Review by Krys on May 31, 2001.

This is not funny anymore. Having the best bands almost in every metal category, Sweden decided to take over the progressive side of metal as well. Their new child, Andromeda, debuts with "Extension Of The Wish" which, from first notes, blows away everything that is out there in prog-metal. Maybe not everything, but damn close and there is no doubt in my mind that their next album will complete the sweep. (Assuming they’ll stay together.)

Lead by the twenty–year–old guitarist Johan Reinholtz, who in a few years will give the run for the money to all best guitarists, Andromeda are destined to leave a mark on metal and set the tone for years to come. The album starts and finishes on very high marks where each song just flows with melody not compromising complexity of the songs or unlimited music skills of its members. I don’t think there are enough words to describe the already high level of achieved musicianship. All songs are perfectly balanced while at this same time being very complex are amazingly easy to listen to. From "The Words Unspoken" to "Arch Angel" astounding guitar riffs and breathtaking leads are combined with youthful passion and enthusiasm. The effect is simply mind-blowing. If during the first few minutes of "In The Deepest Of Waters" you won’t start banging your head, there must be something wrong with your ears. (To say the least!) This is what I call a metal jam built on passion, fury and a really high level of adrenaline. There is no sense to describe each song because each one just blows me away and I don’t want to repeat myself.

Before I shut up I have to mention one more thing though; the rest of the members are not just second fiddle to Johan’s guitar. Martin Hedin’s keyboard passages go hand in hand with guitar riffs and as everything else on this album are not overused and are pulled away at the exact moment before any damage is done. The airtight rhythm section with Gert Daun (bass) and Thomas Lejon (drums) knows when to pump your blood with double bass or when to create just a nice groove. Given no time to prepare the vocal lines, Lawrence Mackrory (ex-Darkane) did a better than impressive job with his part of the record. Although he seems to be the most comfortable in more ‘metalish’ songs like "The Words Unspoken" or "Star Shooter Supreme" he seems a little uncomfortable in more progressive parts. Overall he gave a stellar performance and by no means those little flaws take anything away from this great cd.

Bottom Line: "Only" 9 cause I might run out of the scale for their next release if they progress in their compositions and instrumental skills.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Michael on October 24, 2023.

What is the color of rain? Hm, this is a tricky question. At first thought, you might think about the different colors while you see the rainbow when it is raining and the sun is lurking through the clouds. But you could also think about the sound when the rain comes pouring down from the skies. It can be very nice but when I think about the sound of the rain in our gutter it is pretty annoying, especially at night when you want to sleep. And of course you can think of the way the rain is falling – mild drizzle or pouring cats and dogs and sometimes causing terrible deluges. Bram Bruyneel who was responsible for the latest Schavot album cover did a fantastic job here with this cover painting.

With Oceans Above the Dutch guys in The Color Of Rain (featuring Gerhans Meulenbeld (Sad State Of Decay), Floris Velthuis (Asgrauw / Schavot) and Devi Hisgen (Teitan); have created a musical counterpart to this description I just did. On their debut album you will find a lot of devastating soundscapes that if it was rain doesn't make you to leave your house (listen to the heavy dissonant and very repetitive riff attacks in the title track) but also some very nice and relaxing sounds that make you want to dance in the warm summer rain. What makes the album very diverse are the very nested parts which combine very technical and often very dissonant moments with some sections that are easier accessible to the listener because they have a little bit more melodies in it. 'Translucence' is a perfect example for this mixture of stylistic elements. In a split second you have almost balladic structures and then all of a sudden the guys come back with fury and hate and pour a bucket of water over your head with the heaviness. 'Darkness Cloaks The Cradle' almost sounds a little bit like The Gathering with their “Mandylion” breakthrough album at the start only to switch into something absolute insane that sounds like absolute hate and desperation after about one minute. It is a little bit tricky to explain how the whole thing sounds, maybe it is best to describe as a mixture between old Cynic and Deathspell Omega. And this is also the difficult part: is it death or (post) black metal? Maybe The Color Of Rain is something in between. Of course this isn't just because of the really sick guitars with a lot of tremolo picking and the pummeling drums but also because vocalist Devi Hisgen does a really insane, sometimes slight schizophrenic voice performance here. What I can promise you is that you will never ever find more than 20 seconds to calm down a little bit because the album is such much full of energy (negative and positive) so it is a wild hunt from the start to the end. But be warned – don't listen to the album while you have a bad day or while you feel unsettled (or while you write your tax return)

The whole album really isn't an easy listening experience because a lot of parts on it don't let to be explored too easily. It is a little bit like cracking a Brazil nut. It is very hard to open it but once you get to open it you can truly enjoy the content. So enjoy the drizzling rain but don't be surprised if you get totally soaked by some really cold blackish acid rain.

Rating: 8 out of 10 black rainbows