guest vocalist on
‘NEMESIS’
brand new song by Genus Ordinis Dei
After releasing Ode To The Dark last October, produced by Marco Coti Zelati of Lacuna Coil, the american alternative metal artist Melissa VanFleet collaborates as guest vocalist with the italian symphonic death metal quartet Genus Ordinis Dei, fresh off the tour with Evergrey, on their brand new single NEMESIS, out now through Eclipse Records.
The music video, directed by Steve Saints, is out NOW.
Watch “NEMESIS” here
NEMESIS was produced by Tommaso Monticelli at Sonitus Studios and is avalaible now at all major digital retailers. Stream it here.
“When Genus Ordinis Dei approached me about singing on Nemesis, I was curious to see how my ethereal style would blend with their death metal sound. The passion that pours out of their music is contagious and I’m proud to have contributed my voice to this track!” says Melissa. “It was an absolute pleasure to work with Melissa on this song,” Genus Ordinis Dei vocalist Nick Key added, “the contrast between our voices create a very deep atmosphere and it feels great… she’s perfect for it!”
About Melissa VanFleet: a vocalist and musician who crafts dark songs with haunting melodies and intense messages, Melissa VanFleet brings a true singer/songwriter element to alternative metal music. She has powerfully and effectively established her own unique sound by presenting her signature vocal prowess at the forefront while incorporating her classical and orchestral influences with heavy, melancholic undertones.
Follow her on:
Official Website – Facebook – Spotify – Youtube – Instagram – Twitter
Stream her last EP ‘Ode To The Dark’ here
Follow Genus Ordinis Dei on:
Official Website – Facebook – Spotify – Youtube – Instagram – Twitter
Stream their last LP ‘Great Olden Dynasty’ here
NEMESIS already the following placements so far:
SPOTIFY – New Metal Tracks
DEEZER – Metal New Releases
Nemesis Alpha (US) Melodic Death Metal
Nemesis Alpha was officially formed as a one-man band, with Rudy Leal writing and recording all music, and Bjorn “Speed” Strid (Soilwork) contributing on vocals. The self-titled debut album was a collection of songs that Rudy had accumulated between the numerous deployments as active duty military. Shortly following the debut album release, Joseph Church and Marcos Leal (Shattered Sun, Ill Nino) were added to the roster on guitar and additional vocals.
Technical heaviness combined with melodic guitar work similar to that of Soilwork, Darkest Hour, and In Flames create the dynamic combination that drives the music’s unique sound. Bjorn “Speed” Strid contributes his signature screaming and pristine melodic hooks and Marcos Leal adds his incredible vocal range, making for an undeniably heavy onslaught of catchy, yet incredibly diverse tracks.
Nemesis Alpha have just finished work on the latest album Eternal Machines which will be released worldwide later in the year via Sliptrick Records and once again features tremendous vocal contributions from Bjorn and Marcos adding shade to the devilish structures created by Rudy and Joseph.
Nemesis Alpha are:
Rudy Leal – Guitar/Bass/Drums/Keys/Vocals | Joseph Church – Guitars/Keys
Band links: Official Website | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | On Sliptrick
Find our albums on Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, Apple music etc.
Music recorded, mixed & mastered by: Nicklas Sonne http://www.nicklassonne.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/defectoband/
Homepage: http://www.defecto.dk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/defecto_off…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/defectoband/
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PoM: Here’s a chance for you to tell our readers about your new album “Nemesis”. But could you please start off by introducing the readers to the band and give a short version of the biography?
Defecto: DEFECTO was formed in 2011 in suburban Copenhagen when frontman Nicklas Sonne was approached by the legendary producer Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica, Blind Guardian), who wanted to help Sonne record and release his material. They contacted childhood friend and lead guitarist, Frederik Møller, as well as bass-player Thomas Bartholin and drummer Lars Jensen in order to create a band that could match Sonne’s unique potential.
Already from the beginning, DEFECTO’s brand of melodic and virtuoso metal created a buzz in the Danish metal scene when they released their debut LP “Defecto” in 2011. Their debut full-length “Excluded” was released in march 2016 was met with much attention and appraisal throughout the European metal scene, and lead to concerts with huge names such as Metallica and Rammstein. DEFECTO has just released their sophomore album “NEMESIS” in 2017, yet another step into proving their massive potential. 2018 will among other things bring a tour throughout Europe with Persefone.
PoM: And now onto “Nemesis”… track-by-track, what inspired you, what topics are you dealing with, what do you want to express with this song etc.
01. The Final Night Of Silence
(Sonne): Is about the final night before the inner war within one self begins.
02. Nemesis
(Sonne): Nemesis is about starting the fight with your inner demon. Trying to sneak past its guardians of the night and into its core where it has hidden your true identity and where it’s feeding on your soul.
