Andromeda Unchained

Prog bands tend to sacrifice substance for form - all varnished bark, no wooden log - showmanship parading as song writing proficiency when that's exactly what it lacks most. Of course some bands resist that temptation and actually focus on writing memorable parts, within an atmosphere with some depth to it. Anubis Gate are such a band on 'Andromeda Unchained' here, an album just as impressive production-wise as it can be musically. Simply, it all comes down to the quality of the chorus: the band elected to make this hour and ten minute endeavor a sanctuary for catchy refrains, and therefor, there is no escaping that those would be central to the tracks and by extension to the very success of the record as a whole. The rest counts too of course, but would be like tree branches dropping to the floor in the event of a trunk with no structural integrity. The chorus is that trunk, that platform on which everything else can find support; while others in the genre might opt for music that backs itself on establishing a purely progressive landscape of successive parts.

A great melodic metal album will have a healthy handful of excellent melodies to remember, as it raises itself above a competition bearing just a couple such moments. The opener 'Snowbound' with its twisted, snaky verse riff escorts the listener to the glacial breeze of its chorus, blissful and poetic, like frozen on the outside but movingly sunny inside. As eluded to most tracks contain at least one very strong component, and arguably there's no better example than the title-track with its ominous theme that immediately grabs the audience plunging them right into a thunderstorm deep at sea, tumultuous and poignant, before the expertly crafted two-fold chorus comes on, displaying its beautifully intricate articulation. 'The End Of Millenium Road'; nearing the conclusion of the album and yet still one of the finest highlights on this; showcases a rare complexity pulling off a majestic key-descending feat on the chorus. Enchanting material.

But naturally there aren't just the choruses. The album is replete with lead sections, and of the better examples the one midway through 'White storm in my mind': a guitar/key lead break, a la early Children of Bodom, full of wonder and personality. It's a shame the band doesn't maintain that edge the whole time during songs, instead resorting to the obligatory solo and lead sections that are so conventional in this style (and often feel sorely unnecessary), a step down from the better parts and a drop in authenticity as they are of the more generic variety. Otherwise some cliché features of prog are to be found now and then, especially on the verses. Some of the lower tuned heavy riffs (often the trivial harmonic minor type) fall into the trap of sounding like plain aggro metal; rather than contributing to the overall effect as they do the rest of the time; and can sometimes take the focus away from the ensemble and play their own little game, much like the lead-infatuated breaks.

This is from 2007 and an experienced metal consumer could easily mistake it for a release from any number of years ahead. Every instrument sounds full and sits in a sweet spot. That's quite the feat when taking into account the wealth of textures employed, well exceeding the standard rock quartet setup; percussion, synths, strings or acoustic guitars layered over the heavy instrumental to point out a few. The drums are punchy, totally crisp and yet stay in place and the distortion guitars sound so tight and polished they could pass for the processed guitars one would hear in something like contemporary cinematic scoring, which is interesting as they are often used as a compositional tool rather than being the immutable centerpiece as is generally the case in metal. They're chunky and imposing when they need to be; helped by a firm low end in their back; and utterly detailed when they venture into more intricate excursions.

The vocals are certainly a strong point that fans will emphasize here, although they may be closer to cold than warm on the emotional spectrum, given they're of the technical kind, busy with hitting an array of challenging notes. The vocalist is nearly flawless though technically, and every now and then his presence manages to broadcast feeling into the prevailing atmosphere, despite the terrible constraints his lines impose on him; lines that are highly impressive (and pitched !) at times. Those lines are also not following the chords in a merely linear fashion, and are exquisitely articulated on the better examples, making the most of the section: the closing line singing "Millenium Road" on the chorus.
All in all, they really did the job here: top marks.

One of the (many) things about Anubis Gate that always continues to impress me is how each of their albums changes so much from the one before it, yet every last one of them ends up better than its predecessor (a trend I'm almost certain will come to an end this year). They don't play it safe. This is a band that has continually ascended the sky, broken the barriers, and taken bits and pieces from past momentous occasions and implemented them straight into future endeavors. It's downright dumbfounding what this group has done in less than a decade since their conception. Andromeda Unchained is just another chapter in a saga without missteps of any kind, an unlikely success considering the change of vocalist and style, and an essential listen for anyone who values melodic music.

With Askholm's departure from the band, the vocal duties here are taken by the magnificent Jacob Hansen, who you might remember as the vocalist/guitarist from cult thrash band Invocator, or know of as the best producer in the industry. Yes, I said it. No one else makes music sound as clear or lively, while adding his own little touches to the material in the process. He pretty much always associates himself with amazing acts, as well (see Mercenary or Eumeria). He also did both the Anubis Gate albums before this one, making the ultimate secret weapon, and they utilized him at just the right time. Luckily, his vocal performance is just as good as the mixing job. His high-register vocals have been overly described as "angelic," but there really isn't a more appropriate word to convey his joyously vibrant voice. His parts are often multi-layered, making even simple choruses sound godly.

