### Warrel Dane: Praises to the war machine

#### 07/04/08 || Euthanatos

Warrel Dane is known by most for being the frontman for popular modern metal act Nevermore. He is also known by a few old-timers like myself as the singer of the great Sanctuary, which released some killer material towards the end of the eighties/beginning of the nineties. Now, Mr. Dane has decided to take some time in between Nevermore albums to release a solo album. This interested me for a variety of reasons. First off, I’m a big Nevermore fan and I enjoy all of their catalog. Second of all, I loved Sanctuary. Third of all, well, it seems obvious by now that I greatly admire Warrel and his pipes and I think he is one of the most talented/recognizable voices out there in metal today.

Peter Wichers, former Soilwork guitar player/mastermind and occasional Killswitch Engage contributer, was the man Dane hooked up with not only as a producer, but as a song-writer, guitar-player, masturbation buddy as well. The first messages we got from Wichers and Dane regarding the sound of this album was that it was quite different than Nevermore (which made sense) and saw Warrel singing in much deeper tones, with a more somber approach to his vocals. All of this sounded promising.

The delivery of what had been promised is somewhat two-fold. On one hand, the material is very interesting and indeed doesn’t quite sound like Nevermore. Nevertheless, there are glaring similarities, and I guess this should be expected since Warrel’s vocals are so characteristic, as is his singing style. And concerning this issue, I really didn’t notice much difference from his singing in Nevermore. Not that I’m about to complain, as his singing rocks. Another interesting tid-bit about this album is that Warrel called upon people like Jeff Loomis, Chris Broderick and Jim Sheppard, all of whom are, or have been, Nevermore band mates of his. While this is a blatant showing of dedication to his band and his friends, it is somewhat peculiar for a solo effort and it greatly forces us to associate the project with the original band.

“When We Pray”, for instance, could very feature in a Nevermore album. “Messenger”, although different, with a slower, more visceral approach, features a Loomis solo (who is as brilliant as ever) which takes us right back to…yeah, you know. As I listen to “Obey”, “Let You Down” and particularly “This Old Man”, I notice that the main difference to Nevermore is the guitar riffs and guitar sound. It’s not quite as heavy and the riffs aren’t really metal, although they are heavy and are certainly rock. It’s metal, but a different kind, something slower, more mellow.

There are also a couple of cover songs on this album, “Lucretia My Reflection”, originally by the Sisters of Mercy, and “Patterns” by Paul Simon (and what does that remind you of? EH?). I really like the SoM cover because “Lucretia” is a great song, it was heavy as fuck in a time when heaviness wasn’t really the focal point, the lyrics are awesome, which is something that Warrel really shines on, his interpretation, and even though this isn’t quite as cool as Dan Swanö‘s version, it’s still damn good. But “Patterns” really takes the cake. Naturally completely different from the original song, much like Nevermore did with “The Sound of Silence” (arguably one of the best songs of “Dead Heart in a Dead World”), Warrel takes inspired lyrics and spews them with such passion that the song takes a life of its own.

“The Day The Rats Went To War”, ironically the song that reminds me the least of Nevermore, is the one I would highlight the most. Maybe it’s because it has James Murphy on it, and James Murphy is the fucking man. The lyrics are also badass. All-around great song. “Brother” is also a beautiful song. Somewhat a power-ballad or what have you, it’s something along the lines of “The Heart Collector” and “Dreaming Neon Black” (the song).

Alas, not everything is peachy on this effort, and I can’t really commend the production. Mr. Wichers, although a talented songwriter, should have maybe shared the knob turning honors with someone else, as I think his inexperience may have been a factor here. Or maybe I’m just used to Andy Sneap’s crystal clear production, I don’t know. I just miss that “oomph”. You know that “oomph”? Yeah, I can’t hear it here. While not that different to begin with, an artist should always have the freedom to experiment, and Mr. Dane has certainly the amount of talent required to entice us with this. But I’ll stick with Nevermore for the long haul, thanks.

The cover: It’s pretty, and it’s different, so that also counts. Boy, flag by his side, and a girl, haunting expression on her face, watch the missiles come down as they bring forth Armageddon. Nice. I hate the fucking fonts on this, though, looks like it was done in MS Paint by a fucking 10 year old.

7 Paul Simon fans out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2008
- Label: Century Media
- Website: www.warreldane.com
- Band
- Warrel Dane: vocals
- Peter Wichers: guitars, production, male bonding
- Dirk Verbeuren: drums
- Jim Sheppard: bass
- Jeff Loomis: guitar solo on track 2
- Chris Broderick: guitar solo on track 5
- James Murphy: guitar solo on track 8

- Tracklist
- 01. When We Pray
- 02. Messenger
- 03. Obey
- 04. Lucretia My Reflection
- 05. Let You Down
- 06. August
- 07. Your Chosen Misery
- 08. The Day The Rats Went To War
- 09. Brother
- 10. Patterns
- 11. This Old Man
- 12. Equilibrium