MusiQ
Unholy - The Second Ring Of Power
Review by asep
Unholy's second album, The Second Ring of Power, is a masterpiece of Finnish doom metal. Released in 1994, the album showcases the band's unique blend of atmospheric keyboards, heavy guitars, and guttural vocals. The album's sound is dense and oppressive, yet it maintains a haunting beauty that is both captivating and unsettling.
From the opening track "The Second Ring of Power," the listener is immediately transported to a world of darkness and despair. The song's slow, plodding rhythm and eerie keyboard melodies set the tone for the rest of the album. The following tracks, "Languish for Bliss" and "Lady Babylon," continue in a similar vein, with crushing riffs and haunting vocals.
One of the standout tracks on the album is "Dreamside," which features guest vocals from Tomi Koivusaari of Amorphis. The song is a slow, atmospheric piece that builds to a crushing climax, with Koivusaari's haunting vocals adding an extra layer of depth and emotion.
The album's production is excellent, with each instrument and vocal part clearly defined in the mix. The keyboards are particularly well done, adding an eerie atmosphere to the songs without overpowering the guitars and drums.
Table of Contents
Download
Filename: unholy-the-second-ring-of-power.rar- MP3 size: 54 mb
- FLAC size: 745.5 mb
Tracks
| Track | Duration | Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Time Has Gone | ||
| Covetous Glance | 6:14 | |
| The Second Ring Of Power | 5:40 | |
| Dreamside | 6:45 | |
| Procession of Black Doom | 5:37 | |
| Neverending Day | 6:21 | |
| Languish For Bliss | 4:40 | |
| Gray Blow | ||
| Procession Of Black Doom | 5:38 | |
| Serious Personality Disturbance And Deep Anxiety | 7:32 | |
| Air | 6:53 | |
| The Second Ring of Power | 5:39 | |
| Lady Babylon | 3:55 | |
| Languish for Bliss | 4:40 | |
| Serious Personality Disturbance and Deep Anxiety | 7:31 |
Images
Catalog Numbers
- AV005
- VILELP678
- 049
- CDVILED354x
- CDVILED34x
Labels
- Avantgarde Music
- Peaceville
- Moon Records
- Morbid Noizz Productions
- Not On Label
Listen online
- ascolta in linea
- lytte på nettet
- online luisteren
- escuchar en línea
- écouter en ligne
- kuunnella verkossa
- ouvir online
- online anhören
- lyssna på nätet
Formats
- CD
- Album
- Reissue
- 2 × Vinyl
- LP
- Cassette
- Unofficial Release
- Reissue DVD
- DVD-Video
- NTSC
- Album DVD
Companies
| Role | Company |
|---|---|
| Distributed By | Nuclear Blast |
| Phonographic Copyright (p) | Avantgarde Music |
| Copyright (c) | Avantgarde Music |
| Pressed By | Sony DADC |
| Recorded At | Music Bros Studios |
| Mixed At | Music Bros Studios |
| Manufactured By | V.A.I. |
Credits
| Role | Credit |
|---|---|
| Bass | Pasi Äijö |
| Vocals | Pasi Äijö |
| Cover | Sidis |
| Artwork | Sidis |
| Drums | Jan Kuhanen |
| Engineer | Petri Kiisseli, Unholy, Ville Soininen |
| Mixed By | Petri Kiisseli, Unholy, Ville Soininen |
| Guitar | Jarkko Toivonen |
| Keyboards | Ismo Toivonen |
| Violin | Ismo Toivonen |
| Acoustic Guitar | Ismo Toivonen |
| Photography By | Risto Hälvä |
| Producer | Roberto Mammarella |
| Cameraman | Kai Tikkanen (tracks: DVD-1 to DVD-8) |
| Film Producer | Ismo Toivonen (tracks: DVD-1 to DVD-8) |
| Film Editor | Ismo Toivonen (tracks: DVD-1 to DVD-8) |
| Layout | Matthew Vickerstaff |
| Percussion | Jan Kuhanen (tracks: CD-1 to CD-9) |
Notes
- Text on the back cover:
- "(C) & (P) 1994. AVANTGARDE MUSIC.
- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
- Im Vertrieb von Nuclear Blast east west [logo]
- Packaging: clear tray jewel case with 8-page booklet"
- Recorded and mixed at Music-Bros Studios, Imatra, 14-24 March 1994.
