The Equinox Ov The Gods - Nemesis

I somehow lucked out in my weird and random hunts for new and amazing metal albums when I found this bands album Images of Forgotten Memories on the Shadow Kingdom website last summer and continually find myself gravitating toward it frequently. This band is one of those that cannot be easily pegged as being anything but themselves being equal parts symphonic metal, doom, melodic metal, and just heavy and atmospheric, maybe throw some non-cheesy folk metal/pagan influence in as well and you get somewhere close to their sound.

Why they are a bit obscure is hard to say, then again why do bands like Manilla Road, Stygian Shore, and Enchanter only get notoriety by those few of us that actually have discerningly good taste in heavy tunes? The only reason that I’m reviewing this one is that this two-track single is the most recent in their catalog, but everything that they have done so far to date is as epic and intense and worthy of recognition. Armed with non-cliché poetic lyrics, crisp and memorable melodies, some symphonic and prog notes, and shredding metallic mayhem this Swedish battalion comes at you “hard and fast” (as said by the great Cirith Ungol in “100mph”) and stays true to its metal roots while proving that pagan and symphonic metal can still steadily swing a battle axe and sever your head in a fraction of a second.

I lucked out and Frederik Wallin got back to my email recently to do an interview and sent me some of their back catalog to review and enjoy. I’ll be ordering those form them very soon for sure and as always want to give my humble thanks to those who are humble and yet so talented in themselves, as are these folks and many of you out there. So check into this band, find out where to get some of their releases (Frederik even said they were a bit hard to track down) or ask me and I’ll see about hooking folks up as I always find out how to get stuff “officially” and for a good price, and support good metal and music, without it many if not all of us reading this would be lost and better off dead. This band gives a refreshing reincarnation and much needed update to the idea and sound of “epic”, so don’t expect Blind Guardian theatrics here, this shouldn’t induce vomiting for too many of you.