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Nevermore: This godless endeavor
12/11/07 || The Duff
Nevermore arose from the ashes of Sanctuary, a band from which I have heard nothing, only to release two (and possibly three, as I’ve neglected the debut, self-titled effort) classic albums, one mediocre one that seemed to receive more praise than it deserved, and an exceptionally solid effort that might not have been the return to form old fans of the band were hoping for, as it failed to bring back the demanded Nevermore ingredients of past offerings, but was still a step in the right direction as it got back to showcasing the band’s supreme talent. Now we come to Nevermore’s sixth offering, a definite comeback album in every regard, as it delivers the thick, despair-filled guitars (Andy Sneap is back at the helm of production duties) that were the epitome of the band’s once masterful sound; the band has kept some of the thrashy song-writing off “Enemies of Reality”, but also returned to the simple, dark chords and heavy riffing found predominantly on the earliest outputs.
Something about Jeff Loomis is that his riffing style is very identifiable, which is a rarity in modern day metal bands; I say modern day, of course, but Jeff was a part of Sanctuary, yet to my knowledge never contributed his evil, crunchy riffing style to their sound, as he joined just as they disbanded. What’s more, Jeff is the only guitarist who makes me want to buy a seven-string; Steve Vai and John Petrucci may reveal a seven-string guitar’s appeal, but Jeff Loomis brings a whole new dimension to the instrument – I hate seven-string guitars, so to say such a thing (as much as my opinion on anything means fuck all) is to speak very highly of his skill in wielding such a cumbersome, pointless (unless you write uninspired material like Machine Head) piece of shit.
His work on any past Nevermore album (even his restrained performance on “Dead Heart in a Dead World”) is of the highest grade, and on “This Godless Endeavor”, his work is of no exception to the band’s previously released discography. He seems a lot more focused on composing insanely complicated guitar licks on this effort, but his shredding technique is still on display for some part of the album; most of the shredding has been taken charge of by new guitarist Steve Smyth (of Testament fame), who although not too original-sounding when compared to ex-bandmembers Alex Skolnick or James Murphy (the latter plays a solo on the instrumental “The Holocaust of Thought”), is a great guitar player with impeccable technique and some sweet phrasing (and it is about time Jeff was paired up with another, like-minded axe-slinger).
Again, the vocals are well performed, but ever since seeing a few Nevermore videos (both music and live performances), I can’t seem to take Warrel Dane too seriously. To be honest, this guy has failed to impress me ever since “Dreaming Neon Black” (on “Enemies of Reality”, his performance was relatively noteworthy) – his best work seems behind him, and although he is still one of metal’s more talented vocalists, he just seems to be running through the motions here. No longer filled with the venom of youth, he appears more content moaning about mankind’s shortcomings without the disgust of earlier offerings. Lyrically, the album is also a little hit and miss – I preferred the whole “anti-government, fuck the pigs, I’m so much better than all of you for I have seen” attitude, but instead we’re left with a half-hearted “Oooooooooh, my acid words shall burn you – watch out for my acid words!” (yeah, I’m being a dick; it sounded funnier in my head).
In conclusion, although not quite measuring up to the band’s past legacy, this is a return to their more unique sound as that experienced on “The Politics…” and “Dreaming Neon Black”, and probably what fans have been crying for ever since “Dead Heart in a Dead World”. Also, eleven tracks definitely suits Nevermore; as much as it was refreshing to hear the band experiment and kick it up a notch speed-wise on “Enemies of Reality”, the album was very short on new material – I’m more content receiving a style of music only Nevermore appear adept at producing in large quantities while keeping things interesting over a sound that many bands manage to pull off, and therefore doesn’t warrant more than forty minutes of playing time. Great album, and one of the band’s best – if the next one is of this standard, Nevermore shall be over the slump that was “Dead Heart in a Dead World” and well on their way to becoming one of metal’s most legendary outfits.
8 sideways-sitting positions out of 10.
- Information
- Released: 2005
- Label: Century Media
- Website: www.nevermore.tv
- Band
- Warrel Dane: vocals
- Jeff Loomis: guitars
- Jim Sheppard: bass
- Steve Smyth: guitars
- Van Williams: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Born
- 02. Final Product
- 03. My Acid Words
- 04. Bittersweet Feast
- 05. Sentient 6
- 06. Medicated Nation
- 07. The Holocaust of Thought
- 08. Sell My Heart for Stones
- 09. The Psalm of Lydia
- 10. A Future Uncertain
- 11. This Godless Endeavor
