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Even if it already is their third album the Swedish progressive metal band Andromeda have never reached much popularity in this genre so far. Their previous album "II=I" included basically everything a band needs to be called 'progressive'. They showed that they are skilled musicians but honestly it was even a bit too much of it. The songs were almost too complex and crazy so that it was hard to find a way into this album. If you like extremely experimental stuff, complex rhythms and literally 'progressive' metal then you might even like this but 'II=I' was everything but a mainstream album. With their new album 'Chimera' they took a step back and wrote songs that are easier to digest. This is exactly what they needed to gain some popularity amongst progressive metal fans since they are still one of the more underrated bands. Unfortunately I might say.
'Chimera' sounds a bit softer than the predecessor but also less confusing. What we have here are more melodies combined with for this genre characteristical instrumental parts that are still in a way complex but fit into the overall picture of the music.
Even if catchiness isn't the strongest or not even the main element of progressive metal there are songs on this album that can be described that way. One of them is "In The End" that clearly becomes the catchiest song on the album after a few listens. Here one can clearly see the step back from progressiveness towards easy listening and this is meant positively of course. A greater variety in the songs always shows more than simple complexity. Similarly catchy and also one of the calmer songs on the album is "The Hidden Riddle". But of course Andromeda didn't completely change their style. There are some really progressive gems on the album that remind of their earlier material. For those that don't like the catchy stuff that much, listen to "The Cage Of Me", "No Guidelines" or "Inner Circle" which truly is more speedy and includes crazy solo parts. The by far longest song is "Blink Of An Eye" which can be seen as a nice contrast at the end of the album. It isn't excessively complex but does not seem artifically protracted either. Some songs simply require to be a bit longer and this is nothing unusual in this genre anyway. "Blink Of An Eye" convinces with lots of changes in pace and rhythms and fits very well as an ending song. Especially the very end of the song where piano music fades into silence after a while. Some people complain that Andromeda are going mainstream with this album but in fact they just wrote music that is accessible for a wider mass and in its core it's still progressive metal. After all 'more accessible' does not always have to mean 'commercial'. Last but not least the album is well-composed and well-produced.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Periscope |
| 2. In The End |
| 3. The Hidden Riddle |
| 4. Going Under |
| 5. The Cage Of Me |
| 6. No Guidelines |
| 7. Inner Circle |
| 8. Iskenderun |
| 9. Blink Of An Eye |
: 59.02
| Buy other Andromeda albums |
