Unia

For other uses, see Unia (disambiguation).

Unia
File:UNIA.JPG
Studio album by Sonata Arctica
Released	May 25, 2007
Recorded	December 2006 - January 2007 at Tico Tico Studio Sonic Pump Studio (guitars, acoustic guitars) Studio 57 (string, hammond organ) 2ndrate Soundcave (vocals, backing vocals, keyboards) Jani's Lair (guitarsolos) The Lanceland Room (keyboards, keyboard solos)
Genre	Power metal, symphonic metal, progressive metal, hard rock
Length	58:35
Label	Nuclear Blast
Producer	Tony Kakko, Sonata Arctica
Sonata Arctica chronology
The Collection (2006)The Collection2006 Unia (2007) The Days of Grays (2009)2009
Singles from Unia
"Paid in Full" Released: April 27, 2007

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Lords of Metal	(9.7/10)
Sea of Tranquility

Unia (English: Dreams), 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. 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 "To create a warlike Feel" and "Out in the Fields".

Sound and themes

Unia is darker and more aggressive than Sonata Arctica's earlier work, with mid-tempo songs, more inclusion of 7 string guitars and a minimal amount of solos. It has been described as a significant "turning point".

Vocalist Tony Kakko has once admitted that Unia being released just after Reckoning Night "was probably a shock to many people". He also described it as "a liberating experience. From there we took slowly some other direction". Commenting further on the album, he also stated:

Back then our band thought we are in some kind of pit and that we needed to do something different. To be honest, in that time it would have been better to do a solo album, but there was no time nor possibility for it. Unia is one of the closest albums to me personally.

Drummer and founding member Tommy Portimo said that Unia "brought many good things. I think our band needed that little shaking. [...] That album felt very natural. Although we realized it was very far from what we were before. But it was just a natural shaking."

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Tony Kakko, songs arranged by Sonata Arctica. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"In Black and White"	5:03
2.	"Paid in Full"	4:24
3.	"For the Sake of Revenge"	3:23
4.	"It Won't Fade"	5:58
5.	"Under Your Tree"	5:14
6.	"Caleb"	6:16
7.	"The Vice"	4:08
8.	"My Dream's but a Drop of Fuel for a Nightmare"	6:13
9.	"The Harvest"	4:21
10.	"The Worlds Forgotten, the Words Forbidden"	2:57
11.	"Fly With the Black Swan"	5:08
12.	"Good Enough Is Good Enough"	5:30
13.	"To Create a Warlike Feel" (European bonus track)	5:03
14.	"They Follow" (Japanese bonus track)	4:50
15.	"Out in the Fields" (Gary Moore cover, Japanese bonus track)	4:06
16.	"My Dream's but a Drop of Fuel for a Nightmare (Instrumental)" (Japanese bonus track)	7:11

Personnel

Sonata Arctica

• Tony Kakko − vocals, additional keyboards
• Jani Liimatainen − guitars, acoustic guitars (on tracks 11, 14)
• Marko Paasikoski − bass guitar
• Henrik Klingenberg − lead keyboards, hammond organ, piano (on track 2)
• Tommy Portimo − drums

Additional personnel

• Selestina Choir on "In Black and White", "Under Your Tree", "To Create a Warlike Feel" and "Caleb" conducted by Tarja Vanhala.
• Acoustic guitars, Bouzouki, Chromaharp, Cavaquinho and Q-chord on "They Follow", "Under Your Tree", "The Harvest", "It Won't Fade" and "Fly with the Black Swan" by Peter Engberg.
• Finnish vocals in "To Create a Warlike Feel" by Jarkko Martikainen
• Opening narration in "Caleb" by Milla V
• Vocals, "whatevergod..." ("Caleb") and backing vocals, "just passion and rage" ("In Black and White") performed by Starbuck.
• Tuomas Airola − cello (on track 13)
• Elar Kuiv − violin (on track 13)
• Kati Niemelä − violin/viola (on track 13)
• Anna-Leena Kangas − viola (on track 13)
• Oskari Hannula − double bass (on track 13)
• Bowed string instruments on track 13 arranged and conducted by Tuomas Airola.