ALBUM REVIEW: Nemesis – SkeleToon

Formed from the remnants of a HELLOWEEN tribute band, you can trace a clear lineage of power metal acts right through to SKELETOON. On their latest album Nemesis, there is a real sense of the late 90s and early 00s power metal movement never having come to an end, which proves both a blessing and a curse for the Italian outfit.

SKELETOON have clearly absorbed everything power metal had to offer in its prime and do a spellbinding job of channelling that energy in to creating something grin-inducingly over-the-top. Bolstered by strong musicianship, the highs on Nemesis are up there with some of the genre’s best – the bombastic crowd vocals of both Brighter Than 1000 Suns and Starseeker bring to mind GAMMA RAY’s top material, the blistering energy and ear-shattering wails of Follow Me Home feel like early EDGUY with a modern sheen and the epic balladry of Cold Is The Night could pass as one of HEAVENLY’s slower moments.

SKELETOON take the blueprints of these greats and inject some additional weight to their brand of music, further accentuating the lightning speed and machine gun barrage of guitars with cannons of double kick throughout. The record even closes with a suitably beefed up version of ANGRA’s Carry On, perfectly displaying the band’s more intense approach to the genre.

Where Nemesis falls down is in its steadfast dedication to these power metal traditions, creating an uneven second half of an album thanks to a few rather generic feeling numbers. Whilst nothing could be faulted of a track like Wake Up The Fire in isolation, it feels listless when you compare it to earlier material on the record. Similarly, obligatory metal celebration anthem The NerdMetal Superheroes crosses the line from charmingly upbeat over to nauseatingly twee, like an offcut of FREEDOM CALL. These are not bad songs per se, but they don’t live up to the exciting benchmark set by much of the rest of Nemesis.

Although steeped in tradition, it would be unfair to say that SKELETOON don’t bring anything original to the table either. The title track leans in to the more modern side of metal, driven along by heavy, dirgy guitar grooves and tight staccato rhythms. Moreover, its use of extreme vocals for verses provides an excellent offset to the more familiar, silky smooth tones of its chorus. Similarly, eight-minute epic Arcane Opera sees the band effortless journey through power metal fury, beautifully orchestrated cinematic atmospheres and IRON MAIDEN-esque twin leads with masterful skill.

In terms of performance, SKELETOON are a consistently formidable unit. Musically, their lightning fast speed and technical precision are outstanding. Andrea Cappellari and Davide Piletto’s duelling leads are a pure pleasure, whereas the rhythm section of drummer Henry Sidoti and bassist Jack Stiaccinni provide a thunderous and energetic foundation to every song. However, the biggest highlight of the record is the mix of vocal performances from both lead singer Tomi Fooler and a range of guests from the power metal scene. Will You Save All? is Nemesis‘ finest moment, thanks in no small part due to its stellar vocals. The devastatingly powerful high notes and warm tones are a dead ringer for Michael Kiske at times, with the song’s overall HELLOWEEN vibe further amplified by the majestic harmonised guitar leads in the solo. Despite the homage though, Will You Save All? manages to feel fresh and shows the band at their best – rousing and bursting with energy.

In many ways, Nemesis sees SKELETOON picking up the baton of power metal circa 2005 and running with it. As a result, the band have an incredible grip on what made the genre so infectious in the first place. Ironically, they also stumble at the same hurdles as their predecessors did, with parts of the album stagnating due to the similarity between tracks. Even during these dips though, SKELETOON’s sincerity and passion captures the sense of fun and glory that defined the sub-genre’s hey-day. For that alone, Nemesis is a must-listen for power metal diehards.

Rating: 8/10

Nemesis is out now via Scarlet Records.

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