Poem – Unique

Metal meets ’90s rock

Founded in Athens, Greece, Poem is a great rock band that has already made a name for themselves during their short existence. Unique is their third album, following their debut album The Great Secret Show in 2009 and their second album Skein Syndrome in 2016. It’s a shorter album, but each song is impressive, making an impact in its own right. Plus, lead singer George Prokopiou’s incredible vocals stand out beautifully, mixing well with the instruments of the rest of the band, and adding to an album that is arguably one of the best of the year so far.

The album starts with “False Morality,” a song that gets the album rolling immediately. The drums by Stavros Rigos at the beginning of the song help create a fast pace, before dipping into some softer vocals, and then launching into a great hard rock song. Prokopiou’s vocals are powerful, and the entire song showcases the talents of each band member very well. The second song on the album is “My Own Disorder” which begins sounding like a continuation of “False Morality” before delving into its own style. Prokopiou’s vocals in this song are louder, as if calling out to the listener, “now my body feels safe/ I’m trapped in my own disorder.” The lyrics are also powerful, as it’s a strange notion of being trapped but simultaneously being safe.

Two other notable songs off of Unique are “Discipline” and “Euthanasia.” “Discipline” sounds very similar to the first few songs on the album, but Prokopiou’s screaming vocals make it stand out. Furthermore, the song contains some great guitar riffs that fit perfectly with the melody. It’s definitely a song that contains more metal attributes than some of the other ones on the album, and it’s a wild ride from beginning to end. “Euthanasia” on the other hand is a bit softer to start off, with a catchy drumbeat and a ’90s feeling to the beginning of the song. It does go into some hard rock but then slows down a lot, with a Latin music inspired break in between the vocals. This is probably the strongest song on the album, as it contains so many different attributes of different genres of music while remaining cohesive and entertaining for the listeners.

Unique ends with “Brightness of Loss,” a title that is art in itself. Prokopiou hits multiple notes in this song, from the melodic refrain to the powerful chorus. Furthermore, the guitar and the drums work together to provide a perfect beat to the song. It’s the longest song on the album, coming in at 7:53, but it never outstays its welcome. Considering “False Morality” is the shortest song on the album and starts it off, it makes sense that Unique should end on the masterpiece that is “Brightness of Loss.”

Unique is able to be purchased February 23rd worldwide. And, if any fans want to be able to hear the new music live, Poem will be touring Europe during the month of March.