Unisonic: Live In Wacken (CD/DVD)

It was eight years ago that the ex-Helloween pairing of original guitarist and singer Kai Hansen and the man who relieved him of those vocal duties, Michael Kiske, rekindled their partnership under the banner Unisonic. Paving the way for what has been a flurry of vintage Helloween related activity ever since.

Live In Wacken is the duo's second live offering from 2016's German Open Air Festival, the Hansen & Friends Thank You Wacken CD/DVD package also finding the guitarist's singing mate guesting on a few classic Helloween numbers. Here the pair are together throughout and impressively turning the focus almost fully on their new partnership, with only "A Little Time" coming from their previous band. Kiske is in imperious form as he showcases the impressive range that saw him touted as one of the favourites (and with hindsight, the choice that should have been) to replace Bruce Dickinson in Iron Maiden all those years ago. Having stepped away from heavy metal for a number of years, it's clear the singer is positively revelling in his return and while his crowd interaction is kept to a minimum, the short, five track DVD disc shows how much he clearly enjoys connecting with the audience. Hansen too is in good voice, but it's his guitar work that drives Unisonic's melodic metal to great heights and backed by the stellar cast of Dennis Ward on bass, Mandy Meyer on guitar and Kosta Zafirou on drums, the quintet never put a foot wrong.

Romping through catchy, memorable numbers such as "For The Kingdom", "Your Time Has Come" and the positivity infused "Exceptional", Unisonic proves to be much more than a project, instead hitting as a cohesive unit having a great time and with a clutch of superb songs to back it all up. Closing out the set with the band's eponymous cut, Live In Wacken quickly becomes one of those live sets that you wished you'd witnessed in person and with the DVD filmed with a multi-camera set up and scintillating sound, the only disappointment is that only five of the band's twelve (eleven and an introduction) song set is presented in this manner. The rest, however, hits hard on the audio only disc and in the process confirms that even after only two studio albums Unisonic have quickly become major players in the European power metal scene.

Track Listing
1. Venite 2.0
2. For the kingdom
3. Exceptional
4. My sanctuary
5. King for a day
6. A little time
7. Your time has come
8. When the deed is done
9. Star rider
10. Throne of the dawn
11. March of time
12. Unisonic

Added: July 23rd 2017
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Unisonic online
Hits: 2321
Language: english

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