Since the reissue of "Tapping the Vein" was such a huge success, I was really looking forward to this one as well, and needless to say, it's been put together brilliantly, with excellent audio and visual content. What's more, this triple-CD edition follows its predecessor exactly in terms of packaging, meaning it also comes in an 8-panel digisleeve with an extensive 24-page booklet. The first CD features a remastered version of the original "Get What You Deserve" album, which means that Eroc has significantly reworked the high and mid frequencies and added a bit of low-end depth to make the sound even more powerful and in-your-face. This is undoubtedly a stunning reinterpretation of the original sound, which has clearly become slightly louder during the remastering process. Interestingly, the remastered version ended up being 44:33 long, while the original was only 44:15, but don't worry, there's nothing wrong with that; it's just that a few 2-second pauses slipped in between some of the songs in the remastered version, ha-ha... The content of the second CD is the most exciting to me, as it offers a glimpse into Andy Brings' fresh remixes, which cast all 16 tracks from the "Get What You Deserve" album in a completely new light. While the original album's sound and approach both leaned more toward punk (mainly because there were fewer riffs per song), and in some respects even toward black metal, this newly remixed version, despite all the aforementioned factors, is clearly closer to thrash metal, simply because the guitar sound is louder and more massive, making the riffs much more pronounced than before. Nevertheless, the final result of Blitzkrieg remix is completely free of effects and, naturally, rawer in every respect, evoking a sort of rehearsal-room sound for the listener. Tom's vocals are quite prominently in the foreground, but the bass, for example, has been pushed back a bit (though fortunately not in every song). This was the late Atomic Steif's debut album with the band, on which he delivered the beats with incredible precision. The kick drum, snare, toms, and ride cymbal come through clearly on this remix, but the other cymbals (such as the hi-hat, crashes and china) are pushed a bit into the background (although their levels also vary from song to song). It's also great that most of the songs start with a drumstick count in, and some of them have a surprise waiting for us at the end, like the track "Eat Me!", which doesn't fade out, making the song a few seconds longer than the original version. Or in their cover of Venom's "Angel Dust", where Atomic Steif plays a few extra crash accents along with kick drums at the beginning that were omitted from the original version. So, to sum it up: this Blitzkrieg remix turned out to be truly special and informative, and it runs for a total of 45 minutes and 20 seconds. The third CD is entirely dedicated to the four tracks from the "Aber bitte mit Sahne!" EP. So it features remastered versions of these songs, as well as Andy Brings' Schweinskopf remixes. It is worth noting that this 1993 EP, just like the 1994 album, was produced by Wolf G. Stach, and that this EP marked Atomic Steif's first studio recording with the band. The latter earned top marks, as evidenced by the new version of "Skinned Alive", which is not only faster-paced than the original but also even more brutal in tone. Then there's "Sodomized", which was also played faster than on the album, and the short piece called "Abuse", both of which foreshadowed the changes taking place within their style. The EP's title track and opening song, a cover of an Udo Jürgens classic, was a bit of an odd choice; I don't think I was the only one who felt that way, but one thing's for sure: it turned out really well in the end! When remastering the songs, Eroc used the same method as he did for the album tracks, so the result has fewer high and mid-range frequencies, and the sound is a little louder than the original. Next on the CD are the Schweinskopf remixes, which feature Andy's fresh, reimagined versions of these four songs. Overall, they turned out interesting, but the guitar sound in particular is a bit odd, maybe because the guitar channels are swapped, or perhaps because of their tone. Well, you'll have to listen to it yourself to understand what I mean. The total playing time of this third CD is 20 minutes and 25 seconds. Now let's take a look at the digisleeve. First and foremost: the front cover features Andreas Marschall's fantastic artwork, which was originally set aside because René Bonsink's photograph better suited the concept of "Get What You Deserve". Of course, the original photo cover and the bandphoto cover are also featured on separate panels, as is the cover photo for "Aber bitte mit Sahne!" by the aforementioned René Bonsink. So needless to say, it's really cool to see them all together here in the digisleeve. In addition, there is a great photo of the band on three panels. Finally, the back panel features another fantastic illustration by Andreas Marschall. The accompanying booklet includes all the lyrics, with the exception of the covers, as well as numerous high-quality photos of the band and concert shots, as well as a six-page article by Ronny Bittner in which Tom and Andy answer the author's questions about the two recordings, their history, the musical influences that shaped them, and, of course, their recent remixing and remastering. This reissue is so perfect; you'll either buy it or die!!!

The Spanish masters of epic heavy metal return with their second album, entitled "Divine Power Flowing". For the sake of accuracy, I would like to mention that Unchosen Ones comes from Vigo, Galicia, and has been around since 2020. The quintet – Javier Calderón (vocals), Fran Romero (guitars), Pablo Álvarez (bass), Christian Marco (keyboards) & Jose Fernández (drums) – performs nine professionally structured compositions in their 44-minute repertoire, transporting the listener into a world of sophisticated melodies and sublime harmonies. So, as befits this, their music is overflowing with great ideas, not necessarily striving for originality, but definitely masterful and, of course, all the essential elements associated with traditional heavy metal and power metal can be found in their songs, so disappointment is out of the question. I particularly liked the monumental and sometimes rather unusual keyboard arrangements, which lent the sections in question a kind of otherworldly atmosphere, but the other musicians also gave their all to create a truly powerful piece of work. I would also like to highlight the outstanding production of the album, for which José Fernando Tercero was responsible, as well as Abigail González for the visual success, who once again created an excellent cover illustration for the band. In short, if you liked the band's debut album "Sorrow Turns to Dust" (2023), then you'll like this one even more, as the progress is undeniable. In any case, fans of Blind Guardian, Rage, Kamelot or Yngwie Malmsteen can also give Unchosen Ones' new material a try!!!