Customer Reviews

II=i

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I can't give this album five stars and praise every little thing about this band. They are just not good enough yet. They may be the future for progressive metal but they are not quite there yet. This album is solid however. Chunky rhythm, insane shredding, odd timing....it has everything any prog metal/shred head would love. However, lyrically this album I think is the weakness, they seem to evoke more anger and hate than passion and emotion in their lyrics and this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it just does not satisfy me. Despite all this, there are high points on this album, instrumentally they are genious, the instrumental sections in their songs/ all instrumental song is the major thing about this album, but this album does not have all the necessary ingrediants for a truely astounding prog metal album, like "Scenes From a Memory"

ehhhhh....decent work from a decent band, only prog metal/shred heads would appreciate this, don't pick this one up if you don't fall into any of those categories.

It is difficult to write a review for a band as original sounding as this. This is definate prog metal. It is quite technical; the musicians in this band are obviously very talented. As far as the technicallity is concerned, Dream Theater comes to mind. This album is full of complex parts that highlight every instrument used. Yes, even bass. Keyboards are prominent in nearly every part, ranging from choir, to strings, to piano. As far as originality, I am going to be brave enough to compare them to Eternity X. For those of you who know of Eternity X, don't look too far into this statement because that is as far as this comparison goes. For those who haven't, let me just say that you have never heard anything like this before. I do not own their first album, but have listened to samples, and this one does not sound anything like the first one. Don't expect to appreciate this in your first several listens. I personally think that the singer is very good. He sounds like a cross between your normal high-pitched progressive singers and Evergrey's singer (without the raspy sound). The album has a lot of interplay between metal parts and quiet, melodic parts. The songs are pretty diverse, none sounding like another on the album.

So why did I give this a four-star review. It is really quite simple, I think that this band has not even come close to their best work. I see a lot of potential in the abilities of these guys. Overall, this is a very good and interesting album. It is not for everyone, but if you enjoy things that are a bit different, and musically challenging, I strongly recommend that you get this.

This record is one of the best of the year in my view. It gave me my fix on deep, thoughtful, and complex music with real melody, irony, and a metalic edge where it fits. There is a hint of Pain of Salvation influence to some extent, but that is ok as I love those guys too.....

This album never lets you down. Not every track is perfect, but it is truly satisfying and original. I love the balance of keyboards and guitars, with hard hitting drums, and really interesting melodies.

A great new band that is contributing to the depth of progressive rock with originality. If you like Symphony X, then give these guys a listen. Tremendous balance and sogwriting skills. Can't wait for the next one!!

These guys write some great music. The music is very diverse. For example, listen to the most excellent instrumental, Morphing Into Nothing, then right after you get a very mellow song like Castaway. Brilliant! These guys are very unique. There may be a hint of DT, but not too much. The guitarist plays very emotional solos. He can wail, but he has more taste than a lot of shredders. The singer is good, not great, but after a few listens his voice starts to fit the music nicely. Don't condemn this disc too quickly, it will grow on you quickly and you will love it. Highly recommended for those who like complex music that does not get old.

This might just be the best album of the year. It's a rare thing these days to hear something truly *new* in music. These guys have it. The guitarist in particular, Johan Reinholdz, is easily on par with the very best, such as John Petrucci or Michael Romeo. He has a very bright future ahead of him, I have to say. Not only is he technically capable, but his solos are filled with a stunning sense of melody and passion. They sound unlike other solos from other bands. The singer is also quite good, though I don't think he works as well when trying to sing harshly as when singing clearly. His best vocal performance is on the tital track Two Is One, where he sings clearly and melodically, with perfect tone.

Extension of the Wish was a fantastic debut, but II=I is a truly rare album that will no doubt be underheard.

It takes a while to really get, but when you do, this is top of the line and unique sounding prog-metal. Definitely a band that will be huge in the future, although its a shame they don't get that type of recognition right now.

First of the music seems well thought out and a great production is here as well.But where it fails is in the weak vocal delivery...he sounds to much like a beer commercial during superbowl half time specials.Not that he cant sing just doesnt sound good with this style of prog-metal.And that said the music is good not outstanding...seems like they try to hard at times to pull off certain polyrythms etc.But not a bad sophmore effort here..althought im a bigger fan of Extension.No dream theater here:(

Yeah, ok, this is a pretty good album, i won't deny it... But it's not Andromeda at its best and that's for sure. The previous album was something truly OUT OF THIS WORLD. This one is just another prog/power album... good, but not unique. I'm thinking maybe its because of the vocals, because the original vocalist didn't sing in Extension of the wish. But it goes beyond that. It's the result as a whole. There's a certain amount of complexity and heaviness missing. I repeat: this is not a bad album, but it just sounds [bad] after listening to Extension of the wish...

Andromeda continues to amaze me. First they debut with Extension Of The Wish, an album that ranks right up there with some of the best progressive albums. Then they do what many bands can't and never do and that's follow up their first album with another masterpiece. Andromeda's bright future will hopefully continue to surprise a hard critic as myself. Rock on Andromeda!

Andromeda's sophomore effort actually took a couple listens to grow on me. It's not as immediately accessible as the debut, "Extension of the Wish." However, a few close listens makes it clear that "II=I" is a great step forward for this amazingly talented young band from Sweden. With this release, they reveal a level of songwriting maturity and intelligence that they hinted at on the debut. Both releases feature jaw-dropping musicianship, but there is a sense of subtlety and artistry present here that shows how much they've progressed in the short time since "Extension of the Wish." These are great songs that hold their own as more than just platforms for awe-inspiring guitar work. That certainly is not to say that the songs on "Extension" were not great as well, but here the songs hold together better as their own entity, with all the instruments (including the great voice of new vocalist David Fremburg) working together to create amazing sonic landscapes. This may be partly due to the fact that the writing was more of a band effort, with significant contributions coming from keyboardist Martin Hedin, whereas the debut featured writing of music and lyrics exclusively by guitar virtuoso Johan Reinholdz. There is still plenty of guitar shredding here, but it is worked into the context of the songs in a fashion that prevents them from becoming mere excuses to play guitar solos. Also worth noting is the fact that "II=I" is somewhat less heavy than the debut, although there is some great, odd-meter, heavy riffing in places. All in all, this is an excellent progressive metal album that holds its own very well, and proves that Andromeda is (and should continue to be) a force to be reckoned with in this genre of music.