On disc: Nevermore

 
 Nevermore
  
- Volker Raabe -
 
 


 
 In Memory
  
- Volker Raabe -
 
 


 
 The Politics Of Ecstasy
  
- Volker Raabe -
 
 


 
 Dead Heart In A Dead World
  
- Amir Djawadi -
 
 


 
 Dead Heart In A Dead World
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 Enemies Of Reality
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 This Godless Endeaver
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 


 
 The Year Of The Voyager
 
- Claudia Ehrhardt -
 
 

The Year Of The Voyager

(Century Media - 2008)



 
 

 

Nevermore are around for many years, released several albums and toured a lot, now they released the 2-DVD The Year Of The Voyager which has on DVD 1 a show they played in October 2006 in Bochum (Germany) and on DVD 2 you get pieces of different shows from 2005 / 2006, something recorded in 2001 at their record labels anniversary party, the video clips and an interview with Warrel Dane. There is also a box with the double live CD available. The double live CD only offers the Bochum show, so make up your mind what you buy!

The Bochum show shows them as a kick ass live band, the way their fans know them. And as this show was recorded for the DVD the set list has songs from their whole career. Personally I'm very happy to hear songs like What Tomorrow Knows and Matricide again. The sound quality is powerful and very good. The images are a bit too dark and sometimes the angles are a bit strange... But very cool are the close ups and the use of black/white pictures. To be honest I think the Zeche isn't the best place to record a live DVD, coz the place is too small. Usually the stage size is okay, but too small when you have people filming. Beside that the lights are in the back of the stage and so you have a quite shadowy image when the guys are up front. Beside that they captured very well the live energy of the Seattleites. Sometimes the images are changing too fast... and sometimes the slo-mos don't fit, but well...

On DVD 2 you get some songs from different festivals. The images from the Gigantour are pretty good, but the sound isn't that great And I wish the Bochum show has this image quality and the festival footage the sound quality of the Bochum show.... The footage from Metal Mania and Wacken is again great and the sound is better then Gigantour footage.

The video clips most will know, but can't hurt to have them in a good quality on DVD. Something special is the footage from the Century Media US anniversary party, coz it shows the band at a different stage of their career - and with another guitarist, this time with Curran Murphy. Unfortunately the picture is pretty dark and the sound lacks power and is a bit muddy. But the 2 songs should only show a them at a different time and I think even if there is or would be a recording of the whole show, they wouldn't release it.

The interview shows Warrel talking about the DVD, giving an idea about their intention, why they had to cancel the first scheduled recording day and other stuff. A nice addition.

Resume: Its great to have a live DVD from these guys, but I've seen DVDs which been shot better and I think I even saw them doing a stronger performance. But about the performance it's probably just a personal problem, coz I saw these guys many, many times. The festival stuff is very cool and I think that some will also be happy to see them with Steve Smyth. Actually I miss some old stuff, even it the quality wouldn't be that great, as a bonus it would have been cool to see them with Pat O'Brian. Anyway, not a waste of time to watch this 4 hrs. of Nevermore!






Track list:



DVD 1



Live at the Zeche Bochum, Germany, October 11th, 2006

Intro

Final Product

My Acid Words

What Tomorrow Knows/Garden Of Grey

Next In Line

Enemies Of Reality

I, Voyager

The Politics Of Ecstasy

The River Dragon Has Come

I Am The Dog

Dreaming Neon Black

Matricide

Dead Heart In A Dead World

Noumenon (from Tape)

Inside Four Walls

The Learning

Sentient

Narcosynthesis

The Heart Collector

Born

This Godless Endeavor




DVD 2:



Gigantour, September 2nd, 2005

Born

Enemies of Reality



Metal Mania Festival, March 4th, 2006

Final Product

The Heart Collection

Enemies Of Reality

The Seven Tongues Of God



Wacken, August 4th, 2006

Final Product

Narcosynthesis

Engines of Hate

Born



Century Media USA 10th Anniversary Party
- Live at The Roxy, L.A. Sep. 28th 2001

Engines Of Hate

Beyond Within



Video clips

What Tomorrow Knows

Next In Line

Believe In Nothing

I, Voyager

Enemies Of Reality

Final Product

Born

Narcosynthesis (live promo video)



