and now for my belated N article, I'm going to cover a band that easily sits in my Top 11 (thanks TNC) All-Time Favorite list: Nevermore
To get into the background of Nevermore, first you have to go back to Seattle in the mid-80's. A group of teenage friends, including singer Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard, formed Sanctuary. Producing a demo in 1986, they caught the eye of one Dave Mustaine, who would help produce their albums. First came 1987's
Refuge Denied, which saw Dane undertaking a large amount of high octave singing to the point where it's believed he damaged his cords, giving the slightly raspier lower ranged voice that he would become known for. Three years later they released
Into the Mirror Black and produced a video for "Future Tense", which got some decent airplay on HBB. Of course the following year, from their very own hometown, came the explosion of a newfound genre known as grunge. The resulting pressure from the label to conform to grunge led to internal band struggles and eventually the band's dissolution. More than just a curiosity of what would come, Sanctuary's two albums are worthwhile pick-ups for any metalhead.
(
"Die for My Sins") - from
Refuge Denied (1987)
(
"Future Tense") - from
Into the Mirror Black (1990)
(
"Long Since Dark") - ibid
Shortly after the end of Sanctuary, Dane, Sheppard and Sanctuary's final guitarist Jeff Loomis would form a new band under the name of Nevermore. They toiled around a bit for the early 90's until they developed a stable lineup and signed with Century Media, where they remain to this day. Within a two year span they released a self-titled album,
The Politics of Ecstasy and the
In Memory EP. These albums immediately set the tone for their style, showcasing excellent examples of both good headbanging songs and slower contemplative songs, as well as strong lyrics dealing with both philosophical and sociological issues. TPOE also showcased a mildly progressive side, with both the title track and "The Learning" featuring long instrumental passages.
(
"C.B.F.") - from
Nevermore (1995)
(
"The Sanity Assassin") - ibid
(
"The Seven Tongues of God") - from
The Politics of Ecstasy (1996)
(
"The Politics of Ecstasy) - ibid
(
"Matricide" - from
In Memory (1996)
Taking another few years off, in 1999 they released
Dreaming Neon Black, a sort-of concept album supposedly based off of Warrel Dane's ex-g/f joining a cult and completely disappearing afterwards, followed by dreams of her calling out to him. This was the first Nevermore album I purchased, at the time when it was their most recent release, and I still remember the first time I was blown away by the opening track.
(
"Beyond Within") - from
Dreaming Neon Black (1999)
(
"Dreaming Neon Black") - ibid
(
"Poison Godmachine") - ibid
The summer after I purchased DNB, the band announced their upcoming album slated for the fall of 2000, called
Dead Heart in a Dead World. One of major news that accompanied the announcement was that Jeff Loomis would be switching to a 7-string guitar for this album, which I remember this causing a great amount of trepidation in the metal communities where I hung out. While the 7-string guitar has been used well by the likes of John Petrucci and Erik Rutan, in the late 90's the 7-string had gained its notoriety as being the choice weapon for such execrable bands as Korn and Shrimp Bizkit, so the concern was high that Nevermore was going to be pulling a switch to that style of metal. Such concerns were thankfully unfounded after the singles were released, and the album would go on to garner high praise. It could easily claim a spot on many "Best of the Decades" list, although Nevermore would eventually top themselves.
(
"Narcosynthesis") - from
Dead Heart in a Dead World (2000)
(
"We Disintegrate") - ibid
(
"The River Dragon Has Come") - ibid
Such topping was not to come with 2003's
Enemies of Reality, however. Nevermore enlisted then-Queensryche guitarist Kelly Gray to produce this album, and the result was an utter disaster. While the songs and composition on the album was commendable (although not as good as Dead Heart), the production was so muddy and distracting that I only listened to the CD once after buying it, wondering how in the hell such a production job cleared all parties for release. Thankfully, around the time of their next album, Nevermore hired Andy Sneap to properly remaster the original tracks, and the resulting re-release was much improved, bringing the album to respectability.
(
"Enemies of Reality") - from
Enemies of Reality (2003)
(
"I, Voyager") - ibid
Mid-2005 would see the release of
This Godless Endeavor, which managed to pull off the amazing task of being even better than Dead Heart. TGE easily makes my Top 10 list for this decade. Not much else to say about the album, just listen to the tracks.
(
"The Final Product") - from
This Godless Endeavour (2005)
(
"My Acid Words) - ibid
(
"Sentient 6") - ibid
After TGE, the band toured and recorded a live double-CD entitled
Year of the Voyager. This is a good starting point for new Nevermore fans as it offers a good collection of songs from all of their albums, with no album under-represented. The band then took another couple of years off, in which time Dane released a fairly good solo album
Praises To The War Machine. The band is currently recording their latest album
The Obsidian Conspiracy, slated for release next January.
