BARBARES

It was always beyond me why people tend to like this band THAT much. I've listened to almost all NEMO releases, and there's slight progression from one to another, hardly noticable, but obvious: record quality grows better, musicianship gets even more professional, the whole sound becomes heavier, etc. The only thing constant is songwriting and composition issue. This is what I dislike in NEMO's music. Pieces are well-written, but not fitting each other (to my ears), epics seem to be forced (the eponymous one here is pretty good, though), and shorter songs can hardly keep my attention. I wholeheartedly apologise for my verdict, but this is what I like most in music - good writing. You can never grow to Petrucci's leel, but if your stuff is memorable, you're ace in my book. Hence,only 3 stars (mainly for the closing 25-min long jewel), and I think I'll abandon my further researches in NEMO's field