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With players Gus G. and Snowy Shaw leaving the ship, it could well have been thought these guys would've sunk. Fortunately that was not the case, armed with raging sticksman Pat Power and Gus G. clone Mark Black, Dream Evil was again complete. United is a back to business album for Dream Evil, sounding like a perfect blend of their three previous albums - this is certainly their most enjoyable release since their fascinating debut. Dream Evil fans should already know what to expect, and if you weren't already a fan, nothing here will change that.

"Fire! Battle! In Metal!" is pure Dream Evil, thunderous drumming, awesome 80's metal-tinged riffs, and the undeniable power of vocalist Niklas Isfeldt who is in top form here, shaking the world with his voice of pure steel. "United" is as damn fine air puncher, recalling the stomp of previous album The Book of Heavy Metal. Every track displayed here is a metal anthem, with their cheesy lyrics and sing-a-long choruses. "Let Me Out" calls back to the finer moments of Evilized; pump your fists and shout it out. "Kingdom At War" is my favorite track here, heavy as hell and with such an awesome chorus. It's hard to fault United because it's so damn fun, just take it as is and play it bloody loud. Nit picking, "Love Is Blind" is a lame ballad which is best skipped and "Evilution" comes across as sheer filler but it's still pretty enjoyable. "Falling" sounds like an awesome B-side from the Dragonslayer period, a fantastic nod at the band's more Power Metal past.

"Doomlord" is severely let down by its lame-ass mid section, with bizarre bird tweeting and some really stupid voice-over which is foreign, so I can't even decipher the point they were trying to get across. Closing the album we get Gus G. and Snowy Shaw returning to do a cover of Eurovision contest winner Elena Paparizou's "My Number One". Pretty amusing and a lot of fun, makes me wish Gus and Snowy were still playing in Dream Evil; their contributions to the band were great. I have the special edition of United, and included is a mini CD with another 5 tracks, definitely worth paying the extra money if you can because the bonus tracks are actually very good, reminding me a lot of earlier Dream Evil. If you're planning on having a party, buy this album. It's great to whip on, flows smoothly but most of all it's just fun. If you're looking for deep and meaningful, then look elsewhere. Balls out Heavy Metal is all that's on offer here.

Standout Tracks: "Fire! Battle! In Metal!", "Let Me Out", "Kingdom At War", and "Falling".