Band : Unsun
Album title : Clinic For Dolls
Label : Napalm Records
Distributor : Rough Trade Benelux
Release date : 11/10/2010
Release : CD

Somewhere in 2008, the unknown Polish band Unsun released their first album which was entitled The End Of Life. The album received a lot of fantastic reactions worldwide and Unsun was believed to become the new female fronted metal sensation of the years to come. If they had to thank their success to guitarist Mauser (ex-Vader) or the beautiful singer Aya at the time is rather unclear to me (though it’s quite likely), but nevertheless, the music they bring is catchy, refreshing and most importantly something the music scene has never heard before.

With Clinic For Dolls, Unsun will have to prove how persistent they are, since the female fronted metal scene is now tougher than ever to break into. It has become a fixed requirement to be innovative in order to become successful. Fortunately for Unsun, they have succeeded in bringing their sound to a higher level. Once again, the band decided to use a photo of Aya on the cover of the album, something many bands have been doing in the scene, but let’s face it: if you have a hot chick in a band, why not use it to attract fans? In Unsun’s case, it has always been a wise decision, because once again the artwork is absolutely marvellous!

Most importantly however, is the music. Let’s talk about some of the highlights on Clinic For Dolls. “The Lost Way”, the first track on the album, brings the usual sound of Unsun we’re familiar with to the front. Some heavy riffs combined with bittersweet melodies lead into pure perfection. Combine this with the fragile voice of Aya and you have a masterpiece of a song. A pearl of a song to start with, this makes me want to hear more. Fortunate enough, there are plenty of other magnificent songs that await me. The next song on Clinic For Dolls is the title track. This song has no soft introduction whatsoever. We immediately get a full dose of action and perfection. The heavy riffs keep surrounding us and the angelic voice of Aya doesn’t seem to fade. The melodies and lyrics are incredibly catchy, which makes this the perfect title song. “The Last Tear”, the only ballad on the album brings us enough peace for a while and makes us float upon a cloud of divine sweetness. Also “Time” welcomes us into a world of sweet melancholy. Here, Aya gives a more dramatic twist to her voice, which makes it the perfect combination with the guitar solos in this song.

What amazes me most about this album is the fact that Unsun have been very innovative, though they haven’t deceived their own personal sound and concept. They have grown incredibly and let’s hope others share this opinion, because Unsun is deliberate to get even closer to pure perfection.

88/100

Tim Tronckoe.