Nemesis’ Goddess of Revenge is a Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica knock off but nowhere near as good as any album of the aforementioned bands. The influence that Stratovarius has on these guys is very obvious, in fact it’s a little too obvious as the majority of the songs feel like Strato b – sides. The good points about this album: the production is above standard, the guitarist lays down some pretty nice riffage, and the songs are quite speedy. The bad side though is that they all tend to blend together is a big smorgasbord of sameness really damn fast. Vocalist Vilem Matjner has a voice that’s suited for this style of melodic metal but he doesn’t have much variation in his tone. Some people say that Rob Tyrant (or should I call him Roberto Tiranti now that they have dropped the monikers?) from Labyrinth has this problem but Vilem really makes a case for the “all Power Metal singers sound the same” camp. There are moments where if he just let it rip and go all out then that would make you look over and go, “Woa, that was cool,” or other times when a lower register would add emphasis to a certain line or lyric he still uses the same exact tone. Keyboards are used abundantly and although they are well played there is a lot of overusage of dramatic key parts throughout the verses and chorus. The biggest offender would have to be Queen of Fate where halfway through you just end up going, “gragh” and hitting next on the stereo because you get tired of DUM.. DUM DUM…. DUM DUM DUM throughout the whole song. Neoclassical leads and harpsichord progressions are the main strength in the keyboard area and when they come about and hit your ears they sound pretty cool so we know that these guys have talent.

Even though the songs as a whole blend together into one really long one, some of the tracks do have stand out sections in them. Host From Kingdom of Lion has some hard hitting guitar riffs and sweet licks in it and has a strong, concrete chorus to it. Mercenary is a long number at eight and a half minutes and has a killer solo section in it after the quiet interlude part. Heaven’s Fall closes the album and shows what the band has the potential to be in the future. It has a great melody, well placed keyboards and the music fits the singing like a glove. I personally think that Heaven’s Fall seems like the guys spent a lot more time arranging and tightening themselves up with this one than the other songs because that’s exactly what it sounds like, tight and with a definite structure to it.

I can find some shining moments here and there throughout Goddess of Revenge but I think that Nemesis should have spent more time playing together and getting their vibe down pat before recording. With some better arrangements and practice these guys can put out a killer album in the future, Heaven’s Fall is a great indication of what they are capable of but right now, Goddess of Revenge is a shelver, not a spinner.