MANIFEST TYRANNY

This release is, as far as I remember, my first acquaintance with Swedish prog metallers Andromeda, so I do not have their earlier releases as a point of reference or a point of comparison.

In any case, I think that "Manifest Tyranny" is a pretty good album which is rich in variation and full of different impressions, but, still, there is a sense of consistency and coherence throughout the album (which is definitely a great strength, sine the album seems to be a concept album, criticizing American foreign politics). Going from semi-thrashy passages over quirky and technical ones to very mellow and melodic ones, generously sprinkling their music with layers of piano parts, electronica elements and plenty of references to classic prog rock, Andromeda invites the listener home for a buffet which will definitely leave even the most insatiable listener feeling satisfied.

The musicianship and production are top notch, and, while Andromeda wear their influences on their sleeves (I detect inspiration from early and more recent Dream Theater, 70s prog rock, recent Iron Maiden, late 90s and early 00s Fates Warning as well as [on the lyrical side] Queensrÿche), Andromeda's brand of progressive metal on this release strikes me as being quite original. While it does contain technical and quirky elements as well as dynamic song structures and spacey things, it never becomes inaccessible.

Andromeda's "Manifest Tyranny" is an original and lyrically relevant progressive metal release which does not disappoint.

(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)

Gonna be real honest here, the first thing I asked upon listening to Andromeda's latest release "Manifest Tyranny" was, "Is this supposed to be good?". Being what I would call a lifelong heavy metal fan (So long as we can start my "life" in high school when I started listen to music at all), I've had to really get used to some downright awful lyrics. What has always been a saving grace is that usually I can move past them and really focus in on great riffs and great music. First of all though, Andromeda seems completely unaware that they sound like immature kids, and they are SO loud about it. The "Concept" of this album can't just be filed away and ignored. Because: The entire thing is overloaded with "Voice overdubs". Seriously, these things suck. I wasn't that big of a fan when DT used them in "The Great Debate", and so Andromeda decided to base an entire album around them doesn't make me warm and fuzzy either.

Even outside of that though, there's nothing of any value. Calling this "Progressive" is akin to taking a worthless Indie-Rock band and calling them "Alternative" because there's else to do with them. I guess they use a lot of keyboards, and there is a surplus of? odd rhythms? I can't say enough for how bad this concept is. I get that maybe you feel like some super cool social warrior by blaring around all these voice clips, but the whole thing sounds awful. There's really nothing positive I can say about this album other than a few good riffs, and some occasional parts that are mediocre enough to not make me want to immediately hit skip, but these are short lived. If you feel really compelled to understand the experience of listening to "Manifest Tyranny", grab some demos from a second rate prog metal band and play them over conspiracy theory videos on Youtube.

The music is disorganized. It severely lacks any riffs or cohesiveness of songs. The entire album is dragged down by a mass of voiceovers that provide no musical value, and only serve to make the songs more bland. The whole thing is just messy and difficult to listen to. I wouldn't recommend this to fans of any genre, because even though music is a personal statement, it has to be a personal statement through some form of enjoyable melody, otherwise you might as well write an essay. Maybe Andromeda wants to get politically active, but they've got a lot of maturing to do before people take that aspect seriously.

~Dagg (www.blackwindmetal.com)

Sweden is known for its massive progressive metal scene, and one of the bigger names in this scene is Andromeda. In spite of this, Manifest Tyranny (their fifth full-length album) is my first acquaintance with their music, so I can't (yet) compare this with their earlier efforts. What we have here is a fairly unique brand of melodic progressive metal that, while still borrowing heavily from bands like Dream Theater, Pain of Salvation, and Evergrey, sounds pretty original. Manifest Tyranny is an impressive modern prog metal release, and while I can't say it's a shining success from every angle, there are enough positive traits to outweigh any detriments.

