At the forefront, the songwriting on “Punished by Nemesis” demonstrates the maturation (or putrefaction) of Stress Angel’s already established sound, driving deeper into the twisted corridors of death, thrash, and first wave black metal. Weaving within, between, and beyond these classifications, the countless riffs on this album solidify Stress Angel’s reputation as not only wizened practitioners of the craft, but innovators as well.
Leading the punishment, drummer/vocalist Manny Sores continues his campaign of old metal piledriving with a thunderous performance that forces heads to bang and eventually roll (as a privileged few who have witnessed his mastercraft live can attest), while his tormented screams expose sickening truths about those who don the cloth and preach the holy word. Session soldier Hank S. Blackyard also returns on bass with his now-signature grim and gristly tone, beefing up the already muscular strings laid out with a butcher’s precision by guitarist Nicolai Orifice. All the while, the warm, familiar production evokes a feeling not unlike what one may have experienced dropping the needle on “Mental Funeral” or putting a dub of “Anno Domini” in the tape deck for the first time 35 years ago.
Hear the Jericho trumpet blare to herald “Punished by Nemesis”, a necessary evil for those who crave to be punished by authentic thrashing metal of death. In their own words, Stress Angel state, “‘Punished By Nemesis’ aims only to torment and abuse your already demented existence”. Recommended for fans of Autopsy, Tormentor, Old, and Aura Noir.
