Extreme metal is always hungry for fresh new sounds even as the original scene purveyors such as Morbid Angel, Nile or Sinister grow too familiar while Behemoths or Monstrosities of the world keep delivering consistent quality provoking younger acts to jealousy. Not far from New Zealand, the home of the fantastic Ulcerate, Geelong, Victoria, Australian debutants Nemesium pulverize with "Continua", released 5 years after the "Sentient Cognizance" EP .

The production, courtesy of one Marcos Cerutti pushes your lifeless carcass with power of "Demigod" Behemoth and latter Aborted into the armchair you struggle to remain seated in, right from the 2nd track, "Archetype", the effect made stronger by the conspiracy theory themed intro, and Clint Williams (vocals), Chris McEwin (guitars), Andrew Reid (guitars), Marcus Ritli (bass) and Justin Rhodes (drums), barely let up for almost 50 minutes, yet you never get so tired that you want to turn it off. "Boundaryless" and "Annihilation Prophecy" combine The Black Dahlia Murder and latter Death with Slayer, while the fantastic melodeath-ly Heaven Shall Burn-esque "Virch" and the favorite, infectious masterful "The Fire And The Flesh" provide that ever so elusive perfect marriage of melody and power, thrash with death, without getting poppy which strongly reminds me of the way Kataklysm does business, while Nemesium waxes progressive and early Anathema doom-ish on the excellent "The Dawn of Retribution". The Slayer-ic /Revocation-ary "All For Them" and the magnifiscent super melodeath-ly "Relive This Nightmare" round things up beautifully while the two interlude/instrumentals "Continuum" and the Opeth-ian "My Final Fight", strategically placed at 5 and 9, respectively, provide a necessary if brief relief from the constant if catchy barrage of guitars, drums and Sven de Calluwe-ian (Aborted) growls.

The material, as excellent as it is, is distant from perfection by a little uneven songwriting, specifically the opener and a little safe "Cloud Chaser" plus even the excellent tracks are a little rough and fatty around the edges, while the album ends a little suddently and abruptly. Nevertheless, "Continua" is easily one of the finest debuts in extreme metal signaling serious competition to the likes of Revocation or The Black Dahlia Murder. Highly recommended by yours truly, if you miss it, you’ll have only yourself to blame.

http://www.nemesium.com