Richard Andersson - The Ultimate Andersson Collection

*=Staff's pick	Time Requiem* Confusicus Attar Of Roses* Black Moon Rising* Above And Beyond Emposium Golden Sea The Rapture Of Canaan* Visions Of A New Dawn Voodoo Treasure

Genre	Neo-classical Hard Rock	Göran Edman	Vocals
Tracks	10	Magnus Nilsson	Guitar
Runningtime	59 Min.	-	Guitar
Label	Metal Heaven	Andy Rose	Bass
Release	26 Sept. 2005	Jörg Andrews	Drums
Country	Sweden	Richard Andersson	Keyboards
Similar artists	Majestic, Time Requiem, Space Odyssey

Swedish born keyboard virtuoso Richard Andersson has been active in several bands and has now compiled the best songs from those bands, re-recorded them and put them out once again on The Ultimate Andersson Collection. He has been found in Majestic, Time Requiem and in Space Odyssey and if I have done my math properly, two studio albums with each band has been released from the debut from Majestic in 1999 onto the second Space Odyssey album released earlier this year.

Basically we are dealing with up-tempo neo-classical music straight in the vein of Yngwie Malmsteen but the biggest difference is that Richard Andersson, who is equally fast with his fingers, lets them fly over a keyboard instead of a guitar. And Richard also has the good taste to be more held back with his playing. It is fast, melodic and playful music he delivers and also with some progressive moves.

All songs are re-recorded versions and they all sound very alike both with sound and style. Perhaps it is the new versions of the songs that give that impression, since I haven't heard him in in the other bands earlier I can't tell for sure. But why he has chosen different names on his bands when the style is so alike dazzles me. The only album excluded is the latest release from Space Odyssey and apart from the Malmsteen influences there is also a great deal of Symphony X to be found. Melody lines and structures come very close while in Black Moon Rising it is more toward the sound of early Rainbow.

Göran Edman, who is one helluva vocalist, is here doing some of the best singing I have heard him do , and his past with Malmsteen gives that impression even more water to the mill. This collection ought to be a fairly good introduction to the works of Mr. Andersson. It is good music but the urge to further discover his works is nevertheless not aroused in me, as it is much of the same here and a bit more variation with the songs could have been used if you ask me.