''Nemesis'' is the fourteenth studio album by

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

band

Stratovarius Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1985. Since their formation, they have released sixteen studio albums, five DVDs and six live albums. In its history, the band has gone through many chaotic lineup changes, and after fo ...

, released on 22 February 2013 through

Edel AG Edel SE & Co. KGaA is a German independent media company based in Hamburg. As a label and publishing group, it also operates marketing and sales for artists and smaller music labels. The repertoire of the Edel labels includes dance, rock and po ...

. It is the first Stratovarius album to feature new drummer Rolf Pilve, who replaced

Jörg Michael Jörg Michael (born 27 March 1963) is a German drummer who is known for playing with numerous groups, including the power metal band Stratovarius, with whom he played from 1995 to 2011. He has also been a member of Mekong Delta, Rage, and many ...

in 2012. The album was first announced on the band's official website on 24 November 2012, with the track listing being revealed on 5 December 2012. ''Nemesis'' reached No. 3 on the

Finnish albums chart The Official Finnish Charts ( fi, Suomen virallinen lista; sv, Finlands officiella lista) are national record charts in Finland compiled and published by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. The name ''Suomen virallinen lista/Finlands officiell ...

. A preview of "Unbreakable", the album's first single, was made available on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

and was released on 25 January 2013."Stratovarius Reveal Album Cover & First Song "Unbreakable""
stratovarius.com. 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2012-12-06.

Background and recording

Former

Sonata Arctica Sonata Arctica is a Finnish power metal band from the town of Kemi, Finland. Created as a hard rock band named Tricky Beans, they later changed to Tricky Means and finally to Sonata Arctica, when they shifted to power metal. The current lineup ...

guitarist

Jani Liimatainen Jani Allan Kristian Liimatainen (born 9 September 1980) is a Finnish musician, songwriter and backing vocalist, currently a member of melodic death metal band Insomnium. He is the former guitarist and one of the founding members of the power m ...

, who released the collaborative acoustic album ''

Blackoustic ''Blackoustic'' is a collaborative acoustic album by Stratovarius and Cain's Offering vocalist Timo Kotipelto and ex-Sonata Arctica and Cain's Offering guitarist Jani Liimatainen (credited as Kotipelto & Liimatainen). The album was released on O ...

'' in 2012 with singer

Timo Kotipelto Timo Antero Kotipelto (born 15 March 1969) is a Finnish musician best known as the lead singer of the power metal band Stratovarius, whom he joined in 1994, as well as fronting his own band Kotipelto. Biography He studied vocals at the pop/ja ...

, guest performs on ''Nemesis'', having also co-written two songs in "If the Story Is Over" and "Out of the Fog"."Stratovarius – Nemesis"
Black Wind Metal. 2013-01-14. Retrieved 2013-01-16. The band considered hiring an orchestra to perform in the album, but they abandoned the idea in the end. The name of the album came up when guitarist Matias was sitting on the airport of Madrid and suggested it to his bandmates. At that point, most of the lyrics were already done. The woman on the cover may be a savior, an avenger or the author of all the destruction, according to Jens.

Track listing

Chart performance

Finland #3, Czech Republic #12, Billboard Heatseekers #16, Japan #17, Switzerland #30, Spain #32, Germany #41, Sweden #44, France #56, Norway #56, Austria #62, Canada #126

Critical reception

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

'' named its cover as the most ridiculous metal album cover of 2013.

Personnel

Stratovarius

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Matias Kupiainen –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, mixing,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

Jens Johansson Jens Ola Johansson (born 2 November 1963 in Stockholm) is a Swedish keyboardist and pianist who currently plays in the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius and Ritchie Blackmore's rock project Rainbow. He is notable for his high-speed neoclas ...

–

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

*Rolf Pilve –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Lauri Porra Lauri Porra (born 13 December 1977) is a Finnish bass guitarist and a composer who has written scores for films and other media, as well as commissions from orchestras such as the Lahti Symphony and the Finnish Radio Symphony. He is also known fo ...

– bass

Guest musicians

–

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...

*Joakin Jokela –

whistling Whistling without the use of an artificial whistle is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. The a ...

*background vocals by the "Shark Finns" – Susana Koski, Anna Maria Parkkinen, Anna-Maija Jalkenen, Alexa Leroux, Tipe Johnson, Hepa Waara, Ari Sievälä, James Lascelles, Dane Stefaniuk,

Koop Arponen Koop Juho Alexander Arponen (born 20 April 1984 in Lappeenranta, Finland) is a Finnish singer and the winner of the fourth series of the '' Idols'' in 2008. Biography Koop Arponen was born in Lappeenranta, Eastern Finland to a Finnish father and ...

Production

*Mika Jussila – mastering *Perttu Vänskä – production assistance *Kalle Keski-Orvola – production assistance *Paavo Kurkela – production assistance *Gyula Havancsák –

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...

*Sander Nebeling – layout and package coordination "Nemesis Liner Notes"
2013-02-13. Retrieved 2013-02-17.

References

{{Authority control Stratovarius albums Edel Music albums 2013 albums