Nemesis - Eden?

Year of Release: 2002
Label: Sensory
Catalog Number: SR3015
Format: CD
Total Time: 53:25:00

Eden? is the first album released in English by Hungarian band Nemesis, with both prior releases (Nemesis, 1998, and Abraxas, 1999) written in their mother tongue. Along with For Promotional Use Only (not yet signed to a label), which is a re-recording of previous material into English, Eden? is a strategic measure by the band to have their music recognised in a larger section of the world.

Though I was left mostly uninspired by the initial listen, Eden? is an album which has grown on me with successive replays. At times it seems to fall into the "heard it somewhere before" basket, but the songwriting is solid and the musicianship excellent. The mix is sometimes a little dry and thin, but this was easily remedied by cranking the bass on my player; the music would be made much more fleshy if they'd just given more balance to their bass and lower keyboard lines during production. One small thing I noticed, and liked, was that vocalist Zoltan Kiss retains his Hungarian accent when singing. This is refreshing in a music industry where most vocalists ? regardless of nationality ? sing with an Americanised inflection.

Highlights of Eden? include the beautifully written "Four Mirrors," and the instrumental piece "Faith" which recalls to mind Dream Theater's "Eve" ("The Silent Man" single, 1994). Both these songs showcase the best of the tightly disciplined musicianship of the band, and feature some oh-so-right chord progressions. The inclusion of "Viragenek," a traditional Hungarian folksong, is also a nice touch, reminding the listener of the band's roots and giving a sample of what they sound like in their mother tongue.

Musically, Nemesis strongly reminds me of Australia's Vanishing Point, possessing a very similar sound; English progsters Threshold are also brought to mind, particularly early on in their career. Additionally, like Threshold's debut, Wounded Land (1993), and also albums like Pain of Salvation's Entropia (1999) and One Hour By The Concrete Lake (1998), Eden? carries a strong political message about the evils and dangers of modern human life. Take a look at the cover art for the first taste of this ? a man and a woman standing before a forlorn ocean full of death, over which can be seen a broken and blackened city rising out of smoggy mists. Thankfully, Eden?'s poetry is much more subtle and mature than Wounded Land's (which I found lyrically extremely irritating) and doesn't need to bludgeon one over the head with its message to get it across.

For my first exposure to this relatively new prog-metal outfit, Eden? has ended up impressing me, despite my initial ambivalence. I'm now interested in hunting down the Hungarian releases of their previous albums, so as far as its purpose is to introduce their music to the wider public, Eden? has succeeded in my case.

Similar to: Vanishing Point, Threshold

In/by 2006, the band changed their name to Age of Nemesis -ed.

[This review originally appeared May 2003 at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]

Tracklisting:
Reality's Door (7:05) / Predestination (5:28) / Four Mirrors (6:36) / Eden? (9:32) / Faith (Instrumental) (3:15) / Eternal Circle - I. Journey With Light II. Dismal Sorrow (10:26) / Escape (5:33) / Viragenek (Hungarian Folksong) (5:29)

Musicians:
Chad Bero (Csaba Berczelly) - bass, vocals
Nad Dury (Gyorgy Nagy) - keyboards
Zed (Zoltan) Fabian - guitars, vocals
Les Grand (Laszlo Nagy) - drums
Ian Lamb (Zoltan Kiss) - vocals

Discography:
Nemesis (1998)
Abraxas (1999)
For Promotional Use Only (promo) (2001)
Eden? (2002)
Terra Incognita (2002, Hungary only)
Age Of Nemesis - Psychogeist (2006)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin HU

Added: January 17th 2005
Reviewer: Karyn Hamilton
Score:
Artist website: www.ageofnemesis.com
Hits: 2802
Language: english