Nevermore - Enemies of Reality

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Free Music Notes for Enemies of Reality

Free Music Review: Open wide...
Hit: 5 Stars

Jeff Loomis' guitar skills have never created such onslaught, and his solos always dazzle with electrifying power. There are some gigantic, epic-feeling riffs here, especially during the choruses of the title track and "Seed Awakening." His signature thrash-based crunches are bountiful; perhaps the best of these is on "I, Voyager," which has an intro that is simply SICK. However, Loomis hasn't lost his melodic touch or sense of harmony (like the cruising flow of the intro/verses to "Tomorrow Turned Into Yesterday," the choruses of which perfectly contrast the lighter moments with a perfect surge). For some of his more acoustic-based work, just listen to the power ballad "Who Decides." He also incorporates some interesting effects into the mix, including a sort of treble effect on a couple of notes in "Seed Awakening," making a very eerie sort of atmosphere that always manages to send a chill down my spine.

Jim Sheppard's bass rhythms, as usual, are fairly complex and ultra-tight with both the riffs and drumming. His shining moments are during some of the absolute heaviest moments of several songs, namely behind the sledgehammer riffs of "Create the Infinite," where the bass is heard just clearly enough to enhance the heaviness, and during the bridge, his rhythm can clearly be heard.

Van Williams is still jaw-dropping with his drumming abilities. After the quick fade-in effect at the beginning of the title track, he thrashes out with speed only rivaled by an octopus behind a set, thundering out percussions that resemble a tank rumbling over demolished ruins. A master of control, Williams has no problem in easing his strikes into melodic, lighter percussions that show just how expressive he can be (just listen to "Who Decides" for this - heavier than hell in the verses, and smooth as...um, polished metal in the choruses).

Warrel Dane's vocals, as usual, are top-notch. Furious growls, evil-sounding chants, anguished howls - all his talents are here, not greatly deviating from his usual performance, which is perhaps the only low point of the band's performance on this album. His lyrics are even more cryptic and mystifying than usual, yet are still obviously of a darker nature. Some lyrics are repeated on several songs, like mentions of "enemies of reality" in the trippy, spaced-out "Noumenon," which also mentions "there is no drug stronger than reality," a theme in the chorus of the closing track, the unforgettable "Seed Awakening."

Finally, longtime Nevermore collaborator Travis Smith has again done the artwork for this album, creating some of his most beautiful and creepy images yet. The cover disgusts many people, but it goes hand-in-hand with both the general vibe(s) of the album, as well as the title track, which includes the line "Open wide and eat the worms of the enemy." There's even a picture of a broken metal spoon, in the bowl of which sits a pile of worms. With "Ambivalent" is an image of a shadowy hand, surrounded by clouds, and a blackened form (very similar to the cover image in shape) eclipses faint yellow-orange light coming from the palm, illustrating the line, "The sun in my hand becomes my despair." Very cool stuff.

And that's it...while this album is not much of a departure from Nevermore's usual bag of tricks, it is certainly one of their heaviest performances, and simply killer. Arguably the best metal album of 2003, and certainly one of the best metal albums, ever.

Oh, and don't think I didn't notice, the production IS simply atrocious. Kelly Gray, the longtime producer of many bands that usually does a splendid job, must have really managed to screw up here. There is a galling hiss that bogs down the entire mix, making a very muddy sound. This album is in dire need of a remaster. However, unlike most people, I didn't let the production ruin the album for me, and hopefully, you won't, either.

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