Interview with Warrel Dane

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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This Godless Endeaver

(Century Media - 2005)



 
 

 

Seattle's finest thrash / power metal band is back with This Godless Endeaver. You never know what to expect from Warrel Dane and his mates, just that it'll be a high-class album. Opening with the thrashing up-tempo track Born they show that they still alive and kicking. Parts are real thrashy with aggressive guitar riffing and hateful vocals, but there are more progressive parts and you seem to hear the voice of a tortured soul. Very intense. Great guitar solos and screaming guitar riffing. The following Final Product and My Acid Words are also fast neckbreakers. While Bittersweet Feast needs a few spins to get into... Not as fast as the opening tracks, but still up-tempo. More progressive and complex. Another side of Nevermore... Catchy melodic tunes like The Heartcollector, here this partly balladesque song is called Sentient 6 and gives the listener a little break after all the up-tempo headbangers. They already - half way though the album - presented songs which cover all their trademarks. Listening to Medicated Nation I have to think of Psychotic Waltz, just because of the some elements they use... Interesting is the track The Holocaust Of Thought which seems to get closer.... Starting low and getting nearer... louder. Great idea. A bit weird perhaps... A kind of intro for Sell My Heart For Stones which is another melodic ear catcher. Here Jeff Loomis - and also Steve Smyth - show that they beyond thrashing riffs...Perhaps the best guitar duo in the history of Nevermore.... And slowly the sound is fading away. The first melodic, then heavy, thrashy A Future Uncertain leads to the end - to This Godless Endeaver. An almost 9 minute long opus. Guitars and Dane's voice full of agony. Perhaps this is the best song they ever wrote... And a typical song for the Seattle boys. Listen to this one and to one of the thrash tunes and to understand what this album is about.

The album lyrically deals with the lost of identity, criticizing the system, blaming God and the search of the reason behind all this. Warrel Dane - the cynical - wrote lyrics which should be heard. There is a lot of truth in it, even if he exaggerated it. Again Andy Sneap produced the album and it has a clear, powerful sound. Perfect, so far their masterpiece!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Enemies Of Reality

(Century Media - 2003)



 
 

 

Seattle's finest are back! Warrel Dane and his mates return with their new album Enemies Of Reality. The title track is also the album opener. Really heavier this one comes out of your speakers. First some din which gets louder, then Van's drum beat and the power metal thunder comes over you. Again the Americans work with breaks and tempo changes. As usual the voice of singer Warrel Dane is adding the special something. His vocals are unique, sometimes full of hate and aggression, sometimes more ingratiating. The chorus is catchy and it'll spin in your mind for days. Ambivalent is offering staccato guitar riffing, pounding bass and fast hard-hitting drums. Partly they used an effect - distortion - on Warrel's vocals. Guitarist Jeff Loomis has time to show his talent during a guitar solo, fast and furious. One of my favorites is Tomorrow Turned Into Yesterday which starts slowly, a more mellow beginning. The guitar line remind me of some old MSG song - can't name it - this time the band starts more emotional, but add some more power after about 90 seconds. At all this song is more mid-tempo. A very emotional tune. Another fav of mine is Create The Infinite which is a fast one with reminiscences of the late 80's / early 90's US metal. Again Nevermore offer a large variety of songs from slower ones to fast tracks.

Btw, the limited edition has a bonus DVD with 5 tracks incl. video clips of Believe In Nothing, Next In Line and What Tomorrow Knows as well as 2 live clips - recorded 2001 in the USA. Great idea!

 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Dead Heart In A Dead World

(Century Media - 2000)



 
 

 

The 5th release of the Seattle based band. Every time a surprise.... What to expect? If you expect something like Dreaming Neon Black, you're wrong! This is more emotional..... But still heavy! Hard to explain... You have to check it out! My personal faves are Evolution 169 and The Heart Collector!

