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Band:Andromeda Album:Chimera Record Company:Massacre Records Writer: Eric Johnson Media: Periscope Click Album Cover To Buy Now

Since I began reviewing albums for websites last month, I have come across many great bands which I probably never would have heard of. Such bands are Codeon, Raunchy, Shakra, and now Andromeda. This progressive metal band from Sweden got together in 1999, and released a demo, 2001’s Extension of the Wish, as well as a full length album, 2003’s II=I (Two Is One) before Chimera.

Once the crystal clear, very fast guitar riff in “Periscope” kicks in, Chimera does not let up. First of all, vocalist David Fremberg’s cutting vocals not only sound great, but perfectly compliment the music in every song on the album. The same can be said about keyboardist Martin Hedin, especially when he doubles up with guitarist Johan Reinholdz, as in “Going Under.” Speaking of Reinholdz, while his guitar sound does remain distorted during most of Chimera, he manages to get maximum mileage out of it. His riffs are everything from fast and clear, to slow and nasty, to brutal and fast, and a combination of all the above. In addition to that, he’ll even thrown in a jaw-dropping lead fill for no extra charge. Then there is his lead playing, which brings to mind visions of John Petrucci and Michael Romeo. While nearly every song on Chimera leaves a mark, specific highlights are “In the End,” “Going Under,” “The Cage of Me,” “Inner Circle,” and “Periscope.” As great as those songs are, I consider “Iskenderun” my favorite since it brings all of the great elements present on the album together in one song.

As I stated earlier in this review, I have just found out about Andromeda, and I am very happy that I have. After listening to Chimera, I will now make a point to check out Extension of the Wish and II=I (Two is One), and I hope that many other metal fans will do the same. Last, but not least, while Andromeda are listed as progressive metal, they come across much more as metal than they do as progressive, at least on Chimera anyway.

Band:Andromeda Album:Chimera Record Company:Massacre Records Writer: Eric Johnson Media: Periscope Click Album Cover To Buy Now

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