Infernaeon - 'Genesis To Nemesis'

A not very well executed example of melodic death metal with annoying, unnecessary keyboards.

Genesis to Nemesis, is the second full-length from the melodic death metal outfit Infernaeon, from Ft. Lauderdale. Excepting the major, established bands in the genre, not too many bands are playing melodic death metal anymore, particularly newer bands looking to forge new ground in a genre that has faced much criticism over the last few years.

Genesis to Nemesis has many weaknesses and only a few strengths. First, the symphonic keyboards are too prominent in the mix and are given an overbearing presence. Rather than giving the music a sense of grandeur or subtle emphasis, I found the keyboards to be out of place and in competition with the guitars. This sense of competition gives the music a disjointed feel, almost as if Infernaeon are unsure if the music should be brutal or melodic.

Second, melodic death metal is never going to pummel the listener into submission with riffs and speed; therefore, really good songwriting is necessary for an album to succeed in the genre. Unfortunately, due to the schizophrenic nature of Genesis to Nemesis, the songwriting, as a whole is not enough to hold up the album.

That said, Genesis to Nemesis has some good riffs, plenty of variation in tempo, and melodies introduced with guitar solos. All of these features of the music work fairly well, probably enough such that a good album seems to be tantalizingly within grasp.

Ultimately, I find myself to be disappointed by Genesis to Nemesis by Infernaeon. I applaud the band for attempting an album in a difficult genre, but Genesis to Nemesis falls flat.

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