03. Endlessly Falling
(Sonne): is about the feeling of falling down into darkness without it ever stopping. You’re feeling helpless again and again, running in circles and feeling that things are never gonna get any better.
04. Savage
(Sonne): this is about a complete psycho person, a hitman almost, like a “clean up guy” that comes to take care of things once they’re outta your own hands. Although it’s very direct, it’s very deep, and everything is metaphorically speaking and is actually about slaying your own demons.
05. The Nameless Apparition
(Sonne): this is a song about a broken heart and that you’ve reached a point where you can finally see above the scars, and knows that you’re on a path for the better.
06. The Sacrificed
(Sonne): this is a kinda prequel text from The Nameless Apparition. It’s about praying for a specific person to come back, being there for you and shedding light on your path. Hoping that the this person will see clearly and love you back again.
07. Ode To The Damned
(Frederik): Ode to the damned was written mainly with a certain atmosphere in mind – a sort of gloomy, ominous feeling that I had when I wrote the intro acoustic riff. Later it merged into a more metaphoric way of addressing our inner demons. Everyone has a dark side – and depending on how you act, you can either fight it or release it. The main musical inspiration came from the soundtrack to a PC classic – Diablo 1!
08. Gravity
(Sonne): Gravity is about trying your best to hold your feet on the ground when things are getting out of hand emotionally. “gravity hold on to me again” like, don’t let me float in to space, help me hold me down.
09. Ablaze
(Frederik): A lyric dealing with the end of a relationship; the confliction emotions where both longing and aversion towards the other part can lead you to act and think in ways you hadn’t thought you were capable of – both good and bad. Musically, the song was mainly inspired by Pendulum.
10. Before The Veil
(Frederik): Lyrically, this song relates to extremism with regard to faith and how communities of believers acting according to ancient doctrines and ideologies can lead to hate and violence. Musically, it was at least in part inspired by Amaranthe.
11. We’re All The Enemy
(Sonne): This is the first political song I’ve ever written. This is basically a song about that we’re all the enemy in a warzone. No one’s innocent, and no one’s holy. At one side they’re the enemy, on the other side another one’s the enemy. It’s more specific dedicated to the soldiers who think they’re fucking tough guys, coming down to the war and thinks they’re world heroes but in the end as misunderstood what they’re actually for. To the psychos of war you can say.
12. Ascend To Heaven
(Sonne): a song about feeling so much pain that it feels like your dying. About depression.
PoM: Could you please tell us a bit about the artwork – who made it etc. and how important do you feel it is to have a cool artwork?
Defecto: The artwork was made to match the overall theme of “the enemy inside” that were used as a flexible guideline for the lyrics and atmosphere of the album. It was created by a guy from Malaysia called Julian Aguilar Faylona. You can find him online here: http://www.elementj21.com/
Naturally, we try our best to create awesome artwork that inspires us and makes sense within the larger context – which we also feel that we did with this album.
PoM: Who and what has inspired you musically on this album?
Defecto: Many different artists, without a doubt. Just to name a few: Metallica, Symphony X, Adagio, Alice Cooper, Karnivool, Pendulum, Malrun.
PoM: Is there any song that means something special for you on the album?
Defecto: Perhaps most obvious is the title song, Nemesis, which we just feel is a really strong song that shows off many aspects of who we are. Also Endlessly Falling – simply a bangin’ song from start to finish.
PoM: What’s the biggest difference between your debut album Excluded and this release?
Defecto: Apart from being somewhat darker in atmosphere, Nemesis definitely has wider range of musical expressions being utilized, meaning that the album overall is a little more experimental. At the same time, the album contains a few of the “easiest” songs we’ve written, so it’s a good mix between progressive and sing-along.
PoM: This is your second release on the progressive metal scene under the banner of Defecto! It has already received rave reviews from the critics – powerofmetal.dk included 
. What are your own feelings on the positive reactions?
Defecto: We are extremely happy that the album has been received so well. It’s impossible to make everybody happy, and neither do we strive to do this (knowing that it’s impossible), so as long as we are proud of our music, we are happy. It’s definitely not something we take for granted – but It’s a great bonus on top of producing a record that we really like ourselves.
PoM: You have already warmed up the stage for mighty Rammstein and Metallica, and kicked off Denmark’s biggest metal festival Copenhell once, who/what’s next on your list? Do you have any plans for any gigs or shows this year?
Defecto: Next up, Metallica warms up for us! Obviously. Apart from this this, the most important aspect of our plans in 2018 is the Europe tour with Persefone that we’re doing in March. This is an important step in order to conquer markets outside Denmark. Apart from this tour, we’re touring Denmark as well, and are hoping to go to either Germany or Japan in the fall. Finally, we do also have a festival gig or two, however we cannot disclose which for the time being.
