Ramon is the sole brain and brawn of his progressive metal, science fiction vessel, Andromida. He arrived in the public sphere with this project back in 2016 with his debut EP, Celestial. A formidable release, Celestial showcased Ramon’s keen abilities to layer synth with sweeping grooves, resulting in a succinct, galactic adventure inflicted with those djent-laden timbres. Not too long thereafter, Ramon dropped his debut LP, The Void. And just at the end of July 2018 did he release his latest LP, Voyager. The transformation across his discography (thus far) is quite remarkable in that The Void felt and sounded like a more actualized rendition of Celestial—maintaining up-tempo rhythms whilst infusing a titch more synth for weightier atmosphere. From The Void to Voyager, Ramon has augmented the ante to even larger celestial expanses. The riffs and rhythms are a notch slower, though more synth pervades each composition; there is also a sparing, but sharp use of violin, which swells in pivotal moments to stir emotion. The largest shift here, however, is in concept. Where The Void was more a cluster of tracks, Voyager essentially articulates a story for a film that does not exist. The few details listeners can glean are provided in the track titles and the instrumentation vibrantly colors the Voyager vessel’s travels. It is left to your imagination to fill in the characters and the cosmos surrounding them.

In this conversation, Ramon delves into Voyager, discussing his approach for constructing this album’s concept and how his creative process differed on this album relative to his previous releases. He also speaks to his influences, noting his love for Mass Effect, muses about his desire to write and compose an OST for a science fiction film, and also looks forward to his plans for future albums. Thank you so much for listening.