Album Review: Skarlet Envy – Nemesis
I think it’s safe to say that female-fronted rock and metal outfits are really starting to break out into the scene as of late and Skarlet Envy will be hoping they can follow suit with their unique blend of melodic metal. Releasing ‘Invidia’ back in 2019 to a decent amount of fanfare, Skarlet Envy will be hoping to make an even bigger splash with the release of their debut album ‘Nemesis’. Here is what I thought of it.
Kicking things off is ‘Personal Frakenstien’ and it opens up the album well with a plethora of rhythmic chord progressions and dominant percussion. The chorus of the song is simplistic and memorable which helps to make the song stand out and leave a good first impression which can really make and break a debut album. Following on from that is ‘Feel Alive’. A more upbeat number that gives off quite an old school metal vibe. I think this style works well for the band and the instrumental really compliments Skarlet’s vocal delivery. Nothing comes across as too overpowering and the songs natural progression makes it such an easy listen.
Slowing things down slightly now and ‘Believe Me’ is an ok track in my opinion. Its contrasting styles feel slightly forced while the flow of the song takes a bit of a hit at times which makes the song just kinda pass by without leaving much of an impression. It’s not a bad song by any standards however it does feel like it’s below the standard of what’s come before it. Thankfully, Title track ‘Nemesis’ pics up the slack and this has to be one of the stand out tracks on the album. Everything from its methodical pacing to the way the drumming and guitar parts melt together as the song goes on makes this song such a blast to listen to. Boasting an impressive performance from featuring guitarist Richard Shaw from Cradle of Filth, If I had to recommend one song of this album it would have to be this one.
‘I Pity You’ is up next and I just couldn’t get on with this one. I feel like the use of gutturals on this track is a bit excessive and it’s very rare that the growls are put on the backburner behind a clean vocal in such an obvious way. I don’t think I’ll be revisiting this track anytime soon, unfortunately. Nearing the end of the album now and ‘Forever and Always’ is a decent album track. I can’t imagine this one having fans going wild if it’s dropped live however it’s a solid work of music that does its job very nicely. I particularly found the guitar solo to be quite infectious and it made me want to go back and listen to it again and again.
The penultimate song is ‘She’s Coming’ and in lamens terms, this song rocks. The harmonies created by the guitars are quite enchanting while the drumming on this track gives the song that little bit of oomph that allows it to stand out from the pack. As for the lyrics of the track, they make you feel as though you are in Skarlet Envy’s universe and that you are the one she’s coming for. Finishing off the album is ‘Bleed For Me’, a heavy-hitting last track that plans on leaving you headbanging along to its chugging riffs. Skarlet’s vocal delivery really helps to drive this song home and her high’s throughout the track add a nice contrast to the low tones of the guitar parts.
Overall, Skarlet Envy has put together a decent debut album that shows off how much potential they have. It’s far from perfect however the highs of the release far outway the lows and I do not doubt that they will continue to grow from this point onwards. It’ll be interesting to see what Skarlet Envy have in store for their fans over the coming months but I’d highly recommend keeping them on your radar.
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