Nevermore

Nevermore has taken me a long time to appreciate. You may be asking yourself “why”, and the reason is, is it was not Sanctuary.  Now that said, let me explain.

When I was a kid I had purchased Sanctuary’s “Refuge Denied” on cassette. It was great and I listened to the cassette many times over. Then one day it was gone. The cassette had just disappeared. I probably let a friend barrow it and never got it back, which was that case with a lot of my music back then. When I was about 30 I purchased it again and was really excited about it. For those of you that know the album, you know it is quite different from Nevermore and also Sanctuary’s second release “Into the Mirror Black”.

I had seen Nevermore on T.V. with one of there videos. And even downloaded the free songs from their website at one point, but never did like it. Also when I listened to Sanctuary’s second album I was disappointed the same. Warren Dane’s Vocals changed along with the writing and sound. However, I listened to it over and over one night as I was remodeling my house (drywall taping my 30x14 foot front-room ceiling). I realized how that band had grown and really appreciated the music and probably prefer that second album to the first now.

That said I knew I needed to give Nevermore a chance. I was headed on a trip so I brought along Nevermore’s “Godless Endeavor”. I  listened to it from Butte Montana to Salt Lake City and back. Let me tell you I have not been this excited to hear more from a band for a long time. I purchased the “Dreaming in Neon Black” next and it is perhaps better. I want to hear all of Nevermore’s Albums now. They definitely have their own sound and are great musicians. When every member in the band adds tremendous contribution like in Nevermore, The outcome is spectacular. What more could you want? Great Vocals, thundering drums, very intricate guitar work and a bad ass bass to match. If you listen to metal you will want to get a hold of these two albums from Nevermore (I bet like me it wont stop there) and the first two from Sanctuary.

Tim Lynch - HeavyMetalReview.com

Below cited from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Nevermore started in the beginning of the 1990s, when the band Sanctuary was pressured by its recording label to change its musical style, switching from heavy metal to grunge, which was obtaining mainstream success at the time due to bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam (both, incidentally, also from Seattle). Two members of the band—vocalist Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard—didn't agree with the change, and thus proceeded to create a project of their own: Nevermore.

By the end of 1994, the band assumed a stable line-up, which saw the additions of drummer Van Williams and former Sanctuary touring guitarist Jeff Loomis. In 1995 Nevermore released its debut album through Century Media Records. This album received much attention and specialized review, as its release was followed by a European tour with Blind Guardian and a North American tour with Death.

Second guitarist Pat O'Brien joined the band prior to the release of the EP In Memory and also took part in the recording of the subsequent album The Politics of Ecstasy, both from 1996. O'Brien left Nevermore to play in Cannibal Corpse, and guitarist Tim Calvert (who played for the band Forbidden), who had previously contributed to Nevermore through songwriting, replaced O'Brien as Nevermore's guitarist.

Three years without releases followed, but in 1999, the album Dreaming Neon Black was released. Highly acclaimed, the album narrates the story of a man's slow decline into madness, subsequent to the death of the only woman he ever loved. The tracks of this album are varied in style, ranging from slow and melodic to aggressive and progressive. Warrel Dane put much effort in interpretation, emitting varied emotions from his vocals. The album's lyrics are a partially true retelling of the events Dane underwent after the vanishing of his longtime girlfriend.

 

The Obsidian Conspiracy (2010)

The Politics of Ecstasy (1996)

Dreaming Neon Black (1999)

Dead Heart in a Dead World (2000)

Enemies of Reality (2003)

This Godless Endeavor (2005)

On August 30, 2007, it was announced that Steve Smyth would no longer be a member of the band, citing personal and business reasons for the departure.  He stated that he would also be touring with Danish metal band Hatesphere as they supported Behemoth and later Dimmu Borgir, and would also be working on the release of The Esseness Project, an all-instrumental progressive rock album.

In an interview with Komodo Rock published in July, Jeff Loomis said that "I actually have six or seven songs already for the new Nevermore record. I'm about half way there, and we're going to be going into the studio probably some time in the early Fall."

Nevermore were one of the first bands to be confirmed for Wacken Open Air 2009, where they performed alongside many bands including Motorhead, Dragonforce and Hammerfall.

Nevermore will enter the studio in August with producer and Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers to begin recording their long-awaited 7th album, The Obsidian Conspiracy, and is tentatively due early 2010 release.

Band members