There always seems to be a theme to Anubis Gate's sound, and though it's a bit more ambiguous in Andromeda Unchained, there's definitely a foreboding sense beneath all the crystal clear melodies. Apocalypse hangs in every note, a sense of profound urgency rarely seen in the prog/power genre. That would make sense considering that this a concept album concerning the very subject. No, it's not the conceptual masterpiece that is The Detached, but the lyrics are interesting (and enigmatic) enough to keep your mind reeling. Musically, this album is a big departure from Purification and A Perfect Forever. The songs are generally shorter (though not always) and faster than anything on those records, abandoning the slightly doom-tinged guitar riffs of its predecessors. This was probably a change made to go with Hansen's voice, and it helps all elements of the record in copious volumes. That doesn't mean, however, that Anubis Gate has regressed to simple-minded music; there's still an underlying prog mentality that shows through abundantly at just the right times.

This album thrives in catchy songcraft. The new-found energetic power of the band is shown right off the bat in "Snowbound," a piece that grazes you at first with a speedy rhythm, but eventually opens up into a progressive showcase of all encompassing passages. "Waking Hour" is a more of a straightshooter, with one of those classic, highly melodic Anubis Gate choruses. The title track slows things down and comes up with a heavy, attention-capturing verse, which leads to yet another inspiring refrain. In a world where albums are front-loaded to contain the bulk of quality in their first halves, Andromeda Unchained only gets better as it goes. Arguably the strongest segment of this masterpiece begins here. "Beyond Redemption" is unbelievably inspiring all the way through, optimism living through its upbeat choruses and wonderful instrumental passages. "Resurrection Time" follows suit with a bouncy verse, but explodes into a cascading chorus hinting at more than just a little sadness.

Next comes the cerebral "This White Storm Through My Mind," which is much more complex than it at first appears. This song contains the most enveloping instrumental parts on the record, filling up an entire five minutes without vocals and managing to keep you attention while doing it. It's a storm of climactic intensity. "The Final Overture" is deceptively lighter, but with a chorus that really evokes the inevitable end to come. "Take Me Home" is a poignant piece that doesn't fall into a typical power ballad's folly, using Henrik Fevre's guest vocals to portray emotional despair. Without skipping a beat, Anubis Gate head right back into power territory with the fun "Point of No Concern." Finally, ten minute conclusion "The End of Millennium Road" is appropriately epic and wraps the whole hour+ affair up nicely. The song really shows how much the band had grown since A Perfect Forever, crafting a much better lengthy track than that album had.

Among the tracks are a couple of rather pointless interludes, but much like the ones in Kamelot, they're brief enough not to maim the album of any of its worth. Andromeda Unchained is a truly complete album in every respect. I've been listening to it consistently for almost two years, and my opinion of it only grows over time. It has that staying power so few other albums have these days. How good it is almost makes it unfathomable that it isn't their best. I don't want to get into a whole underrated/overrated spiel here, but seriously; a dime a dozen prog bands do the same thing time after time to great accolades, while Anubis Gate perfects and transcends the genre to almost no avail or notice. I don't just give away my highest marks and recommendations, you know; this is the most consistent band I've ever heard and my favorite group playing music today. And you can quote me on that.

(http://metallicfaithimmortal.blogspot.com/)

Before coming to the actual review of this album, I have to admit that I had never heard of Anubis Gate prior to getting this release. Quick research shows that this is actually already the band’s third album in about four years, which is not very surprising judging from the quality of this album. To put it as simply as possible, this album is one beauty of a prog metal concept album. It clocks in at 70 mins, with ten songs and four instrumental interludes.

Of course, since it is a concept album, the story is important. Not everyone is equally interested in the lyrics that accompany an album, but when it comes to concept albums, the lyrics do matter that tad bit more than on regular albums because the story is what drives the album. Because of all this, it is slightly disappointing to see that there were no lyrics or even a summary of the story provided with the promotional copy. In fact, it actually took me a while to find a short description of the story by reading some past interviews with members of the band.

Basically, the story is set in the future (which is already quite apparent from the artwork and the music itself) and the events take place on Andromeda, a star planet. This planet Andromeda is in a war to unchain it from its occupiers (hence, “Andromeda Unchained”) and all the events are described from the experience of one man or boy referred to as Citizen PZ 3056male. So in effect this album is about space wars and the consequences thereof.

“Andromeda Unchained” showcases some great guitar playing and technical proficiency, but what makes it stand out from certain other albums within the same genre is that one key element is not forgotten, and that is enjoyability. An album can be the most technically impressive and progressive thing in the world, but if the creation as a whole ends up being a bore, not much is achieved by the band. Fortunately, “Andromeda Unchained” is a highly enjoyable album, as epic as it is intense and gripping. The atmosphere and mood throughout the album is dark and sad, but despite this, there always seems to be a bright spot and a sense of hope within the music.

