Unia
Encyclopedia
Unia released on May 25, 2007, is the fifth full-length studio album
by the power metal
band Sonata Arctica
, following the album Reckoning Night
. The first single from the album was "Paid in Full", released on April 27, 2007. The album has more progressive metal
styles than their previous work. This is also the last album that features Jani Liimatainen
, who was later replaced by Elias Viljanen
after the album was released.
The album was mixed at Finnvox Studios
, and mastered at Cutting Room Studios
in Stockholm
, Sweden
. The album was also released as a limited edition noble book in 7" size (1000 copies), exclusively available via mailorder from Nuclear Blast records. The limited edition came with a differing track listing and bonus tracks "They Follow" and "Out in the Fields".
, songs arranged by Sonata Arctica
Strings
on "Good Enough Is Good Enough".
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
band Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....
, following the album Reckoning Night
Reckoning Night
Reckoning Night is the fourth full-length studio album by the Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica, as well as the first to feature keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg.-Track listing:...
. The first single from the album was "Paid in Full", released on April 27, 2007. The album has more progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
styles than their previous work. This is also the last album that features Jani Liimatainen
Jani Liimatainen
Jani Allan Kristian Liimatainen is the former guitar player and one of the founding members of the power metal band Sonata Arctica....
, who was later replaced by Elias Viljanen
Elias Viljanen
Elias 'E.Vil' Viljanen is a Finnish musician, known for being the guitarist for Sonata Arctica since 2007. Viljanen joined Sonata Arctica in spring 2007 in order to replace Jani Liimatainen, who left the band in August 2007 to fulfill his civil duties in Finland...
after the album was released.
The album was mixed at Finnvox Studios
Finnvox studios
Finnvox Studios is a recording studio located in Helsinki, Finland. Founded in 1965, it was the first studio in Finland dedicated for music recording. Many metal bands have had albums mastered here , including Sonata Arctica, Nightwish, Finntroll, HIM, Moonsorrow, Holy Knights, Ram-Zet, Throes of...
, and mastered at Cutting Room Studios
Cutting Room Studios
Cutting Room Studios is an audio mastering studio located in Stockholm, Sweden since 1980. Cutting Room was founded in the 1970s by Peter Strindberg and is currently owned by Björn Engelmann. Sitting in a five studio location they have dedicated three of them to audio mastering...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The album was also released as a limited edition noble book in 7" size (1000 copies), exclusively available via mailorder from Nuclear Blast records. The limited edition came with a differing track listing and bonus tracks "They Follow" and "Out in the Fields".
Track listing
All songs written by Tony KakkoTony Kakko
Toni Kristian "Tony" Kakko is a Finnish musician, composer and vocalist. He is mainly known as the vocalist, primary songwriter, and creative force in the band Sonata Arctica since 1996.-Biography:...
, songs arranged by Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica are a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, originally assembled in 1995. Their later works contain several elements typical of progressive metal.....
Personnel
- Tony KakkoTony KakkoToni Kristian "Tony" Kakko is a Finnish musician, composer and vocalist. He is mainly known as the vocalist, primary songwriter, and creative force in the band Sonata Arctica since 1996.-Biography:...
− Vocals, Additional keyboards - Jani LiimatainenJani LiimatainenJani Allan Kristian Liimatainen is the former guitar player and one of the founding members of the power metal band Sonata Arctica....
− Guitars, Acoustic guitars (on track 11,14) - Tommy Portimo − Drums
- Marko Paasikoski − Bass
- Henrik KlingenbergHenrik KlingenbergHenrik "Henkka" Klingenberg is a keyboardist and singer. He joined the Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica in late 2002 and currently resides in Kemi, Finland, when not on tour....
− Lead keyboards, Hammond organ, Piano (on "Paid in full") - Selestina Choir on "In Black and White", "Under Your Tree", "To Create a Warlike Feel" and "Caleb" conducted by Tarja Vanhala.
- Acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
s, BouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, Chromaharp, CavaquinhoCavaquinhoThe cavaquinho is a small string instrument of the European guitar family with four wire or gut strings. It is also called machimbo, machim, machete , manchete or marchete, braguinha or braguinho, or cavaco.The most common tuning is D-G-B-D ; other tunings include D-A-B-E...
and Q-chord on "They Follow", "Under Your Tree", "The Harvest", "It Won't Fade" and "Fly with the Black Swan" by Peter Engberg. - "To Create a Warlike Feel" (vocals in Finnish) by Jarkko MartikainenJarkko MartikainenJarkko Martikainen is a Finnish singer, songwriter and member of the rock band YUP. In addition to his musical career, Martikainen has worked as a columnist, a record producer and a documentary filmmaker...
- "Caleb" (The Lady in the beginning of) by Milla V
- Vocals, "whatevergod..." ("Caleb") and backing vocals, "just passion and rage" ("In Black and White") performed by Starbuck.
Strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
on "Good Enough Is Good Enough".
- Tuomas Airola − CelloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Elar Kuiv − ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Kati Niemelä − ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
/ViolaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average... - Anna-Leena Kangas − ViolaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Oskari Hannula − ContrabassContrabassContrabass refers to a musical instrument of very low pitch; generally those pitched one octave below instruments of the bass register...
- Arranged and conducted by Tuomas Airola.