The last Anubis Gate album I heard was their debut "Purification", which was an enjoyable, if uninspired bit of US-styled Power Metal. This is their third CD, and while nobody was looking, Anubis Gate transformed into a first-rate band. Far from the studious and rather stodgy Iced Earth-ish style of their debut, this is a Prog/Power album of the finest quality.

I'm not ordinarily a big Prog fan, but when it's done this well I can't complain. "Andromeda Unchained" is a big, sprawling album full of satisfying intricacy and genuinely catchy melodies. The production is really excellent, giving a powerful, heavy sound that still has a lot of depth and enough clarity to hear all the nooks and crannies of this complex music. Anubis Gate walk flawlessly down the line between 'enough' and 'too much', as they cram a lot of stuff into every song, but the compositions never feel overcrowded and never slip over into masturbation. All through this album, I never once got the feeling that the band was showing off.

This is a catchy and complex album that is one thing a lot of Prog is not: entertaining. I am never bored listening to this CD, as there is always something going on here, and more than enough to keep me interested. Heavy, opulent, and memorable, "Andromeda Unchained" is an album no Prog or Power Metal fan should miss.