Of course there are great riffs and solos everywhere on this album, but the best part of it is that the quality of the songs remains high throughout the album. There might be a song here or there that does not make quite the same impression as others do, but regardless there are no bad songs on this album at all. Because of the frequent tempo changes and additional elements, for instance the flutes on ‘Snowbound’, that are used throughout the album, it will remain interesting through numerous listens. Not just the use of acoustic passages or keyboards, but also different sound effects and the four instrumental interludes make the album flow perfectly and ensure that at any given time the sound is rich and full. Even the the obligatory ballad gets pulled off in style and with verve, and it is an absolutely lovely song from beginning to end.

If I had to complain about one thing with this album, it might be the length. 70 minutes is quite a substantial time to sit through and not everyone has an equally long attention span. It would be a shame if the concentration waned towards the end of the album, because even the later part of it contains some real gems.

Even my one complaint is not much of a complaint, so it should be clear that this is a great album that will, most likely, please a big group of metal fans. There is absolutely no reason to stay away from this album, in fact, get it as soon as you can.

(Originally written for http://www.gothtronic.com/)

Not being familiar with Anubis Gate's back catalogue, I would not have picked this one up normally if not for the extremely positive comments I had read about it - and I'm really fucking glad I did so, now. From what I understand, the band played a very Queensryche-esque style of Heavy Metal before this album; a bouncy, dynamic sound with power and energy spewing from every pore and crack, and that will make this one all the more surprising to anyone who expected anything like the old sound. Apparently, though, Anubis Gate neglected to inform their fanbase of their celestial ascent to the heavens after their sophomore album A Perfect Forever (2005), which has also apparently turned them into gods among men.

The band finally graces the puny Earth with their presence again in the year 2007, and release this, an album of crushing magnitude and power. Andromeda Unchained is absolutely a world class album, boasting commanding, riff-heavy song structures comparable to that of Communic's equally excellent Waves of Visual Decay, alongside eerily spacey melody lines and vocal melodies that recall Pagan's Mind and several older 70s Prog Rock bands. Jacob Hansen did the vocals here, and I cannot stress enough how much of an asset he is to this band's sound now. He's got a voice very reminiscent of James LaBrie, except Hansen has a certain outer space edge to his voice that really lifts it up, giving it something special that most vanilla Prog vocalists do not have. Hansen often sounds like he's coming back home from a journey to the far corners of the galaxy, and he really pours his heart and soul into every song here. Fabulous work, Mr. Hansen, absolutely stellar.

The quality of the music here is sky-high all the way through, and the only variation is that some songs are simply great and others are jaw-dropping in their repertoire of stunning riff patterns and outer-space thrills and chills, to the point where you wonder if human beings could've even created this music - it's out of this world, that's for sure! An interesting quality of this one is how it builds up from more straightforward and easy to enjoy songs like the bouncy, kinetic "Snowbound" and the ball-crushing "Waking Hour." These are indeed excellent songs, with catchy, accessible choruses alluring the unsuspecting listener into a snare, where he will be crushed by the suffocating, bone-grinding breakdown of "Snowbound" and the brilliant riffs of it's follow-up. A devious trick indeed!

After a few fillers (still better than a lot of music today, mind you!) the band jettisons even further into progressive mastery with an enormous leap in complexity and quality. "This White Storm Through My Mind" is most likely the best song here, and better than anything 90% of Prog bands today will ever produce. It's a riveting, stirring eight minute epic, packed with ominous, dark riffs over a dreamlike beat and celestial, hypnotic vocal lines, eventually spiraling out of control into a bellowing, planet crushing solo for the last half of the song in a manner akin to a space shuttle veering off track into a thunderous asteroid belt. "The Final Overture" follows suit, a six minute tour-de-force in raw cosmic power, flowing as easily as the stream of life into the ever-blue ocean - very high quality song.

"Take Me Home" is a poignant, sickly-sweet ballad that actually does not come off as cheesy or overdone, but rather emotional and heartfelt instead. It's a soaring song that will lift you straight up to the stars, sprinkling your frail form with light, ample doses of cosmic dust, weathered with age. "Point of No Concern" is likely the most progressive track to be found here, integrating stoic electronic elements into the already intruiging mix, as well as packing what is probably the most infectious chorus here, as well. "The End of Millennium Road" is on the same level of quality, a majestic, grandiose piece that is just about the definition of a grower. It's a very fitting end to the album, with a nostalgic, "wandering" sort of feel to it, that inevitable, slightly sorrowful atmosphere that lets one know the end is coming, and it never fails to put a smile on my face.

Anubis Gate are just entering their own little Renaissance era, and I'll be extremely happy to see them keep up this kind of quality on a follow-up. This isn't perfect, featuring a few tracks that are slightly weaker and could've been cut, but it is an endearing, soulful journey into levels of outer space higher than you thought possible. Get this if you like great Prog Metal, period.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com