- Peaceville vinyl reissue on double LP Gatefold.
- Cassette release was issued at a time when the company Moon Records have not dealt with the official release of the product.
- Recorded and mixed at Music-Bros Studios, Imatra, 14-24 March 1994
- [Album info]
- Recorded and mixed at Music-Bros Studios, Imatra, 14-24.3.1994
- [DVD info]
- Performed at City Theatre, Imatra, Finland, August 1994
- Region 0. 4:3
- ℗ 2011 Peaceville Records © 2011 Peaceville Records
- Packaging: clear tray jewel case with 8-page booklet
- Peaceville's edition of of "The Second Ring Of Power" album. Comes with new cover-art and features bonus DVD filmed at City Theatre of Imatra, Finland 1994
- Pro-printed sleeve and regular C-90 tape.
- © + ℗ 1994 Avantgarde Music
- There seem to be 2 first press editions: one with the album title printed on the CD, and one without (shown here). Same matrix number though.
Barcodes
- Barcode: 7 27361 69622 1
- Matrix / Runout: Sony DADC A0000016876-0101 23 A 0
- Mastering SID Code: IFPI L553
- Mould SID Code: IFPI 94K5
- Barcode: 801056867810
- Label Code: 01702
- Matrix / Runout (Side A etched): 106338-A-1
- Matrix / Runout (Side B etched): 106338-B-1
- Matrix / Runout (Side C etched): 106338-C-1
- Matrix / Runout (Side D etched): 106338-D-1
- Barcode (Printed): 8 01056 73542 3
- Barcode (String): 801056735423
- Label Code: LC01702
- Matrix / Runout (CD): [SOUND PERFORMANCE logo] 020 8691 2121 CDVILED354X
- Mastering SID Code (CD): IFPI LP76
- Mould SID Code (CD, mirrored): IFPI 7323
- Matrix / Runout (DVD): [SOUND PERFORMANCE logo] 020 8961 2121 [DVD logo] CDVILED354X-2
- Mastering SID Code (DVD): IFPI LP76
- Barcode: 4001627967225
- Matrix / Runout: MANUFACTURED IN ITALY BY V.A.I. 7S515771 AV 005
- Barcode (String): 727361696221
- Matrix / Runout: DADC AUSTRIA [Logo] AV005 14 A0
- Mastering SID Code: IFPI L554
About Unholy
Unholy was a Finnish Death/Doom Metal band. Formed in 1988, they were one of the first doom metal groups in their home country.
Unholy originally started as a black metal/doom metal hybrid under the name . After recording its first demo, "Kill Jesus
Name Vars
- ¢óÛêü
Members
- Pasi Äijö
- Jan Kuhanen
- Ismo Toivonen
- Veera Muhli
- Jarkko Toivonen
- Kimmo Hänninen
Summary by asep
Comments
The band's 1994 album, The Second Ring of Power, is both a continuation and a swift variation of their debut. As the seven-string guitars churn out stony, buzzing rhythms and contrast the string keyboards, the title track alternates among manic major-key sections and suicidal tritons/shrieks that speak of insomnia-induced apathy ("For fourteen days I haven't slept / Still my shadow the secret of my life kept / By going through a long period of depression"). Others riffs on "Languish for Bliss", "Covetous Glance", "Air" and "Procession of Black Doom" derail into chromatic theatrics clashing minor-key/augmented harmonies, there are stoned guest female vocals on ("Lady Babylon") and "Neverending Day" is a zombie-esque stab at minimal, ugly-as-hell Funeral Doom extreme slowness and vomited vocals. "Dreamside" features a terrific clean-guitar break around the fourth minute and G/B-minor harmonies that recall contemporary Gothic Metal, and the final instrumental "Serious Personality Disturbance and Deep Anxiety" is an insane slow groove composed of noisy whammy bar, vibrato moans, sheets of electric noise and cartoon-like samples that suggest a possible influence from Mr. Bungle.Most of the material sounds drunk in an aggressive, almost surreal way, and the result is an album that, while probably unlistenable to most of the audience (not enough funereal to be considered like that, but neither energetic nor melodic in the conventional sense of the word), is surely rotten to the core.Highlights: "Languish for Bliss", "Dreamside".
