Scheitan - Nemesis (1999)

The biggest shocker is that Scheitan, based on the dominant style of Nemesis, seemed to have been signed to Century Media based on the 'black & roll' style they showcased on the first half of their sophomore album Berzerk 2000. You'd think the talent scout would have been a lot more interested in the black metal of the debut, but here we are on a much larger label, with a lot more exposure, playing the accessible rock music but with the same snarling vocals. Fortunately, Nemesis is a bit better developed and more committed to this style than its predecessor. The production is a slight step up and for the most part, the arrangements of the rock riffs are better, the bass playing is more noticeable, and his vocals just work better with the material than they did the last time out.

This is basically a mid-point between such 'black & roll' and just standard, simplistic Gothic metal with snarls instead of deep, manly vocals. They still implement a lot of guest female vocals, probably even more than before, but they still sound awkward and lacking confidence to add an effective dimension of the ethereal or melodic to the tracks. Also, the band gets a little too cocky with dumb ideas like repeating "Emergency" over and over at the end of that track, a dick move that doesn't benefit in any way. A number of the tunes here sound a lot like Kreator's lamented Endorama, only the Germans could dial up their history and add a lot more gravitas to their compositions. There's also a vibe of some Sisters of Mercy, only with the rasping vocals slathered over the top and much heavier guitars punched in. The Cemetery side project Sundown is also a worthwhile comparison, only that project was vastly more catchy and utilized more of an industrial/electronic side.

If you condensed this down to 3-4 of the better tunes, it would be passable for the style, since I do dig the production and it's just catchy enough to warrant a few spins. Unfortunately, on the whole this album is just not much better than its predecessor...at least it's not split between the rock style and the lesser produced black metal which was a pretty big mistake on Berzerk 2000, but despite its slick sound and accessible energy, they just aren't churning out the memorable chorus parts and melodies that would be needed for this to put them on the same level as a number of other European Goth metal acts. So when it comes to my personal interest, Scheitan is a one-and-done, Travelling in Ancient Lands is the go-to and the rest are just shy of a disaster.

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]

Scheitan - Berzerk 2000 (1998)

Berzerk 2000 hit me as quite a shock, as I found the Scheitan debut to be quite satisfactory and would not have expected them to pivot their style so soon. Scandinavian black metal was raging along, but not so much in the hearts of these guys, so they decided to transform the Nordic barrage into something resembling black & roll, or a blend of heavy metal and Gothic metal while maintaining the rasping vocal aesthetic. Normally I don't have a problem with this, as I enjoyed groups like Gandalf from Finland who were on a similar path with their debut, and truthfully, these Swedes are not so bad at it, but I imagine if you were a bigger fan of Travelling in Ancient Times you would have chucked this one out the window as soon as you cleared a couple tunes on the first half of this release.

The sound is still quite smooth, these guys had a grasp on studio professionalism and it continues through the course of their evolution. Simple, rocking chord patterns are layered with equally minimalist melodies to serve as a seat for the emotion of the vocals. Unfortunately, this particular rasping performance does not have a whole lot of range, which could have been more useful to hold the listener's attention when too few of the riffs can. There are some tracks here which actually do convey a greater sense of morose, spacious black metal, like "Soulside", but even there they toss in some female vocals which sound way too goofy, reaching for a sort of folk/Gothic metal mix. However, the snarls on that song sound quite nasty and protracted, and if they hadn't cocked it up with the guest vocal it would have been decent. "Sad to Say" is even more sparse and atmospheric, but here they make the same mistake with the female vocals...they're not awful, but just a little cheesy as they drift along.

I'm sure this was all calculated, as the band members had their hands in a lot of things going on at the current time, but it ends up sounding MIScalculated...like the track "Terror" which is just snarling, and then the return to fast black metal on the second half of the album, like they had had their fun and gotten it out of their systems?!? Had the whole thing sounded like "Bombraid Over Wastelands" or "Berzerk 2000", it would have felt like the natural, if underwhelming follow-up to Travelling in Ancient Times, but this sophomore is simply split down the center and incoherent, like a split EP between two separate bands, and it's not really good at either of its two personalities...so this one is unfortunately kind of a bust.

Verdict: Indifference [5.25/10]

Scheitan - Travelling in Ancient Times (1996)

Scheitan is a band that occupied the Invasion Records roster for a couple of albums before garnering enough success to head over to the Century Media roster, and they're another example of a band who was quite far from unique, but skilled enough among the Swedish black metal underground to create competent, compelling material with a reasonable quality production that stood out amongst some of their shoddier peers. It's members, like the late Oskar Karlsson, sowed their seeds across a number of bands on this scene (and label roster) such as The Everdawn, Gates of Ishtar, Defleshed and Sarcasm, so there was already a massive creative impetus going into Travelling in Ancient Times, and perhaps explains why it sounds so damn professional even 27 years after it was first introduced.

Thematically it seems to be a mix of a paean to nature, with plenty of Christian slaughter involved, and I almost get a Viking thing going on, although the band's name is also a translation of 'Satan'. Basically, they've got all the important topics of the day covered, but you won't have time to mull this over, after a brief, pompous synth intro cedes into the straight blasting black metal of "October Journey". This one isn't a terribly interesting song, and that's one of the downsides to Scheitan in general, however they will often sate your hunger for a tasty riff as at :30 in "Autumn Departure" or the synth-laden, swaggering "Ride the Icewinds", or the Viking trot of "In Battle With Angels". There is plenty of payoff throughout this debut, so don't expect your drier Marduk-based experience where the volley of speed, blasting and intensity is really the whole point and any attempt at finer songwriting is an afterthought. Scheitan were going for the whole package, as interested in pleasing fans of their other bands' styles as much as the black metal core, and so there's a decent balance of synth atmospheres for folks who liked their use on Bathory's Blood Fire Death, and some muscular, propulsive rhythms to knock you prone.

The sound quality helps a lot, and I remember that causing this to stand out against labelmates like Skymning or Embracing, this one sounded as if was at a whole other level of competence. The drums, guitars and synthesizers all sound awesome, and while the raving bark hurled over the top of it isn't quite so potent or unique, it's fully suited to contrast the instruments. Basically I try to think of this as a more 'modern' (for the 90s) retelling of Bathory's shift into Viking metal, even though the original was still around at the time, so if you want a 'tidier' Blood Fire Death with a strong emphasis on balanced composition, Travelling in Ancient Times is a gem. I'd hesitate to call it great, but for an album that I just listen through once every few years it holds up.

Verdict: Win [7.75/10]