Musically, I'd say that Manifest Tyranny is best described as melodic progressive metal, but with a more raw and heavy edge. While still quite complex, there are lots of crushing guitar riffs throughout the album, and the raw production further exemplifies the heavy edge that Andromeda favors on this release. While far from revolutionary, Manifest Tyranny does not sound like any other band; Andromeda has their own sound, and deserves to be applauded for this. The lyrics dealing with political stigma, corruption in government, and war are also pretty interesting, and I love the way the band is able to incorporate this relevant message into their songs using voiceovers and sound samples. My biggest gripe with Manifest Tyranny is that there aren't a whole lot of great tracks, and even though the whole album is good, it seldom reaches a level of excellence. I'd say "Asylum" and "Go Back to Sleep" are both great tracks, but the rest of Manifest Tyranny seldom exceeds the 'average' mark. A few more impressive compositions would've really done the album wonders - after all, the musicians playing the songs are extremely precise throughout the full 64 minute duration.

Even though I wish Manifest Tyranny were a bit shorter and had a few more great songs, this is still a fairly easy recommendation for modern prog metal enthusiasts. If you're in search of original and lyrically relevant progressive metal with top-notch musicianship and classy melodies, you're bound to be impressed by what Andromeda offers on this observation. 3.5 stars are deserved, and I can safely say that I'll be checking out more albums from these Swedish lads in the future.

Finally,the new album of the Sweds has been released at the end of 2011 year!I was really curious and inpatient to see how the things are going after the mediocre THE IMMUNITY ZONE album,which was not at all bad 100 %,it was just uninspired!Well,in 2011 ,things are much better,way better than on the previous album!New label behind,new attitude and a slightly new musical direction too... a new face for ANDROMEDA!Of course,the technical aspect is very strong,but not so astonishing like in the past.This album is,definitelly,the most mature so far,loaded with excellent,diverse and catchy compositions!It's not at all an easy listening this album-no way-definitelly there are necessary several auditions to fully understand the message of MANIFEST TYRANNY!The political involvement of the guys is very well represented on the album,with some very direct and precise lyrics-and-in the music,with some voices of Obama or Bush with some memorable quotations and speeches for this political leaders!Musically speaking,the album has everything what a modern prog metal album should have in 2011!Crunchy guitars,insane drumming and majestic keyboard parts-but the voice of David is really fantastic on this album!This guy is definitelly spectacular and delivers passioned and intense pvocal performances here!Pretty good production-but,in my opinion-a little weaker than on the previous albums?!?!In my opinion-MANIFEST TYRANNY-is one of the best prog metal albums in 2011,and I can say that ANDROMEDA is one of the surest values of Europe in this pretentious genre!4.5 STARS,and all my respect for this amazing musicians!

'Manifest Tyranny', the fifth album by Swedish progressive metal band Andromeda, once again sees the group pushing themselves to try new things and evolve their sound. Taking a mixture of the all-out riffage displayed in 'The Immunity Zone' and the proggy atmosphere of 'Chimera', this is a band who sounds a lot more mature and "complete" than on previous releases, with the chemistry between them firmly showing in the intensity of the music.

This is also the album where Andromeda succumbed to the dreaded metal cliché that is the politcal album! Lyrically, this isn't much different than any other band who has politically-themed songs, lashing out at corrupt governments that favour the rich, keep secrets from the public and advocate wars. The usual. Musically however, the band are as tight and as coherent as ever.

As always, each member here really demonstrates abilities that puts them at the top of their chosen field. After the more stripped down approach of their previous album, 'The Immunity Zone', guitarist Johan Reinholdz is prepared to rip things up again, shredding to his hearts content with some mind-blowing guitar acrobatics, which are matched note-for-note by keyboardist Martin Hedin. The interplay between these two is phenominal, and puts them right up there with the other top musicians in the genre.

With such heavy hitters as 'Stay Unaware', 'Preemptive Strike', 'Antidote', 'Survival of the Richest' and 'Chosen by God', as well as the softer 'Go Back to Sleep', Andromeda have released an album that further solidifies them as one of progressive metal's finest bands, and a worthy successor to Dream Theater's throne.