Bring up the topic of German metal, and most people will mention RAMMSTEIN, or at a stretch, DIE TOTEN HOSEN. However, many don’t realise the strong metalcore scene Deutschland boasts, counting among them HEAVEN SHALL BURN, NAEREA, MAROON and this lot, CALIBAN. This is now their ninth record, nine eras that have seen them go from xedgex heroes supporting the likes of CRO-MAGS to being at the forefront of a metal scene you may have seen invading a festival such as Wacken, amongst their arguably more recognisable Scandinavian brethren.
‘I Am Nemesis’ is a good summary of the state of European metalcore/melodic death metal in 2012 – caught somewhere between BRING ME THE HORIZON’s niche of “let’s do the cliches so bloody well that nobody notices we’re doing them” and IN FLAMES’ approach of “We’re so old and such massive legends we’ll be forgiven for falling back on a cliche or two”.
Soundwise, it’s their best effort, with some crisp production work setting it apart from its chronological and thematic predecessor, 2009’s ‘Say Hello To Tragedy’. This, too, is a far more consistent and coherent album than the last messy effort, it benefits from taking a far darker direction: ‘The Edge Of Black’, for instance, a personal album highlight, sounding like hostility personified, Andreas Dorner’s screamed vocals come snarling out of your speakers.
Then, of course, come those clichés – there’s little that sets one song apart from another – mosh-friendly breakdowns give way to clean vocals which give over to a screamed verse over a technical riff ad infinitum, and you might even find yourself reaching for an EMMURE record for a bit of originality.
It’s a shame for these chaps so long in the tooth – this is the best record they’ve made in years, and makes for a (T)empestous listen (boom boom). The ideas are all there, it’s just there’s very little to set them apart from bigger bands of their oeuvre, which has been the case for the majority of their career thus far. A bit of invention in terms of structure and less of those godawful clean vocals and they might be onto something, but for now though, this can’t be recommended much beyond being a nice momentary distraction, warm beer in hand, at the Camden Underworld on a windy Tuesday night.
OLLIE CONNORS