Nemesis

by Stratovarius

Overview

Nemesis, the 14th studio album from venerable Finnish power metal outfit Stratovarius, covers a lot of familiar ground. Flush with bold, sweeping choruses backed by keyboard choirs, strings, and arpeggiated synths (the latter ride higher in the mix than usual), flashy yet nimble guitar leads, fierce, melodic breakdowns, and spirited lyrics that rally the listener to overcome non-specific adversities, the first outing to feature new drummer Rolf Pilve (Joerg Michael left the group amicably for personal reasons soon after the release of 2011's Elysium), doesn't disappoint. Nemesis, as is the case with all Stratovarius albums, was crafted in a world where subtlety has not yet come into existence, allowing for cover art that depicts a nude, buxom angel with a broadsword descending from a fiery sky filled with mushroom clouds (and a single, sad spaceship that must have wandered in from some abandoned Somewhere in Time-era Iron Maiden jacket) upon a metropolis in ruins. Luckily (for those with a taste for symphonic power metal excess in the vein of Rhapsody of Fire, Blind Guardian, and Helloween), Nemesis delivers musically what it does visually, offering up 11 well-honed slabs of propulsive, stadium-ready, non-specific adversity anthems that skillfully toe the line between radio-ready -- in a sort of Muse-meets-Dragonforce way ("Abandon," "Unbreakable," "Halcyon Days") -- and too epic for prime time ("Out of the Fog," "If the Story Is Over," "Nemesis"), resulting in another riveting, ludicrous, ornate, hammy, and explosive set from one of the genre's finest practitioners. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	11/27/2020
Label:	Ear Music
UPC:	4029759151630
Rank:	117672

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Stratovarius   Primary Artist
Jani Liimatainen   Guest Artist,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Lauri Porra   Bass
Timo Kotipelto   Vocals
Jens Johansson   Keyboards
Hepa Waara   Vocals (Background)
Tipe Johnson   Vocals (Background)
James Lascelles   Vocals (Background)
Koop Arponen   Vocals (Background)
Matias Kupiainen   Guitar
Rolf Pilve   Drums
Dane Stefaniuk   Vocals (Background)
Alexa Leroux   Vocals (Background)
Anna Maria Parkkinen   Vocals (Background)
Anna-Maija Jalkanen   Vocals (Background)
Ari "Homopomo" Sievaelae   Vocals (Background)
The Shark Finns   Vocals (Background)
Susanna Koski   Vocals (Background)
Joakim Jokela   Guest Artist

Technical Credits

Jani Liimatainen   Composer
Lauri Porra   Composer,Group Member
Timo Kotipelto   Composer,Group Member
Mika Jussila   Mastering
Jens Johansson   Composer,Group Member
Perttu Vaenskae   Production Assistant
Gerry Wilkes   Management
Gyula Havancsak   Cover Art
Nauska   Band Photo
Kalle Keski Orvola   Production Assistant
Matias Kupiainen   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Group Member
Rolf Pilve   Group Member
Sander Nebeling   Package Coordinator
Antje Lange   Management
Paavo Kurkela   Production Assistant