful messages will no doubt point out, but I really don't care. Aya's accent obscures what she's singing about anyway, so what does it matter? But yeah, if you're really into that stuff then you might find this to be too simple and fairly shallow for the most part. Judging from their Facebook page English isn't their strongest point, but hey, the music is appealing.

If you're after some decent drumming action, you're going to be disappointed (although anyone that thinks they'll find Krimh-level of drumming in a gothic metal band is clearly not using their brain properly). For the majority of this album the drumming is slow and plodding, not adding anything and buried deep in the mix. It might as well have just been programmed. And if the bass is your favourite part of the band (again, I must question what you're hoping to find here or indeed in most metal bands) then you'll fail to find anything of value here either. Let's be real here, the guitars struggle to find their way to the surface, how on Earth do you expect the bass to do the same?

A matter that needs addressing here though is over the keyboards. According to the credits for the members then there wasn't a keyboardist on The End of Life, but I've listened to it over and over and every single time I find myself struck by how obvious it is that there is one. Really people, can we honestly say that the bassist or drummer is making the light tinkering noise of a piano on Memories or in the background of so many other tracks? Seems unlikely to me. There must be a keyboardist in this band, and it really is a shame that he/she is not credited because their work makes up a large portion of the enjoyment supplied on The End of Life.

All in all this record is definitely worth checking out and I'm surprised to say that Mauser has actually lived up to his reputation with this release. I'd also add that this is not the typical style of modern gothic metal that is so overused nowadays and so is worth listening to if you're in the mood for something different.