Sickened by the inescapable shadow-self and the nauseating lullaby which stabs unrepentant at the back of the skull, goring the holes that bleed deeper per the pierce of its call, the wounded terror and fading senses expressed on this debut full-length album from Haugesund, Norway-based surrealistic black metal project Nemesis spell out our protagonist’s acceptance of death, a miserable storm of centering thought as doom casts its curse aloud. ‘Nemesis‘ is the spiral of the drain, a descent which begins with chaos and looms aghast as the path downward only becomes more treacherous. Heady, modestly achieved and obscurant as it may prove upon introduction this impressive solo acts first strike is one to immerse into doom before setting the mind horrified, sickened with dread and back again.

Thought he is best known as the bassist for doom metal/heavy rock group Dunbarrow rogalending S.B.E. had been demoing and developing some of the ideas included on ‘Nemesis‘ as early as 2008, though it wouldn’t be until 2018/2019 that Nemesis would be set to tape and given to public consumption. The first demo tape (‘Demo .​:​.‘, 2019) from the fellowe had me thinking this debut might take more of a black/doom metal lean per its slower Werian-esque dirges and coldest dissonance on pieces like “Succumb” but that’d been just one facet to explore on the way there and not necessarily the dominant feature of his compositions. If I had to put my finger on the intent of the artist’s work it is to explore the sensation of hypnotic fixation, cold vexation and a certain gloom-ridden dread that permeates not only the atmosphere of their recordings but emphasizes experimental notions of rhythmic movement.

One moment of patience, a thousand curses upon the mind. — This alchemical, thickly atmospheric feeling is served freshly chaotic as we step into opener “A Bleeding World” with motoric black metal drumming splashing its (likely programmed) black waters beneath the ringing and rambling weave of at least four or so guitar layers, some set to ring out and others to cut inward. The cymbal patternation and slow-skanked beat creates a nauseous delirium for the first ~four and a half minutes before the song begins to tunnel in and I suppose it’d caught me quick that this was a decidedly subtle and eerie start to an album. A seven minute ulcer-gripping churn of a piece with variously hissing voices calling from the rafters had been baffling as a first foot forward and for a second Nemesis‘d come across like a not-yet bold enough bedroom black metal project that’d had a bit of help with the render.

Where we ultimately find compensation for this vexing start comes with the more demo-era related scourge-and-drift of “Rite of Fire”, a more direct shot to the hypnotic verve and dreariness of Nemesis‘ earlier work which also feeds into the dissonant black metal curve which sparks in interest throughout the full listen beyond. Here ghostly vocal forms arise twofold, the bones of the composition feels just as focused on psychedelic doom torpor as they do Icelandic disso-black fusion and the creep of this record begins to make sense in contextual continuation of the project’s earlier thread; Where the escalator engages and the reverberation of the abysm below growls with hunger “In Total Torment” calls back, the most engaging piece on the album for my own taste which speaks to the black/doom metal lurch in hand to start ’til ~3:24 minutes in when the sandblasting begins and the scowling, distant vocals remain howling a half-mile in the distance, like an unseen rabid predator in the glow of the evening. Though the artificial feeling of those blasted-at sections cut away at the immersive value of the song ~5:13 and onward in this particular piece yields the first of a few moments where a sort of post-punkish bassline begins to creep in as the guitars rake in a wall of what’d sounded to me like some sort of demented dimensional take on ‘Fire Dances‘-era Killing Joke. Even if the opener hadn’t compelled the two pieces beyond that point revealed the grotesque inner-workings of ‘Nemesis‘ to an intense degree.

Nemesis‘ best trait expressed here is death-like obsession, a black mirror’d hypnose which is much more psychedelic in motion than it is at face value when analyzed note-for-note and soaked in as an experience. The growling, distant and obscurant vocals don’t necessarily help or hinder that sensation but create a bit of a noxious veil upon the full listen. “Death’s Lullaby” is probably the most heady of the six songs on the album overall and near perfectly stated if not for the excessive rush given to its final third and that’d be the only major point of criticism I’d had for the full listen (beyond needing more engaging/unique vocals), some of these songs could’ve been edited of their run-on moments and given greater impact for completing a thought without a shift in pacing or a rush out of scene. The ~10 minute closer “Casting a Shadow” is arguably an example where the rush away from a steadier droning, rock-kicked movement can feature some manner of resolve given time to shape within the drift beyond but only because the mid-to-slow paced dirge that’d kicked off the song developed in such a natural way. That final piece likewise features some of my favorite basslines on the record, a strength that should be more heavily highlighted in the future.

After a few extended sessions with ‘Nemesis‘ set on repeat its glowing guts were revealed, the ritual above the chasm observed and overall Nemesis‘ debut LP was a successful delivery upon the most promising, surrealistic traits of their demo tape that’d found numerous cleverly-set points of interest within that realm. I’m stuck between two thoughts simultaneously in the sense that I’d like to consider this debut as promising of where the possibilities lie ahead in the future but also entranced by the homebrewed avant-dark ritual of this record in the here and now. Ultimately the drumming could use a human touch, the vocals more precision, and a few compositions could be tightened up but these are normal points of growth to look forward to when the material manages to be this hypnotic up front. I’m left not necessarily gushing nor tentative but mystified. A high recommendation.

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