Most albums fit the usual genre boxes quite nicely and even when they don’t, a slash mark usually does the trick well enough for the listener to get a feeling for what to expect. Nemesis & Nativity is a rare case where this does not apply. While the genre tags you see above all do apply and do represent the album sufficiently, there is no real way the twists and turns the album takes could be anticipated. This is especially noteworthy as most Gothic acts have settled into the sonic clichés especially hard at this point. The opening alone combines MENA style harmony with chorus lead guitars and chanting talk-singing – all of this serving a hypnotic, fluid build. While each individual track on the album is similarly focused on building steadily in momentum and intensity, the tracks are so diverse between them that the album could run the risk of becoming too fragmented. Somehow, even though the album includes Post-rock, Sludge, Gothic Americana and Drone sections, it pertains a sense of narrative throughout it. Even though tracks end, there is few opportunities to opt out of the album – you would not want to, anyway.
The element tying it all together is the vocalist. The gravelly yet smooth vocals he adds to the album recall Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen and Lou Reed to equal amounts. There is a sense of tension to it, as it is rough, weathered and probably sounds older than the singer is – positively ancient, in some ways. Yet, the gentle character of it, relaxing like the purr of a cat, makes it sit perfectly atop the music. Almost as if the vocalist is a mythical storyteller guiding us through the music. This mythical feeling is likely intentional, considering how the lyrical themes harken back to Greek mythology, from what I understand.
