(Progressive/ Dark Power Metal) Arch Nemesis - Of Mind And Fantasy - 2004, WavPack (image+.cue), lossless

The second full length album from Arch Nemesis, Of Mind and Fantasy, is a haunting, hard-charging juggernaut of a disk that displays the dynamic sounds of Medieval Metal with a flair for the unexpected.

Beginning with the opening track ,“Before the Shadows Came,” we are set upon the epic tales of folklore that one would expect from these Old World Europeans. The song starts with a great staccato guitar riff and vocal melody that develops into a strong melodic verse and then into the larger than life chorus. Lead vocalist Niclas Thomsen creates a sense of drama with his operatic styling and then really gives the song some texture by adding some crunching Death Metal growls within the song. This tale of heroes and villains plays out like a good novel; starting with a build up and then a sense of climatic suspense and finally the epilogue.

Following suit, songs like “Dream,” ”Master of Darkness,” and “Northern Lights” are strong Power Metal tunes rooted in Classic Metal themes. These songs are thick with riffing guitars, shredding solos, and thundering drums, all the while Niclas’s vocals are sweeping and screeching throughout. Together, they create a dark crescendo of trepidation.

But what really creates a sense of depth to the disk are songs like “Hunger and the Darkness,” which starts slow and gravelly, reminiscent of early Savatage, and the very beautiful “Little Child,” which captures a dreamy Enya-meets-Evanesence kind of sound. With all of the thrash and speed riffs, these slower numbers really stand out; not only because of the tempo change, but for the fact that the songs are so well done. They craft a real sense of dynamics and give the band a much broader sound. Adding guest vocalist “Silwer” also creates yet another dimension, as her vocals add even more texture and layering to the overall sound of the album.

It is albums like Of Mind and Fantasy that sneak into your normal play-list when you think you have heard it all before. At first glance, it's just another tale of the dark journey into woe set forth by another Power Metal band. Soon, though, you find the journey to be surprisingly new and full of fresh ideas with a strong presentation and attention to detail. Adding the second venture from Arch Nemesis to your collection could be a real strong choice for your most surprising CD of the year.

Though this album came out back in 2004 it was pretty much impossible to get in the US unless you wanted to import it personally (at a pretty price, no less). I passed on that, hoping it would eventually become available through a US-based mailorder distro. Finally The End Records got it and for a great price too, something like 12 bucks. Having heard only the title track (it’s available on the band’s website) I wasn’t quite sure what to expect other than dark power metal, which is pretty much what I got.

The music is power metal, but not like most standard power metal. In fact, at times it’s closer to traditional heavy metal. Whatever we decide to label it, the fact remains that it’s a fine album. Don’t expect any falsetto singing here – vocalist Nesmoht (yes, that’s how he spells it) possesses an operatic mid-range voice that fits the dark nature of these songs perfectly. He sounds a bit like Evergrey’s Tom Englund, if you’ve heard him. Actually, the music can also be said to sound a bit like earlier Evergrey mixed with power metal, though Arch Nemesis certainly has its own distinct style.

The album is pretty consistent all the way through, with the best songs perhaps being the first four. There’s a soft ballad tucked in there as well, and though it’s not terrible it really doesn’t do much for me either. We’ve got some long (7-8 minute) songs and some short ones too, so there is some variation. The last song is a redone version of a track from their debut, 2002’s “Shadows in the Mirror”. Nesmoht gives an exceptional performance that is more operatic than his work on Dimension F3H’s “Reaping the World Winds” (another great album, by the way). A couple songs feature some deep growls thrown into the mix; these are provided by Motvind from Dimension F3H. There are also some female vocals sprinkled about, though these are usually backing/multi-layered vocals and not leads. Drums, guitars, and bass are all handled very well though it is sometimes a bit hard to fully hear the bass. Keyboards are kept to a very non-annoying minimum, so no worries there.

Norway is not traditionally known for power metal bands (Highland Glory and…ummm…Gaia Epicus maybe? Surely I’m forgetting some…), but it is home to some great prog-power outfits like Pagan’s Mind. While Arch Nemesis isn’t quite in the same vein as Pagan’s Mind they are nonetheless both killer bands worthy of our time and money. For some reason, however, Pagan’s Mind are relatively very well-known while Arch Nemesis seem to dwell in obscurity, something I can’t quite figure out – it’s certainly not because Arch Nemesis are no good. On the contrary, “Of Mind and Fantasy” comes highly recommended to fans of darker heavy/power metal. Perhaps someday these Norwegians will get the publicity they so rightfully deserve.

Niclas "Nesmoth" Thomsen: vocals/guitars
Jesper "Jaz" Thomsen: keyboards
Hjaran "Pukk" Berg: drums
Andre "Chain" Trevland: bass