Dear Johan before we start the interview, allow me to welcome you in our website, the online magazine www.metalperspective.com. It is our firm belief that Andromeda stands proudly in the field of Progressive/ technical music and we are sure that we haven't seen the best of the band's potentials until now. During the previous year (2004), you've re-released your first album "Extension of the Wish", recorded with David Fremberg on the vocals and with two new songs "Journey Of the Polyspheric Experience" and "Eclipse". What made you decide to do something like that?

Hello! Thanks! "Extension…" was released in February 2001 by WAR-music but in France the album had almost no distribution, only on import. So when the French label NTS heard the album they really liked it and wanted to release it on licence in France. But because the album had already been out a couple months, they wanted to add something new to make it more attractive. And because David had recently joined the band they suggested that we'd re-record the vocals and they also wanted to more tracks. It was released in November 2001 in France.

One of my greatest anticipations is to hear new material from Andromeda. Every day I visit your website in order to find out if anything new comes up, which has to do with your upcoming release. I would appreciate if you told me in which point there are the recording sessions of your new album and have you arranged a date for its release?

It's almost finished. Everything is recorded. We are at the final stage of the mixing. Since we don't have a new record-deal, just a management deal, we have no release date set for the moment.

Andromeda is a band with its origins in Sweden. Tell me really, how do you find the whole situation in music, especially the heavy one, in Europe and do you believe that progressive rock/metal could be more developed here. What I mean is that great progressive/ technical bands such as Symphony X, Dream Theater, Watchtower and many more come from the United States and in Europe most normally we meet power and black metal bands.

To be honest, I'm not really updated about the current metal-scene. I can't really give you a good answer.

Back to Andromeda. You have released two amazing albums " Extension of the Wish" and " II=I ( Two is One)" in which we listen to a storm of astonishing progressive material. Tell me really, which are your influences (personally and as a band) and what influences you the most when you compose music.

There are a lot of bands that influence or more indirectly inspire us. I can't really speak for the others, which specific bands that influence them, but for me it's artists like: Bands I grew up with: Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Morbid Angel, Slayer, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Sepultura, Kreator, Europe etc. More progressive stuff: Dream Theater, Atheist, Genesis, ELP, Meshuggah, Opeth, Yes, U.K, Mr Bungle, Marillion, Focus, King Crimson, Tribute, Porcupine Tree, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Rush. Other bands: The Cure, Faith no More, Sisters of Mercy, Soilwork, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Portishead, Tori Amos, Soundgarden, Captain Beyond, Deep Purple, The Cardigans, various projects by Dan Swanö (Nightingale, Edge of Sanity, Unicorn, his soloalbum.), Led Zeppelin, Massive Attack, Tea Party, Björk, Mars Volta, ABBA, Enya, Machine head (first album), Type O Negative, Angelo Badalamenti, The Doors, Rage against the machine, Morphine, Depeche Mode and hundred others. Jazz, fusion and classical stuff. As a guitar player I'm inspired by players like: Allan Holdsworth, Scott Henderson, Steve Rothery, Robert Smith, John Petrucci, Dimebag Darrell (R.I.P!!!), Kee Marcello, Yngwie Malmsteen, Kirk Hammett, Gary Moore, Wes Montgomery, Steve Vai, John Scofield, Dave Mustaine (not the solos), James Hetfield, Marty Friedman, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Ritchie Blackmoore. And also keyboard players such as: Chick Corea, Jan Johansson, Martin Hedin (lodis!), Keith Emerson.

For the last five years there has been a new trend for musicians from different bands, to collaborate with each other in order to produce music as project bands ( O.S.I., Explorers Club, Star One, Ayreon, e.t.c.). Are there any participations from the members of Andromeda in that kind of projects?

Not really. Thomas plays with A.C.T, but they are a real band and have been together for many years, so that's not a project. I did one album in 2002 with a project called Nonexist though. That was a kind of death/thrash/heavy-metal album. A kind of "back-to-the-roots" album for me. It was meant to develop into a band, but it never happened 'cause we never got a full line-up. It was me on guitar and bass, Johan Liiva (Hearse, ex Arch Enemy) on vocals and Matte Modin (Defleshed, Dark Funeral) on drums.I have the second album written but no members or contract, so it kinda sucks. The songs kill, I would really like to get it out.

What is the secret recipe in composing technical music? Is there one or is it all a matter of creativity and passion for music. In Andromeda is there a brainstorm of ideas and licks from everyone while composing, or the ideas pop up from a member's head and the others just follow?

Yes, it's a matter of creativity and passion for the music. We just try to go for stuff that excites us, be it complex stuff or the most simple things - it's all good. We don't really compose the songs together. On "II=I" there were more songs written together as a band. But now it's more individual writing.

Believe me Andromeda has lots of fans here in Greece. In your future plans will you make a European tour and is there any possibility for Greece to be one of your gig stops?

Really?! Cool! I really hope we make it to Greece soon. I haven't been to your country yet, but I yearn. I love warm climate, fuck this cold winter shit! The weather has sucked here now for like six months. And I like ouzo! Hehe!

What should the fans of Andromeda anticipate from the band in the future?

We try to make each record unique. We don't want to repeat ourselves. So the next couple of albums could be both really simple and straightforward or totally complex, or a mix of both. We don't really know. We'd like to tour more as well, but who doesn't?

Well Johan thank you very much for responding to the interview questions. I would like to close this interview by expressing my gratitude to all of Andromeda's member's for composing such a wonderful music, wishing the best for the future and hoping to see you sometime perform live in the Greece surroundings.

Thank you so much! I would like to thank you for your support and I hope we'll meet in Greece ASAP! Take care man! Bye!