Elisa Scarpeccio and Cristiano Tiberi are very bold musicians who chose to take very forward steps. They began by inviting drummer Uli Kusch (ex-Helloween, ex-Masterplan) to be their touring drummer. Much to their surprise, he expressed interest in joining the band as a full member after hearing their music. Similarly, they asked SYMPHONY X bassist Mike Lepond to tour with them and he gave them the same answer after hearing their music - he wanted to join as a full member. Thus, LAST UNION was born. While none of this is a small feat by any means, their greatest achievement has to be getting DREAM THEATER vocalist James LaBrie to sing on their album and not just on one song, but three songs!

LAST UNION's debut album, Twelve, releases December 21, 2018. It took them two and a half years to write and piece this album together. This album was not created as a concept album, however, the songs are linked with a common thread of diving into parts of the human soul, effectively creating a story. The band commented on the songs saying, "Behind the song lyrics hides a series of scourges affecting our society such as power, money, war, cartomancy, gambling, but giving in the end emphasis to the beauty of the human soul, with its good and deepest desires and the uniqueness of every human being overcoming and defeating evil."

The album starts with "Most Beautiful Day" which comes in with a very interesting structured melodic arrangement that twists and turns. The vocals of Elisa Scarpeccio are on point throughout the song and they fit with the song arrangement perfectly. "President Evil" is a slower, heavier song with a bass line intro. This song features James LaBrie (DREAM THEATER). LaBrie's powerful vocals continue the tone of the first song. Energy and power flow out of the next song, "Hardest Way", which has growls that add to the song perfectly.  Full of intensity, the song also moves to the gentle side, especially in the chorus with ethereal vocals accompanied by acoustic guitar.

"Euphoria" sounds as though it could come from a modern-day version of SYMPHONY X, showing a revival of emotion through its speed and precision. "Ghostwriter" is an extravagant song with aggression in all the right places. Another burst of energy is found in "Limousine". The album closes with "Back in the Shadow" which showcases another intriguing melodic arrangement that brings together all of the fascinating elements of the previous songs.

Twelve is built on a powerful, dynamic modern progressive sound. LAST UNION is an impressive metal band from Italy that is a great find just before Christmas.