LIVEWARE – Unity (2015)

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Hailing from Oer-Erkenschwick, Germany, six-piece LIVEWARE are presenting their new album “Unity“. The band was formed five years ago and seems at the beginning they were quite progressive oriented, something you can hear in a couple of long songs here, but basically these guys play elaborated melodic hard rock.

Indeed Liveware has many characteristics typical from progressive acts: pretty technical, precise instrumentation, clean arrangements and meaty solos, but their music is clearly focused to catchiness.
Excellent choruses, bouncy rhythm section and candy-floss keyboards / synths in the Scandinavian style are prove of that since opener “Through My Eyes”, a ‘all hands in the air’ anthem which despite its 7 minutes never lose the grip. Singer Niko Koslowski, despite his little accent is that kind of ‘driving’ vocalists which invites you to sing-along. In the middle of the track guys offer a short (clever, as it works great) piano / guitar interplay turning the song even more interesting.

Follower “All I Need” is another winner. It rocks like a H.E.A.T type of song, uptempo and pumping, but much more elaborated with a nice vocal arrangement towards the end. A highlight.
With “Live Again” arrives the ballad, however not your ordinary mellow tune. It’s plenty of harmony vocals and unmistakably melodic rock in its bones, but elegantly adorned with keyboards and sweet guitars with essence. There’s some early Winger when they used to add a light progressive touch to the proceedings.

“A Touch To The Quick” is a ‘song format’ melodic rocker, perhaps the most direct on the album but tremendously effective. Then “Far From Heaven” shows Livewire’s neo-prog side, melodic, with punch and some memorable passages. It’s a long composition, flowing easy and entertaining.
Purchasing the physical CD, you have two additional tracks digitally; the excellent “When Winter’s Gone”, a mid-tempo number at places melodically ‘dreamy’, and the poppy “Dreams Of May” which in a fair music world would sound awesome blaring out of the radio.

Liveware has surprised me: “Unity” is record which deserves to be heard by everyone; it has melodic rock, neo prog, some hard rock groove, and essentially; very good songs.
Very well produced by themselves, “Unity” is a really, really strong CD ready to rise some eyebrows this 2015 in the Melodic Hard / Neo Prog community. Don’t miss these guys.
Highly Recommended.

01 – Through My Eyes
02 – All I Need
03 – Live Again
04 – A Touch To The Quick
05 – Far From Heaven
06 – Dreams Of May (bonus track)
07 – When Winter’s Gone (bonus track)

Niko Koslowski (lead vocals)
Christoph Martinetz (guitars, backing vocals)
Andy Kohaupt (guitars)
Lukas Martinetz (keyboards, piano, backing vocals)
Max Kettler (bass)
Matthias Martinetz (drums)

BUY IT !
www.rockpuppe.de/store/product_info.php?info=p154_liveware—–unity—cd.html
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