### Nevermore: Dreaming neon black

#### 15/10/08 || The Duff

Released: 1999

##### Introduction

Tagging Nevermore shouldn’t be all that difficult, but it would seem the band has acquired many descriptors over the years: death-doom, death-thrash, power-thrash, gothic neo-noir/thrash-death cyber-metal with a twist of industrial, folk metal; I just consider them to be heavy metal band, nothing more nor less, with all the traits associable with the aforementioned sub-genres (minus the comedic genius) – labeling them seems rather pointless. “Dreaming Neon Black”, though, is an album that demands classification; when a very talented yet still bog-standard heavy metal band releases one of the darkest pieces of music one can experience save listening to a bag full of mic’ed up kittens being drowned in a barrel of acid, you better believe you’re gonna classify that sum’bitch – thrash/death/doom? Fuck it all; away with needless sub-genres, this band has always kicked ass, but this here, with absolutely no doubt, is their shining moment.

##### Songwriting

8. A lot of the band’s dynamics were lost with the departure of Pat O’Brien (now in Cannibal Corpse), and although Tim Calvert plays on this album, I am wondering whether it’s all because the songwriting fell into the hands of Jeff Loomis (the situation of Jeff being sole contributor to the material of later albums save for collaborations with vocalist Warrel Dane is certainly the case, as I read it in an interview) that the music is more straightforward than the classic heavy thrash masterpiece of 1996. What makes this album stand out most are the dirgy tracks (the heavy riffing hasn’t much changed from this release to “This Godless Endeavor”), which are about as morose as can be, yet make this the most smooth-flowing album from the Seattle-based masters when slotted alongside the more energetic, feral stuff. This is a peak of metal composition, entirely complete and foreboding like you wouldn’t know how – evil like a witch-doctor removing your scrotal and taint (Biology 101: otherwise known as the perineum or gooch) hairs one by one with a pair of rusty tweezers.

##### Production

6. I think Neil Kernon over-stepped the mark in getting the guitars as loud as fuck; he was clearly coming at it from the right direction, as Nevermore need a large, wall-of-noise sound to complement the slow-strummed chords, beefy riffs and absolutely shredding, heartfelt soloing – on “Dreaming Neon Black”, though, there is a definite imbalance, as the rest of the band (save the vocalist) appear dwarfed as a result of the monstrous parts of Jeff Loomis and Tim Calvert. Still, not so bad overall, except I can’t help but listen to “The Politics of Ecstasy” (also produced by Kernon), and think just how marginally better this album could have been were it produced with every instrument better accounted for; why he didn’t simply go with the same approach as on this album’s immediate predecessor boggles the mind, as he had perfected the Nevermore sound with said album, much like Andy Sneap on the band’s 2005 “This Godless Endeavor”.

##### Guitars

10. The worst guitar-player this band has ever had is Steve Smyth; that’s right, I know how to make a sentence hit you in the face like a bag full of jagged rocks. THE WORST THEY’VE EVER HAD IS LEGENDARY STEVE SMYTH OF TESTAMENT FAME. KAPLOW! Tim Calvert, although obviously not as much a virtuoso as the all-amazing Jeff Loomis, definitely keeps abreast of the deadly six-string wielder by keeping his lead phrasing absolutely impeccable, even at times outshining the band’s chief songwriter by remaining more subtly downplayed while still pulling off all the necessary flashy tricks to earn his place in one of the world’s leading guitar outfits. The riffs on this beast are quite futuristic in feel (the production playing some part), for although the spine of each is quite standard, Jeff has written them with some craftily placed chugs and peculiar rhythms that make them far more contortioned than their original frames would hint towards, making him one of the most prominent guitarists of modern times with a completely individual sound; you know his performance on this disc is reason for the perfect score, so I shan’t go into how much his playing on “Dreaming Neon Black” smokes.

##### Vocals

10. Nevermore definitely went through a bland patch with their songwriting, and I reckon it started with “Dreaming Neon Black”. Don’t get me wrong, the music is fantastic on this disc, but it is boosted (and as with this album’s follow-up, somewhat salvaged) by Warrel Dane’s performance. My opinion is that this guy has gone from being exceptionally unique, and one of the most passionate, as well as vitriolic, classically trained vocalists out there (the guy trained as an opera singer, evidenced by his ability to hit tonal extremes), to being just great all-around but lacking the piss and vinegar of youth (I say youth, but the guy must’ve been about sixty-seven for this recording) – “Dreaming Neon Black”, I reckon, boasts his chef d’oeuvre, his masterpiece performance, his virile, pickled testicles with all the trimmings, if you will, and something I’ve yet to hear truly bettered.

