Enemies of Reality

You know when you go into a really great music store and find about 20 albums you'd like to buy? Such was the case on the day I found Nevermore's Enemies of Reality. I was in Norwich and the record store in question was new to me, and to my dad, who was suddenly struck by the idea that he could get some money for his old vinyls, even though he didn't know where they were and wouldn't come back to Norwich again. In the end, I narrowed my choices down to 3 albums which I hadn't seen on sale anywhere else: Aura Noir's Deep Tracts of Hell, Portrait's Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae, and this. Initially, I was slightly disappointed with all of my purchases, feeling that the reputation of the bands (most of whom were first-time listens) was greater than the evidence. While the other albums grew in scope, Enemies of Reality pretty much turned me off Nevermore for ever.

A comparison that I've not seen much but that does some justice to both bands should line up Nevermore and Biomechanical shoulder to shoulder and examine their major elements and songwriting style around the early/mid-'00s period. While the genre mix of Biomechanical seems a little more out there than Nevermore's power thrash turned groove, it essentially comes down to the same ambitions that stunt the appeal of both groups: playing with a little too much technicality and too little feel, then singing to the limit regardless of what else is happening. On the other hand, where an album like The Empires of the Worlds has me jumping to my feet and then slumping back on my chair, Enemies of Reality has me in a perpetual state of expectation coupled with annoyance. Dane and Loomis never seem to get on the same page throughout the 9 tracks here, resulting in a selection of average tracks, which I can dismiss much more easily than the occasionally exceptional ideas that Biomechanical produced. It always feels like something is about to happen in a big way, the whole sonic range pressing against the edge of a membrane, yet nothing really bursts through despite frequent efforts.

I've seen that effect put down to poor production and mixing, though the band are guilty of playing too busily too often as well. The chaotic feel largely comes from Jeff Loomis, who uses an awful lot of notes to perform rather dull thrashy groove riffs; largely speaking, the energy and intent exist, but the riff itself doesn't go anywhere, leaving the rhythm duo stuck in a claustrophobic groove that can't be cultured to betterment whatever their efforts. Hearing Van Williams batter away on 'Never Purify' could well be today's metaphor for helpless frustration, so little difference does it make. Creativity also hit a low point in places, 'Create the Infinite' coming on like a stock Lamb of God track circa 2007 (chronology aside, LoG did it better). Obviously, not all the riffs suffer this way, 'Ambivalent' forging an odd sort of modern death pattern that I don't dislike. The ballads therefore come as a welcome surprise, 'Tomorrow Turned Into Yesterday' creating space by its sparseness that allows each member's parts room for finesse, particularly highlighting the more controlled side of Warrel Dane's dominant vocals.

Those vocals compound the issue of the squashed sound on most of the more intense songs, attempting to build their own intensity during at least half of the verses and choruses. I've got no beef with Dane's tone most of the time, yet he's pushing at the edges of his ability by squalling out urgent lines all over the place, remaining fairly high-pitched while hanging onto the gritty edge of a thrash singer. At moments such as the melodic chorus of 'I, Voyager', his talent shines through and atmosphere is allowed to accrue, something that the frenetic assault of groove and wailing elsewhere can't muster. For that chorus, the double-tracking of vocals that extends over much of the album feels anthemic, though I'm really not sure that Enemies of Reality needed more layers over the mush of guitars and drums.

Recently, I've become aware that I often end reviews by saying something like, "For all my complaints, XX album isn't really that bad." It's true, I don't feel any intense dislike of Nevermore's fifth full-length, yet I can barely bring myself to say anything good about it either. The structuring of 'Who Decides' exceeds the level of practically everything else here but stylistically caters to other music fans than myself, while the chunky rage exhibited on 'Seed Awakening' satisfies most of the more aggressive compositions. To balance me being momentarily nice, 'Noumenon' is a fucking waste of a cool principle and I can draw close comparisons between plenty of the material here and Slipknot's more commercial later stuff, which isn't damning of an album from my point of view but should do the trick for most of this site's readers. About 7 years after buying it, Enemies of Reality continues to disappoint.