PoM: I recall some changes in the lineup (Lars/vocals, Thomas/guitar, Frederik/bass, and Nicklas/d, when Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” was played out loud in the small venue High Voltage Copenhagen during your release show last year. It looked and sounded pretty fun, any chance the lineup will be used on future releases?
Defecto: It was a real fun experiment, and we thought it worked out pretty well for the two concerts where we did it, but these sorts of things have to come naturally. If we try to force them, or re-do them too many times, it becomes predictable and boring. As such, we cannot promise that it won’t happen again if we feel like it, but neither can we promise that it will happen for sure!
PoM: What have you been listening to in 2017, and what do you recommend for our fellow readers to give a try?
Defecto: A couple of suggestions: Beast in Black, Disperse, The Dear Hunter, Hans Zimmer, Max Richter, sy,hpony x, adagio, alter bridge, shinedown
PoM: Thank you very much for answering my questions. Any last words you want to round this interview off with?
Defecto: Thank you so much for letting us do this interview! Always a pleasure! And thanks to all the readers who made it this far – hope to see you at one of our concerts ?
Nemesis is the follow-up to the debut Excluded (read my review here) of Defecto, which have been turning the heads of fans and critics alike over the past year after it was released. Yes, the boys have been busy, very busy indeed. Not only writing a new album, but also touring all over the world (they are throwing the horns in Japan as we speak) and they most famous moment to date when they warmed up the stage for the bigger guns aka Metallica and Rammstein here in Denmark. Besides writing new music, and playing gigs with the Defecto machine, Niclas is spending his most precious time on various other Danish side projects like fronting the band Theory, Malrun, Evil Masquerade, and can also add producer, recording- mixing- mastering engineer & composer to his list of many skills. With other words he is a really busy musician and sought-after producer, but Defecto is still his top priority and it shows.
Sonne is still running the show on the front row with his versatile and powerful vocal performance and guitar shredding, and next to him we find his wingman Mr. cool himself Frederik Møller on guitar in the heavy-as-hell rhythm department Thomas Bartholin finger slaps his axe weapon while Lars Jensen beats up his heavy pounding drums. So no changes in the line-up since Defecto’s debut release last year. The quartet guides us through the dark musical landscape of Nemesis, and its unexplored waters never reached by the band before. The first thing that hits you is the beautiful and haunting painted artwork used as the front cover. It really grabs your eyes attention, and it’s hard to let go of again. The same goes for the 12 songs included on the album. Each one of them delivers something differently and unique to the overall listening experience, even though the album is using the same formula as its predecessor Excluded.
For those of you already familiar with the work of Defecto and have attended their gigs in the past, there will be no big eye opener with the opening song on the album. It’s an instrumental piece of art, used as entry melody for their ongoing live shows. It’s a beautiful orchestral song and the atmosphere surrounding it builds up the momentum for the following songs. The title track follows up quickly with a horror inspired intro before merging into a straightforward heavy metal meal spiced up heavenly by the fingers of Frederik Møller. The third track ‘Endlessly Falling’ is also an “old” song played occasionally during events also, with the warmup task for Rammstein becoming one of the most famous of them all. I still recall Sonne shouting out to the crowd RAMMSTEIN, RAMMSTEIN, RAMMSTEIN firing up the metalheads before the German Industrial metal machine came on stage. Another great song, a simple one, but yet very powerful. The 4th track ‘Savage’ is then next in line, a very different song compared to the other songs include. It sounds like something belonging to their countrymen Volbeat, very rockabilly and party sounding indeed. It’s also the first single & video of Nemesis, and follow’s in the same footstep as the crazy video ‘Sovereign’ from their previous album. It’s showcasing a different side of the band – not taking themselves too seriously. We will quickly move on to some of the highlights of the album. ‘The Sacrificed’ is the ballad of the album, and really demonstrates how talented Sonne is with his angelic and powerful voice. ‘Ode to The Damned’, another favorite of mine, introduces some Spanish guitar playing, before its heaviness will overwhelm you. From the middle section it really takes off. The clean and growling performance delivered by Sonne is taking it to another level, and the meaty riffs, thunderous drumming and groovy thick bass lines takes it even further. The real tour de force of the album is the song ‘Ablaze’, I simply can’t get the 80 synth vibes out of my head, it’s so addictive. So far, their best song available. I really dig it.
To sum up this album: The Defectos are back again big time with a worthy follow-up to their highly acclaimed debut, and with Nemesis they earn a standing ovation with another landmark in Progressive metal. Defecto has transformed into something bigger, better and more beautiful than one could have expected and hoped for. This is ridiculous good, so mission accomplished boys.
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