Unusual is the cover version of the Simon & Garfunkel song The Sound Of Silence. This one sounds like Nevermore and if you don't know that it's a cover or don't recognize the words, you would bet it's a new Nevermore track! Definately a huge step forward for Seattle's finest! Can't wait to hear that one live!!!
 
 










Claudia Ehrhardt


  
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Dead Heart In A Dead World

(Century Media - 2000)



 
 

 

I guess the fan of Nevermore will be very thankful, coz after the release of The Politics Of Ecstasy they had to wait for 3 years for the follow-up Dreaming Neon Black. This time the quartet from Seattle released their latest output just one year after Dreaming Neon Black. The Americans now released their new CD which is called Dead Heart In A Dead World. An unusual album title...

The US boys recorded 11 songs and the mates of extraordinary singer Warrel Dane added 2 bonus video tracks of Next In Line and What Tomorrow Knows which more and more bands do in the era of multi-media.

What to expect musically? On the disc are songs which have he classical Nevermore elements which make this band outstanding. The Seattle quartet is known for this sound and they can keep the quality level of their last album Dreaming Neon Black. The quartet and former guitarist Tim Calvert decided to go separate ways, coz Mr. Calvert didn't want to tour that much any more. Singer Warrel Dane is amazing and guitarist Jeff Loomis who is doing all the guitars alone on this album (will they have a second guitarist live?) and the rhythm section of bassist Jim Sheppard and drummer Van Williams show what their best. The songs are catchy for Nevermore, but still have the bizarre lyrics of Mr. Dane. Screaming guitars, pounding drums and hammering bass lines been recorded and mixed under the command of Mr. Andy Sneap (known for the production of famous and also underrated bands like Machine Head, Testament, Kill II This, Skinlab, Stuck Mojo and Pissing Razors) at Village Studios in Texas.

Nevermore are still on their way to the top. Not easy to get there, but they following their way consistent and pertinacious. They don't care about what people think about them and stick to their guns. Luckily more fans discovered the enormous potential of the band and so we can look forward to see them on tour soon. The Seattle boys usually tour extensively and their audience is growing every time. What more can a metal fan ask for?!?
 
 










Amir Djawadi
(translation: Claudia Ehrhardt)


  
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The Politics Of Ecstasy

(Century Media - 1996)



 
 

 

Everybody who saw Nevermore live on tour with Iced Earth that the Seattle power prog­sters are very ambitious and partly really crazy! And that's what the band of shouter Warrel Dane offers on The Politics Of Ecstasy. On their debut Nevermore were more riff-oriented and at all catchier, this time the Americans are more progressive, depressive and crazy. Listening to tracks like Lost or Next In Line will make every power metal fan happy. I can just hope that this album will get Nevermore the status Sanctuary - some members of Nevermore been part of this band - already had in the metal world. If in any forum people will ask for the most outstanding, the most unique metal shouter, then the answer can just be "Warrel Dane"!
Check out: Next In Line, The Learning, This Sacrament and the title track.
 
 










Volker Raabe
(translation: Claudia Ehrhardt)


  
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In Memory

(Century Media - 1996)



 
 

 

This EP is just an appetizer for the full-length album The Politics of Ecstasy which will be in the stores in September. Singer Warrel Dane (ex-Sanctuary) at his best! A must buy!
 
 










Volker Raabe
(translation: Claudia Ehrhardt)


  
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Nevermore

(Century Media - 1995)



 
 

 

You like guitar-driven power metal? If your answer is "no", you can stop right here. If your answer is "yes", then be ready to go! And if you like killer vocals, then check your wallet! You like epic tales the heavy way? Take your jacket! Coz Nevermore  is the new band of ex-Sanctuary singer Warrel Dane who added his unique, powerful and virtuoso voice to these songs. There are killer tracks like What Tomorrow Knows, Garden Of Gray - listen to this and you'll be floored - or to C.B.F. and The Sanity Assassin which is another killer! But why I write this down, guess you are already on the way to the next CD store. Your not? Then hurry! Go now!
 
 










Volker Raabe
(translation: Claudia Ehrhardt)


  
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