MANIFEST TYRANNY

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.