Band:	Nemesea
Album:	Mana
Style:	Symphonic gothic metal
Release date:	2004

01. Nemesis
02. Threefold Law
03. Empress
04. Angel In The Dark
05. Mortalitas:
    1 - The Taker
    2 - Dies Irae
    3 - Moriendum Tibi Est
    4 - From Beneath You It Devours
06. Lucifer
07. Disclosure
08. Beyond Evil
09. Cry

Damn, every time Ebony Tears releases a record is something to be surprised, this label that started as a sub-label of Cold Blood Industries, is now the main label leaving CBI to a sub-label, and no wonder, each release is better than the other.

This time we have Nemesea debut, a band that may sound unknown to you, but not in Holland, since they toured intensely with After Forever there. Their debut album "Mana" is a piece of art, from the cover art and the booklet which is simply astonishing, each design in the booklet could have been a cover art for any other album, but these guys decided to give us all the beautiful designs in just one booklet (designed by Caretaker Creations).

The most impressive thing of this release is the beautiful voice of Manda Ophuis, her voice is just something out of this world, I can even dare to say that I prefer hers than Floor Jansen's from After Forever. The band relies on heavy symphonic elements to create the perfect atmosphere that their music needs, some choirs can be found also, but not too much, and is a good thing, because the use of choirs are a little overused these days.

From the videogame-like intro "Nemesis" you know there's something good for you in there, then "Threefold Law" kicks in with excellent symphonic arrangements, "Empress" mixes aggression and classical arrangements, while the best song to enjoy Manda's voice is the ballad "Angel In The Dark".

There's a 4 part song called "Mortalitas" where instrumental piece "Moriendum Tibi Est" stands out with its progressive songwriting. "Lucifer" bears more aggression for those who thought the album lacked a touch of action, closer track "Cry" is a song that reminded me some New Age acts like Era among others.

Nemesea is really the best thing that has come from the Netherlands since After Forever, for those of you thinking that they're a clone of the after mentioned band, you can't be more wrong, while they clearly dwell in the same genre, the music of Nemesea is more dreamy, without sounding soft. Truly a surprise and a must have for all fans of female vocals and Gothic Metal.