ANDROMEDA — Extension of the Wish (review)

ANDROMEDA — Extension of the Wish album cover

Album · 2001 · Progressive Metal

4/5 · 2011-01-15
Andyman1125

7/8's the new groovy!

Note, I have not heard the original Extension of the Wish, only this version, and I love it! Although the album art is much less creative, the music is still great. Andromeda has really created their own brew of progressive metal, something that, surprisingly, is not really influenced by Dream Theater. They are definitely one of the more creative prog metal bands in the mix. Extension of the Wish is a favorite of mine; it's a great album in general.

The Words Unspoken has a nice technical 7/8 intro, as do most of the songs, with a spacey distorted guitar. The technicality of the song is impressive, with switch off solos between synth and guitar. The new singer really shows off his pipes on this song.

Crescendo of Thoughts opens up yet again with that spacey and groovy 7/8 soloing between synth and guitar. The melody is most prominent in this song, among the instrumental technicality.

In The Deepest Waters is a fun track, yet again in 7/8 (I think the drummer just lays out a beat and the other players just solo around it). The rhythms and instrumental sections are nice, as are the semi-melodic choruses. The outro neatly fades into the next track, another upside of the album.....

....Starshooter Supreme is a great fun track built (again) around 7/8. The soloing is fun and inventful, as are the verses and chorus.

Chameleon Carnival is easily one of the best tracks on the album, a fun instrumental 7/8 groove built around some fun solos between guitar, bass, and synth. A very fun track to listen to; it's one of those prog songs that you just want to bob your head to.

Extension of the Wish is the first truly melodic song on the album. It's just over 10 minutes, being the longest track on the album. The song is built not around 7/8, but a 10/8 groove, finally a change! The verses and chorus are very melodic are definitely something that could be remembered. The album begins a slow decline after this, as the first songs are much more upbeat and fun that the remaining tracks.

Arch Angel is the second really melodic song, with a much lighter chorus and not as much technicality when it comes to soloing, which is reduced in number.

Journey of Polyspheric Experience is a really spacey song. You just want to kick back and be enveloped by the spacey synth voice. It has a really trippy feel to it, with less technicality again. The chorus isn't "melodic," but more lighter and is more of a psychedelic-metal feel.

Eclipse, the last and most likely lightest track on the album, tries to fit in a little symphonic into the space metal. The soling is slower, more careful, less upbeat and fun, and more focused on staying both technical and melodic in feel. A nice end to a great space metal album.

ALBUM OVERALL: A fantastic album. The first 6 are much better than the remaining 3, but all 9 are still fantastic. The technicality really outmatches the melodic element, so it doesn't have all three of the Dream Theater "prog, metal, and *melodic*," but it is still fantastic. A great deviation from traditional prog metal, and a fantastic album. 4+ stars.