Sunrise - 2021 - Equilibria

(64:45; Music Gym Records)

Track list:
1. Wings of the Dreamer 5:30
2. Equilibrium 4:21
3. We Are the Fire 4:45
4. Wild Swans 4:33
5. Call My Name 5:51
6. Unbroken Dreams 5:25
7. Life Is a Journey 4:21
8. The Only Reason 4:22
9. The Bridge Across Infinity 5:48
10. The Shadow 4:58
11. The Bell 4:22
12. Nightingale 4:53
13. Rebel Yell 5:36

Line-up:
Konstantin Naumenko - vocals, keyboards, arrangements
Daria Naumenko - vocals, keyboards, arrangements, bandura
Vladislav Sedov - bass
Oleksandr Ihnatenko - drums
with:
Stas Semilietov - guitars, keyboards
Maksym Vityuk - guitars
Ievgen Kostiukevych - guitars
Yuri Khizhnyak - guitars
Mayo Petranin - vocals


Ukraine band Sunrise have been around since 2003, and released their debut album "Liberty" back in 2007. They have since released new material every few years, and this year they are out with their fourth album "Equilibria", which was released through Ukraine label Music Gym Records.

Sunrise cite bands such as Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius and Avantasia as inspirational, and they are clearly defined as a power metal band by themselves as well as others. While not a genre I have dipped my ears into all that often, my impression is that Sunrise is a rather dynamic example of the genre.

They do present us with several songs that to my mind and perhaps somewhat limited experience explore a few different varieties of the style, ranging from the more delicate and careful to the more intense, uptempo and energetic. Rather than maintaining a galloping power metal drive throughout they will shift gears and orientation quite a bit too, with both passages and songs being closer to the melodic metal a band like Dokken explored way back when for instance. In addition the keyboards play a vital role throughout, and in addition to providing floating atmospheric keyboard textures and harmony oriented contrasting sounds they also cater for delicate supporting piano motifs as well as more majestic layered arrangements that adds a symphonic touch to the proceedings.

The guitar work here is as dynamic as everything else, with delicate plucked guitar motifs provided with the same ease as gnarly and at times quirky riff details, galloping riffs with tie ins to the rhythm department as well as more solid and chugging guitar riff cascades. The guitar solo parts also alternate between a few different forms, which is always a good thing in my book, and working with and alternating with the keyboards in this specific context too.

That the song structures also build upon variety and dynamic features should possibly be a given at this point, balancing the sparse and the majestic, the calm and the intense very well throughout this album. Somewhat surprisingly for me it's not one of the many dynamic songs where I find the band manage to reach the highest point of excellence here though. Instead it's the almost classic power ballad 'Call My Name' I'll point towards as the most engaging song on this production, perhaps mainly because this song has the strongest chorus among many other worthwhile ones on this album. Back in the day when power ballads were fashionable, this one could have been a smashing hit. Part of the reason why this song works so well are the vocals of course, and those who treasure high quality vocals in general might want to listen to this album for that reason alone. With lead singer Konstantin Naumenko probably the most impressive of the three vocalists used on this album with his emotional, melodic and really well controlled delivery.

I find "Equilibria" to be a very solid album on all levels. Solid songs, quality mix and production, solid performances throughout the album and a general feeling of a high quality creation on all levels. While melodic and dynamic power metal probably is the best summary of the contents of this CD, this is an album that merits a check by those with a general affection for melodic metal as well, as far as I'm concerned. And while not strictly a dominant feature here, I'd hazard a guess that many fans of the more symphonic side of metal might fancy this production too due to the excellent use of keyboards overall and occasional inclusion of symphonic oriented and inspired keyboard arrangements. A solid and inspired album overall.

Olav M. Björnsen, July 2021

Links:
https://sunrisekiev.wixsite.com/sunrise
https://laarskn.wixsite.com/music-gym-records