The Quiet Resistance

Years ago I owned a Nemesea track called "Angel in the Dark" which was kind of Epica-esque is style. Now, Nemesea have been made over and have a wonderful album to show for it. This album sounds like a collaboration between Lacuna Coil and Evanescence while still bringing their own ideas to the table. "Caught in the Middle" is a brilliant track but the bonus track "Allein" totally made this album for me. Try to make sure you get a copy with that song on it or you are seriously missing out. Great album. I listened to it an unhealthy amount once it arrived on my doorstep. Give it a shot and give Nemesea the attention they finally deserve.

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Nemesea was formed in 2002 in The Netherlands by the classically trained vocalist Manda Ophuis and guitarist Hendrik Jan de Jong. The band initially toured as support for After Forever. They have released `Mana' (2004), `In Control' (2007), the `Pure: Live @ P3' (2009) and `The Quiet Resistance' (2011).

The band is composed of Manda Ophuis (vocals), Hendrik Jan de Jong (guitar), Sonny Onderwater (bass), Lasse Dellbrügge (keyboards) and Frank Van Der Star (drums). They are part of the European gothic/symphonic metal scene which means that they are often compared to Within Temptation.

Whilst their second album saw them move over to electronica-based pop, they have thankfully moved back towards symphonic metal territory on this release. After the menacingly whispered intro, they enter the darkly gothic, emotional maelstrom of `Caught In The Middle' with its jagged riffing. My personal favourite is `Afterlife' with its harsh rock leanings, high vocals and full-on chorus of "Can we see, can we feel when we're in the afterlife / Do you know, how I know to believe in you / Because I do / Can we hope, can we love, can it be our destiny / `Cos I'm listening / Yes I'm listening / To you".

The melodic parts of `Whenever' are counterbalanced by the aural assault of guitar and glass-shattering vocals. There is the melancholic ballad `If You Could' with its aching "If you could, if you could see me / If you could hold me / For one last time I'd be okay / But you just left me / You took your chance and slipped away".

The slow-burning `High Enough' contains guest vocals by Charlotte Wessels of Delain. However, I'm not so sure about the turntable scratching within `Its Over' as they move into pop-rock mode. But it does surprisingly also contain some fret-burning shred by HJ and guest vocals by Marcus Klavan of BulletProof Messenger.

There are several more pop-rock songs, but just as the album starts to flounder they bring electronica beats and alternative hard rock into the mix for `Rush' and `Release Me'. Then `2012' sees a full blown synth instrumental backed by newsreel sound-bites predicting apocalyptic events based on the `end date' of the Maya calendar (21st December 2012).

Finally, there is the hard edged, industrial rock in `Allein' which features German and English lyrics. This just screams `Rammstein' all over it, which is not surprising since it features Heli Reissenweber of Stahlzeit (a Rammstein cover band).

I'm really pleased for Manda, HJ and the rest of the band. This is their third album. It's taken several years but this is really good electro-metal with some pop, some goth and at the end some bizarre off-the-wall electro prog. What a CD, this is totally infectious stuff, a combination of the best aspects of the first two albums. They've teamed up well with producer Joost van der whatsisname from defunct After Forever for TQR and I hope it continues because he's really brought the best out of their unique sound.

They are their own band but if you like bands such as Lacuna Coil, Within Temptation or even older electro acts like Depeche Mode you might like Nemesea. I love the down to earth lyrics from Manda that deal a lot with personal experiences and relationships, it really adds a warmth to the songs. It you want to check out one or two tracks, I'll suggest Whenever or Rush, which have a good blend of quiet electro and powerful rock with poppy bits. Hope that makes sense.

Nice one Nemesea, good luck with Napalm records, I knew you were talented enough to go far and I think the journey has only just begun!