From the female fronted metal capital of the world, otherwise known as the Netherlands, comes another band that is looking to leave their mark on the listeners in NEMESEA.  Originally called Nemesis, the quintet changed its name to NEMESEA a few weeks after forming.  In the time since their 2004 debut Mana, NEMESEA has evolved from a symphonic Gothic metal band into a Gothic rock band, which has gained the band more recognition, namely from Napalm Records, to whom the band recently signed a deal.  Recently, Metal Psalter caught up with frontwoman Manda Ophuis to talk about all things NEMESEA.

Peter: For those who are new to NEMESEA, would you mind giving a brief history of the band?

Manda Ophuis: NEMESEA is a female fronted rock band coming from the Netherlands. We started in 2003 and released our first album Mana in 2004. After that, we toured intensively through Holland.  In 2007, we released our second studio album In Control through a fundraising system called Sellaband. In 2009, we were the first band worldwide to play a couple of OMNI surround shows with the album PURE: live @ P3 as a result and at the beginning of 2011 we signed a deal with Napalm Records and are about to release our third studio album The Quiet Resistance.

Peter: What are some of the band’s influences?

Manda: We all have a very broad taste of music. Different bands, different genres such as rock, metal, electronic and pop.

Peter: Recently, NEMESEA was signed to Napalm Records.  How did that deal come about and how has the arrangement worked out so far?

Manda: We’ve been in contact with Napalm Records for quite some time now and it just felt really good to sign with them for the album we had in mind. All the songs were already written and they were very enthusiastic about it.  They are a great company with a lot of knowledge, so we’re very happy with this collaboration.

Peter: With the record deal in place comes a new album in The Quiet Resistance.  What can you say about the album from a production standpoint?

Manda: We mainly did the production ourselves together with producer and mixer Joost van den Broek (After Forever). It was a very creative period and we had lots of ideas to work on. We aimed for a certain sound and flow and we got really close this time. To a band, a record is probably never finished, but at some point you just to have to let go. We aimed for a combination of both our previous albums to find the best of both worlds, you might say. Along with songs we are very proud of, we succeeded.

Peter: Along with the new album, there was also a video made for “Afterlife.”  Was there a concept in mind when making the video and what are some of the details of the shooting that you would like to say?

Manda: We tried to work on focusing on the main theme/subject of the song visually: an impossible love or desire that is only possible in the Afterlife.

Peter: Are there any plans for shows in the near future?

Manda: We’re working on a tour as we speak. We hope we’ll be playing in 2012 a lot, but it’s something we can’t control. If it was up to us, we’d be playing all year.

Peter: An interesting story about NEMESEA surrounds the second album that was released in 2007 called In Control.  Would you like to give some back story on that and what were some of the things the band learned from that experience?

Manda: In 2006, we signed up with the online fundraising system called Sellaband. We raised a recording budget of 50 thousand within three months and started writing our new album. With this budget, we got the chance to work with a couple of very well-known and amazing people. For example, Tony Platt, who did the vocal production, has worked with a lot of big artists over the years like AC/DC and Iron Maiden. Ronald Prent mixed the album and is famous for working with bands like Rammstein and Lacuna Coil.  They are two people who have a lot of knowledge and we learned a lot from these guys.  HJ (de Jong, guitars) did the writing and producing for this album himself.

In the end, we were very happy with the result, but the things we expected or hoped for to happen didn’t, so it was a big disappointment for us. We had a great album, but there was no one to promote it. We couldn’t go on tour or anything else like that.

Peter: Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Manda: for all of you who like the female fronted rock bands, our new album The Quiet Resistance is melodic, it’s heavy, it has a nice electro flow going on and deals with a lot of different emotions. So go check it out and let us know if you like it.

Nemesea's Manda Ophuis

Interviewer: Peter

November 14, 2011

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(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

Formed: 2002
Groningen, Groningen Netherlands
Label:  Napalm Records
Genre: Symphonic Goth Metal

CURRENT LINE-UP:

Manda Ophuis:  Vocals
Hendrik Jan de Jong:  Guitars
Sonny Onderwater:  Bass
Lasse Dellbrügge:  Keyboards
Frank Van Der Star:  Drums

DISCOGRAPHY:

Mana (2004)
No More Demo (2006)
In Control (2007)
Pure: Live @ P3 (2009)
The Quiet Resistance (2011)