Review Summary: Never forget the past.
Anubis Gate have been an intriguing band to watch evolve. Originally a progressive power band dipping heavy into the power metal pool, they slowly transitioned into an overtly progressive band over the years. Their best, most focused progressive power metal album came in the form of Andromeda Unchained, a beast of an album. Andromeda Unchained remains as one of the best progressive power metal albums at the time of release. While Andromeda Unchained could have been seen as overproduced back when it was released (in 2007), the album sounds great. There’s no vocal hiccups or misfires production-wise, simply a soundscape that glimmers and sounds like it came out of 2022. Anubis Gate were ahead of their time.
The vocalist here is impressive, hitting high notes with ease, but still showing range with his unmistakable tone. Anubis Gate’s guitarists and drummer also show massive chops, hitting beats with steadfast precision, plentiful fills, and gorgeous guitar solos. Fittingly, there’s keyboard solos as well. The band keep you hinged on their efforts, at every turn proving why they’re a mainstay. This is the kind of technical instrumentation they play, without sounding like self-worship. Songs can indeed be lengthy, but their compositions are spot-on. One can expect various cool instrumental sections that serve as excellent transition periods and buildup of excitement.
Andromeda Unchained is a heavy album, much heavier than you might expect. The combined beefy guitars, notably high vocals and Arabic music influence make the crux of their sound in this era. While the high vocals have the tendency to sound cheesy like the similar - in my opinion - band Pagan’s Mind, the vocals here don’t get on the nerves. It’s all part of Anubis Gate’s charm, their trademark. They make their sound penetrate with hard hitting choruses and a relentless pace. It’s an endless power metal inspired onslaught with heavy twists around every corner. Better yet, rather than losing steam they continue to improve their craft through every song, with more dynamo showing off and catchy choruses.
Repetition prevents Andromeda Unchained from being a classic release. The singer’s high voice and pace of the album quickly begins to feel too familiar. With the album being over an hour long, not everyone will make it to the end. Perhaps the greatest downfall of the band is that they are unique, but not unique enough. Aside from the wee bit of Ancient Egypt music, it’s straightforward progressive power metal.
It may not be a classic album, but Andromeda Unchained is a hidden gem. The clean production and talents of the band members never cease to amaze. Just looking at the album in terms of progressive metal, it doesn’t get much better. Anubis Gate are sadly overlooked/underrated, yet fully deserving to have their name remembered in the history of their genre. These men have been quietly putting out quality albums for quite a while and credit is due.
