Inspired by artists as diverse as Enslaved, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Tangerine Dream and Iron Maiden, UNSHINE is described as ‘Finnish druid and folk metal’ by five friends whom all were raised in the countryside villages of Western Finland.
With a long history of recording and playing behind them, UNSHINE are super-stoked about the upcoming release of their new album 'Astrala' due out January 19, 2018 in Europe and February 9, 2018 in North America via Rockshots Records. The album is inspired by the invisible side of the Earth. The first five album songs address the manifestations of Astrala and the last five songs describe travels to Astrala. The album has a touch of Nordic melancholy written all over it and it includes music meant to create landscapes and themes from folk stories, mythology and nature religions, but also to present personal views describing the spiritual meaning of a forest as a cultural concept. The binding theme here is forest, although this is not a theme album.
As guitarist Harri Hautala says proudly:“Unshine has always been a band without the traditional role models. For us, the most important thing in a song is the melody. Sounds and rhythms create the overall atmosphere, but the melody makes the whole ancient story in it come to life.”
Nature is the true influence on UNSHINE’s music. Their alpha and omega. Their beginning and end. The modern world may have almost forgotten the ancient ways, but UNSHINE keep them alive in words and music. Creating songs to reunite the old bonds between the dolmen gods and digitised mankind. Nature is not our enemy, it’s our physical and especially spiritual home.
Exploring these values in their new album "Astrala", UNSHINE unleash their new video "Visionary's Last Breath".
The band comments:
"On this track, we tell the story of a healer preparing for the journey to ASTRALA and this requires purification of soul and body. It is fascinating to think that a modern human could also apply these same methods in most of the everyday activities. If it has worked for thousands of years, why did we forget these ways? This quite heavy song is played in low tuning in order to create the right atmosphere."
Tracklist:
1. Birch of Fornjot instrumental
2. Kainun kuningas
3. Jack's Feast
4. The Masks of Enchantment
5. Pan the One
6. Druids Are A-Coming
7. Slow Moving Creatures
8. Visionary's Last Breath
9. Suo (Kantaa Ruumiit)
10. The Forest
Album teaser for "Astrala" is also available below:
Album Pre-order:
http://www.rockshots.eu/release/astrala/
http://smarturl.it/astrala
ONLINE
LINEUP
Susanna Vesilahti (vocals)
Harri Hautala (guitar, synth)
Jari Hautala (guitar)
Teemu Vähäkangas (bass)
Jukka Hantula (drums)
BIOGRAPHY
“UNSHINE has always been a band without the traditional role models. For us, the most important thing in a song is the melody. Sounds and rhytms create the overall atmosphere, but the melody wakes up the whole ancient story in it to life,” tells Harri, UNSHINE guitarist behind the major part of the songs.
“Secondly, it all starts from the nature and it all will end to the nature. This cuts through all aspects of our music. It echoes from those landscapes the modern world has almost totally abandoned and forgotten. The songs try to re-unite the old bonds between the dolmen gods and the digitized mankind. Nature is not our enemy, it’s our physical, but especially our spiritual home. That’s why we call our music druid metal. “
“All five of us in the band, were raised in the middle of forests and fields, in the countryside villages of Western Finland. I highly appreciate the fact that this same band has kept together for over 15 years now. We have also known each other since our adolescence times.”
“Of course, everyone has their own musical preferences: Susanna loves traditional Finnish melodic music, Jari and Teemu are metal men, Jukka is more in to prog and jazz and I listen mainly to 70’s folk rock and synth music.”
UNSHINE has now three albums behind. The latest “Dark Half Rising” elevated the band for the first time to the international metal awareness. “That was certainly the big thing, but we have had other certain highlights that mean a lot for us, too.”
In the very beginning, right after first demo, the band received an invitation to an European pop/rock -contest in Spain. The first full-length album, Earth Magick, was released both in Finland and in North America.
With the follower, the Enigma of Immortals, UNSHINE reached official charts in Finland and for the first time, headed to European stages. With the latest album, the band played an album release concert at Festival-Mediaval 2013 in Germany and finally ended up performing at FeMME 2015 in the Netherlands together with Lacuna Coil, Therion and Visions of Atlantis, among others.”
“We are very excited to start the work in our new home label Rockshots Records. Our fourth album, ASTRALA, is now at the doorstep and it has been a huge evolutionary leap for us. We have stepped in to the whole new level of co-operation with the initial forces of the nature.”
DISCOGRAPHY
Earth Magick Full-length 2005
The Enigma of Immortals Full-length 2008
Dark Half Rising Full-length 2013
Astrala Full-length 2018