Andromeda, our fifth band from Sweden and eleventh Scandinavian band, is a top-flight pure progressive metal band. Their writing is superb and the instrumental musicianship and chops are undeniable. They've released five studio albums over their 12-or-so-year career, and I'm pretty familiar with the first four, which are of remarkably consistent quality. You often expect a band to peak (usually early) and then spend the rest of their career trying desperately and in vain to recapture the magic of that pinnacle album. Maybe it's because they've never really achieved much in the way of commercial success, but Andromeda doesn't seem to struggle with maintaining their excellent work.
I was going to include an instrumental track from their debut album, Extension of the Wish, called "Chameleon Carneval" (sic), which is an impressive display of chops, a fun listen and a favorite of mine. Instead, I opted for the epic "Veil of Illumination", the finale of their fourth album called The Immunity Zone. The song clocks in at over 17 minutes so be prepared. I hope you have the time to give it a listen, as it showcases everything that makes Andromeda such a great band: virtuosic playing, heavy use and feature of keyboards, obvious jazz influence, insane drumming, a lighter fusion-y sound that makes the "metal" label just a bit questionable (kind of like fellow countrymen Pain of Salvation), and really interesting, twisty writing that holds the attention.
No comments:
Post a Comment