November 25, 2011........ a day I will never forget as long as I live. This was the day that I went to the mailbox and opened it to find my copy of Nemesea, The Quiet Resistance. Little did I know that my life was getting ready to be changed forever. As I opened the jewel case to pop this album in my computer, thoughts of little expectation popped in my head because I was not familiar with the band, so I did not know what to expect. I knew my friend, Charlotte Wessels of Delain, was a guest vocalist on one song so I, in good faith decided to give Nemesea a chance. From the first song, which is this very cool intro piece that is the title track for the album, caught my attention quickly. It is filled with very cool loops and guitar riffs and a taunting phrase.

Then "Caught in the Middle" came on and all I could think was OMG!!!!! From the first opening riff and then the beautiful keyboards to the angel voice of the lovely Manda Ophuis, I was hooked. The album seems to have an overall theme of coming to the end of different life situations, be it a romance or the loss of a friend or family member. These songs can be adapted to anyone’s life at any given point. It is one of those albums that will make you remember what you were doing and how you felt the moment you first heard the songs, and you will be teleported back to that exact time every time you hear it. It’s just that good of an album. Musically it is very well written and forges great rock guitar riffs with cleverly placed industrial style loops to give it an overall very modern sound which may not be to everyone’s tastes.

Some of the noteworthy songs on this album are "Caught In the Middle" which deals with the subject of feeling alone against the world and the feeling of being trapped and desperate and trying to find where we fit in the world that is so overwhelming and longing to find the answers and to have peace of mind and to be happy with ourselves. Then, towards the end of the song, a glimmer of hope is found and the longing to find answers is realized as the answers are right in front you. Musically, this song starts off with a quarter note riff that is straight from the popular Beatles formula of simple is good but some may think this has been overdone. I personally think it is very effective and note worthy. Nemesea played it safe in the construction of this song which is not a bad thing as it is done well. Sometimes simple is good and one just needs a song to rock to.

"Afterlife" was the first single from The Quiet Resistance and was a worthy pick for such an honor. This song could have many interpretations, depending on what it means to the listener and what they want it to mean to them. I asked Manda about her lyrics and what they meant, and she was quick to tell me that she does not talk about her lyrics or what she wrote them about because she wants and loves to hear from the fans what the songs mean to them. She feels that if she were to tell us what they were about, then that would take away from our on personal meanings. So to me, this song is about coming to the end of a romance and still remaining friends. HJ has another cool opening guitar riff on this one and more well established hooks and musical tricks are used. Nothing fancy here but it is a good commercial rock song that is approached flawlessly.

"If You Could" ...............tear jerker. This song slows down the pace of the album and this is one of the songs that really gets me choked up when I hear it. I adapted the lyrics to be about the loss of a parent to death. The tone of the lyrics is that of wanting to say things that you didn’t have a chance to say and to feel the embrace of the lost parent one last time. Songs like this set Nemesea apart from any other band out there. The sad piano and lonely string parts really tug at the ole ticker.

"High Enough" is a wonderful song featuring the lovely Charlotte Wessels of Delain as a guest. Charlotte and Manda’s voice blend so well together that I hope that this is not the last time we hear them sing together. This song talks about looking to reach the next step and living up to promises. And inevitably falling short in those promises. So are you starting to see this theme I was talking about? One of the better songs on the album, it using a good mix of Dutch musical signatures and will make all of the Delain fans out there very happy indeed.

"It’s Over" is another song that includes guest vocalists, but this time Nemesea brings aboard two wonderful chaps in Matt Litwin and Marcus Klavan of BulletProof Messenger . It seems the trend is to include a song like this in albums since the success of Evanescense’s "Bring Me to Life," and it has become a calling card of the goth metal genre. Nemesea’s offering in this style of song is one of the better ones out there. There is a great mix between the vocal styles and overall sound. But I am not a big fan of this style of song because most of the time they are too cliché. This kind of song is to goth metal what the ballad was to hair metal. You may remember Within Temptation’s "What have you Done Now." Let’s just hope this trend has seen its better days.

"Rush" has that industrial feel in the spirit of such bands as NINE INCH NAILS and it was a very pleasant surprise for me when I first heard it. That is one thing that I love about Nemesea in that they do not limit themselves to just one particular style of metal. Their attempt in this style is a very fitting thing for Manda’s vocals. I believe this woman could pull off any style of music if given the chance. I say "BRAVO, Nemesea."

Now we come to my most favorite song on the whole entire album, "Release Me." This song leaves me utterly speechless in its overall prowess. I love the intense build up throughout the entire song to this thunderous plea to RELEASE ME!!!!!!!! This is one of those songs that you sing when you are fed up with your life and you want to break plates. It is a simple song with a "rap" for the verses, and I use that term very loosely but it is very effective and I can not describe the build up right before the guitar solo but WOW that part really gets me to the very core of my existence. What an awesome song in its simplicity. YOU GOT IT RIGHT NEMESEA!!!!!!

"2012" is an apocalyptic instrumental dubbed with a Stephen Hawking style voice warning listeners of the end of the world. It was a very interesting addition to the album, and it just goes to prove that Nemesea was looking out for all those Zombie dancing fools out there. Music to die to.

"Allein" is a salute to Rammstein, and Nemesea even went as far as to employ the talents of Heli Reissenweber who is the vocalist of Rammstein cover band, Stahlzeit and also wrote German lyrics for the song. One of the heavier songs on the album by far. If you are a Rammstein fan then you will be very impressed.

Overall, The Quiet Resistance is an instant classic and a must have for your CD collection. It is very well written musically and lyrically and is produced flawlessly. Now Nemesea joins the ranks of the elite Dutch bands of history. I give The Quiet Resistance a 9 out of 10 because it was my favorite album of 2011 and, despite some flaws, touched me deeply.

9 / 10