The Unity - Pride - 2CD DIGIPAK

Following two successful studio albums (The Unity, 2017 & Rise, 2018), tours with Axel Rudi Pell, Edguy and Sinner, among others, not to mention their own headlining shows and performances at renowned festivals all over Europe, the latest album release by power metal act The Unity, entitled Pride, documents the group’s consistent and at the same time impressive development. “I’d describe our current material not merely as an evolvement, because every band evolves in one way or another. In fact, I’m pretty proud of what we’ve achieved so far, not only in musical terms but also on a personal level,” says Gianbattista Manenti, Italian vocalist of the tight unit, as he likes to refer to it, consisting of himself, drummer Michael Ehré (Primal Fear, Gamma Ray, Firewind), guitarists Henjo Richter (Gamma Ray) and Stef, bassist Jogi Sweers and keyboardist Sascha Onnen. In view of increasingly nationalistic tendencies worldwide and misconceived patriotism it may not be altogether innocuous to voice a pride in your own achievements, yet pride in itself is apolitical and lacks any kind of political undertones. So there are not only valid but also exclusively artistic reasons that made The Unity decide to combine their eleven new songs (plus intro) under the heading of Pride. Every single note speaks of that homogeneity, no matter how noisy or how quiet, tough or mellow, determined or laid-back its delivery. For all those who would like to find out for themselves: the new album is scheduled for release on Steamhammer/SPV on 13 March 2020. And that’s not the only date you should mark in your calendar: 31 January 2020 will see The Unity unleash their first single ‘We Don´t Need Them Here’ (including video), followed by their second single release ‘Line And Sinker’ plus lavish video clip on 28 February 2020.

An essential part of the The Unity’s inherent harmoniousness is the full involvement of virtually all band members in the songwriting process, supporting on Pride on the one hand the album’s intended stylistic diversity and ensuring on the other hand that all band members identify with the material. “It also makes you think out of your own little box, because everybody has special talents and preferences which can result in surprising nuances as part of the creative process,” explains Michael Ehré the obvious strengths of the new album which has all songs – irrespective of their individual tempo – culminate in deeply melodic chorus sections. Pride’s broad stylistic range includes radio-compatible hard rock numbers such as ‘Hands Of Time’, ‘Line And Sinker’ and ‘You Don´t Walk Alone’ through raw metal attacks like ‘Scenery Of Hate’ and the uptempo number ‘Damn Nation’ to real shuffle rock tracks such as ‘Rusty Cadillac’. The Unity have again applied the highest standards to combine all these elements in a uniform and contemporary-sounding sonic frame. Pride (like its predecessor Rise) was recorded at the B-Castle Studio in Nordenham and mixed and mastered by Achim Köhler (Brainstorm, Sinner, Primal Fear) at his Indiscreet Audio studios.

Thematically, the six musicians have opted not only for supposed metal clichés but also prove to be critical global citizens on a planet which seems to have been turned upside down in ecological and social terms. “Climate change, governments that act illegally, rampant populism – those are topics that you simply have to comment on,” The Unity explain, taking, according to guitarist Stef, an unequivocal stand “against any kind of political radicalism, intolerance and oppression on ‘We Don´t Need Them Here’. The chorus is a passionate anthem to freedom.” ‘Hands Of Time’ warns of the increasing destruction of the environment, while ‘Line And Sinker’ also allows insights into personal emotions, which are also part of the band’s stylistic diversity.

Live audiences will be able to experience all this and much more themselves, even before the album’s arrival, when The Unity embark on their tour together with Rhapsody Of Fire, followed by a show alongside Freedom Call when the album arrives at the physical and digital stores. Because, in 2020, the band are set to continue on the successful course they embarked on with the Pell/Edguy/Sinner tours back in 2017.