##### Drumming

8. Van Williams, in my eyes, never has been able to show his abilities on a Nevermore record beyond “The Politics of Ecstasy”; this could be a good thing, as Nevermore’s true graces are to be found in the guitar and vocal departments, but sometimes one would wish him to be more ostentatious (ah, the wonders of the Word synonyms feature – shit, I have broken an unwritten vow of the Reviewer’s Guild). All said (the pages and pages, there), “Dreaming Neon Black” is supposed to be an ominous, depressing experience, and so having a drummer who can’t sit still would take away a great deal of the atmosphere; he still has his moments of kick-work magic, such as with classic tracks “The Fault of the Flesh” and “Poison Godmachine”.

##### Bass

6. Can you believe that the bass is tough to make out? In turning up the guitars, the album is louder, but misses the low-end punch that is dependent on the percussive four-string instrument – Jeff’s tone is sweet as all hell despite the volume, but a chug-riff doesn’t collide with my glans as forcefully as it should due to Jim Sheppard’s somewhat lacking presence. No surprises that he should be talented, being in Nevermore and all, it’s a damn shame he couldn’t have been given a higher place in the mix, especially during the doomiest parts of this album.

##### Lyrics

8. We all know the world is in dire straits for the moment, but as long as we listen to the respective opinions of George Clooney and Brangelina and the likes, we shall always believe our salvation is at hand provided we carry on as normal. If such disillusionment were to be dispelled by the pessimistic, realist viewpoints of Warrel Dane, our heads would literally explode such would be the fear of our impending demise. Yeah? This album is a concept piece of sorts, and I’m not sure if it’s a personal account of a lost lover, a dark tale of a woman’s drowning and her partner’s subsequent decline into madness, but Warrel Dane sings about these things with such conviction that it wouldn’t surprise me if someone, say a person who has no fucken clue who Warrel Dane is, were to assume such and spread some harmless gossip so as to fill the voids created by insecurity and an unbearable sense of insignificance. Yeah? Mixed in with this story of the macabre is the usual anti-politics/“open yer fucken eyes” rhetoric coming from one of the world’s gloomiest individuals; definitely a good thing.

##### Coverart:

6. Aw, look, a woman being baptized. Oh, wait… So, apparently, this album is loosely based upon Warrel’s ex-girlfriend who left to follow the teachings of a religious cult, only to never be heard from again, hence the album artwork. I’ll say no more on the matter, because I entrusted Wikipedia as my source. Cover, as with the booklet artwork, is covered by none other than the great Travis Smith. I’m not entirely flabergasted with this piece (I prefer the back cover, a hand and some water; a drowning person without a face), but Nevermore album covers have never been much – probably their best piece of cover art, and their darkest.

##### Logo:

6. Angular; not going nuts over the logo, either. You’ll find the first two E’s and the V form what could be the Transformers logo, which is kinda neat. Remember them? Robots in disguise? Good shit, there.

##### Booklet:

8. Some fine, fine work indeed, at times I wish some of it had made the cover instead – dark, twisted visions from the dark side, illustrating death and the protagonist’s decline into madness quite vividly, all the time remaining quite abstract so that the beauty of each piece can be admired as an individual work of art. When you look at the band photo on the back-booklet, you get the impression that Jeff and Warrel are aware of the evil they have wrought upon this Earth with “Dreaming Neon Black”, and equally proud as a result; Van Williams acknowledges the dangers of presenting it to the public, and truly feels regretful, but remains along for the ride in not wanting to jump ship and leave his bandmates in the lurch; Tim Calvert is a little confused about the whole thing, and Jim Sheppard is very, very afraid.

##### Overall and ending rant:

9. As much as I admire the dark forces invoked by Black metal, there’s an intelligence on display here that transcends low-fi production jobs, banshee screeching, wind effects and Casio keys; this album touches deep upon the soul, connecting with some of the most difficult, calamitous (there’s only so much I can extrapolate from Harry Potter books – synonyms once more to the rescue) aspects of being human – it’s not all ice cream cones and blowjobs in Nevermoreland, that’s for sure. Witness the most powerful heavy thrash record ever recorded and be prepared to shit your pants.