Based solely on their meager and poorly distributed musical canon, Stockholm, Sweden's Nemesis should, by all rights, have vanished long ago into the mists of forgetful oblivion. But as the formative entity leading up to the birth of doom metal giants Candlemass, the group's modest surviving legacy -- 1984's The Day of Retribution EP and a handful of demos -- have instead survived as esteemed and much sought-after prequels to glories still to come (not unlike Celtic Frost's proto-band Hellhammer). Indeed, perhaps "Genesis" would have been a more appropriate moniker, if it weren't already taken, given Nemesis' brief, unremarkable, but ultimately crucial trajectory, which began in 1982 when future Candlemass architect, bassist/vocalist Leif Edling left his former band, Witchcraft, and began rehearsing with guitarists Anders Wallin, Christian Weberyd, and drummer Anders Waltersson. Most of the demos they cranked out over the following year would soon be re-recorded for release as the aforementioned, five-track The Day of Retribution EP, but despite the music's abundant promise, neither the band's burgeoning doom direction, nor Edling's barely competent vocals were ready for prime-time just yet. Sure enough, even before the end of 1984, Nemesis' chief songwriter had realized that his next batch of demos (including future classics like Dark Reflections and Under the Oak) demanded a more qualified singer to realize their full potential, so, after bidding his bandmates adieu, he set his sites on launching Candlemass with a new crew of musicians…the rest of the story became doom metal history. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi