Enemies of Reality

Infobox Album |

Name = Enemies of Reality
Type = Album
Artist = Nevermore
Released = July 29, 2003
Recorded = 2003 at the House of Rock & Metalworks, Seattle, Washington
Genre = Thrash metal Progressive metal
Length = 40:49
Label = Century Media
Producer = Kelly Gray (original)
Andy Sneap (remixed & remastered)
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:mzsyxdjb4ol0 link]
Last album = "Dead Heart in a Dead World"
(2000)
This album = "Enemies of Reality"
(2003)
Next album = "This Godless Endeavor"
(2005)
Misc = Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = 2005 remixed album cover
Type = Album


Img_size =
Lower caption = Remixed and Remastered by Andy Sneap in 2005.

"Enemies of Reality" is thrash metal band Nevermore's fifth album released in 2003 by Century Media records. A special limited edition was also released, with a black jewel case and a bonus DVD. It contains intense neo-classical guitar solos by guitarist Jeff Loomis. The worms on the album cover are a direct reference to the lyrics of the title track, "Enemies of Reality", in which Warrel Dane sings, "Open wide and eat the worms of the enemy." There are other lyric-inspired images in the booklet, namely an open hand holding a glowing sun (taken from "Ambivalent," where the lyrics say "The sun in my hand becomes my despair"). At the beginning of the song there is message played backwards that repeats the pre-chorus "we are the useless by-product of souless meat".

This album is infamous for its widely-disliked production by Kelly Gray. Many fans felt that the mix was inferior to that of previous albums and did not do the band or its music justice; specifically, various complaints noted flat drums, distant vocals, and a lack of "punch" to the bass, and the guitars sounding very modern nu metal. In 2005 the album was remixed by Andy Sneap, who produced Nevermore's Dead Heart in a Dead World and "This Godless Endeavor". The new mix was received pleasantly and gained the album a new level of respect and praise.

At the end of the CD booklet is a dedication to the late Death frontman Chuck Schuldiner, which reads: "This record is dedicated to Chuck. Let the metal flow into eternity..."

Track listing

#"Enemies of Reality" – 5:11
#"Ambivalent" – 4:12
#"Never Purify" – 4:03
#"Tomorrow Turned into Yesterday" – 4:35
#"I, Voyager" – 5:48
#"Create the Infinite" – 3:38
#"Who Decides" – 4:15
#"Noumenon" – 4:37
#"Seed Awakening" – 4:30

Limited Edition DVD Tracklist

# "Believe in Nothing" (video)
# "Next in Line" (video)
# "What Tomorrow Knows" (video)
# "Engines of Hate" (live U.S. 2001)
# "Beyond Within" (live U.S. 2001)

Credits

* Warrel Dane - Vocals
* Jeff Loomis - Lead Guitars
* Jim Sheppard - Bass
* Steve Smyth - Second Guitars (on Remixed version)
* Van Williams - drums
* Kelly Gray - production, engineering, mixing (original version)
* Carl Peterson - assistant engineer (original version)
* Andy Sneap - production, engineering, mixing (remaster)
* Eddie Schreyer - mastering (original)
* Gerald Wilkes - management
* Neil Sussman - legal representation
* Karen Mason-Blair - band photography
* Travis Smith - art, layout

External links

* [http://www.nevermore.tv Nevermore's official website]