Nemesis

The biggest shocker is that Scheitan, based on the dominant style of Nemesis, seemed to have been signed to Century Media based on the 'black & roll' style they showcased on the first half of their sophomore album Berzerk 2000. You'd think the talent scout would have been a lot more interested in the black metal of the debut, but here we are on a much larger label, with a lot more exposure, playing the accessible rock music but with the same snarling vocals. Fortunately, Nemesis is a bit better developed and more committed to this style than its predecessor. The production is a slight step up and for the most part, the arrangements of the rock riffs are better, the bass playing is more noticeable, and his vocals just work better with the material than they did the last time out.

This is basically a mid-point between such 'black & roll' and just standard, simplistic Gothic metal with snarls instead of deep, manly vocals. They still implement a lot of guest female vocals, probably even more than before, but they still sound awkward and lacking confidence to add an effective dimension of the ethereal or melodic to the tracks. Also, the band gets a little too cocky with dumb ideas like repeating "Emergency" over and over at the end of that track, a dick move that doesn't benefit in any way. A number of the tunes here sound a lot like Kreator's lamented Endorama, only the Germans could dial up their history and add a lot more gravitas to their compositions. There's also a vibe of some Sisters of Mercy, only with the rasping vocals slathered over the top and much heavier guitars punched in. The Cemetery side project Sundown is also a worthwhile comparison, only that project was vastly more catchy and utilized more of an industrial/electronic side.

If you condensed this down to 3-4 of the better tunes, it would be passable for the style, since I do dig the production and it's just catchy enough to warrant a few spins. Unfortunately, on the whole this album is just not much better than its predecessor...at least it's not split between the rock style and the lesser produced black metal which was a pretty big mistake on Berzerk 2000, but despite its slick sound and accessible energy, they just aren't churning out the memorable chorus parts and melodies that would be needed for this to put them on the same level as a number of other European Goth metal acts. So when it comes to my personal interest, Scheitan is a one-and-done, Travelling in Ancient Lands is the go-to and the rest are just shy of a disaster.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Released in 1999 via Century Media, Nemesis is the third and final full-length album of Swedish black/goth metallers Scheitan. The band started as a black metal outfit revolving around Oskar Karlsson (guitars/drums) and Pierre Törnkvist (guitars/vocals), and then slowly evolved towards a more accessible form of Death'n Roll / Gothic metal that on Nemesis reaches perhaps its most forthright and direct expression.

The album is comprised of nine tracks for an overall duration of a mere 33 minutes. The songs are short, simple and straightforward, striking a balance between boisterous death metal assault and melodic gothic metal accessibility. A fitting description of the album’s sound would be a cross between Rotting Christ (circa A Dead Poem) and Children of Bodom, minus the technical shredding. There is a touch of punkish urgency and rawness in some of the songs (“Psyched”, “Ways”) that stands in direct contrast with the more melodic gothic influences surfacing on songs like “Fury Flow” and “Black Rain”. However, the formula quickly grows stale, also because the melodic ideas, song pace, structure, and instrumental solutions the band plays with are always the same from one song to another.

There are two tracks, however, that stand out as completely different from the other seven: “A Silent Hum” and “My Isle”. These two songs feature a female vocalist, Lotta Högberg, who had also appeared on Scheitan’s previous albums. On these tracks, Scheitan abandon the boisterous Death'n Roll of the other songs and veers instead more decidedly towards goth/doom territories, reminding me of bands like Flowing Tears and The Gathering, albeit with a more primitive and rougher streak. The tempos are slower, the atmospheres become more dilated and lysergic and Lotta’s low-register vocals are dark and morose. The strong melodies of the choruses make an immediate impression on the listener and stand as an open invitation to spin these two songs again and again so as to uncover all their hidden secrets. Truth be told, these songs are two minor gothic masterpieces and the only reason I actually own this album.

However, the inclusion of these two tracks on the album is fairly incongruous, as they have almost nothing in common with the other compositions. Equally incongruous is the inclusion of the vaguely electronic album closer “Emergency”. This track is a (poor) cover version of a minor hit by 1980s Swedish pop group Trance Dance, bringing the album’s sound in yet another direction.

Overall, Nemesis comes across as a hotchpotch of disparate musical ideas that Scheitan somehow decided to assemble together in the same album. Most tracks are really derivative and forgettable, but the record does contain two killer pieces, “A Silent Hum” and “My Isle”, that elevate it just above the ordinary. It’s worth a spin or two, but approach with caution.