Dead Heart in a Dead World

by

Nevermore

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For several years now I have found myself increasingly irritated that a band of this quality is barely able to live from its music. If ever there was an injustice in the music world, Nevermore would be top of the list of cases to be reviewed. For over ten years these four musicians (occasionally five with in and out second guitarists) have released some of the best metal around and yet singer Warrel Dane - to name but one - still has to work as a chef to make ends meet. This makes Nevermore's dedication all the more commendable.

Nevermore provides some of the most intense, heavy riffing this side of death metal. It provides beutifully intricate guitar work during lead breaks or more moody moments. Jeff Loomis (guitars) must be the world's most underrated guitarist playing in the world's most underrated band. The rhythm section are a public menace and Warrel's vocals are the most versatile and passionate your likely to hear in the genre. Oh, and the lyrics are to cry for - or is it die for? A Nevermore album has a tendancy to leave the listener an emotional and physical wreck. Dead Heart is no exception. The atmosphere is heavy - often angry, often cynical and occasionally melancholic. Compositions are complex, yet catchy and the numerous melodic moments and slower time changes amongst the whirling tornado of guitars and drums provide desperately needed oxygen to survive the instensity being showcased here.

This album sees Nevermore at the top of its game, which is scary when one considers the impressiveness of all that has preceded from the eponymously titled debut to Politics of Ecstasy to Dreaming Neon Black. On this disc, instead of the usual classic build up into each song, Nevermore tend to go for an 'in your face' approach, generally attacking with a barrage of riffs and kick drums, rattling out like machine guns before taking the song through various, mezmerising twists and turns and mood breaks. Highlights are many. Indeed, it's impossible to single out tracks such is the overall standard on display.

No metal fan can omit Nevermore from his or her collection, especially not this album, without doing a serious injustice to the band members and to the metal movement generally. I'm just wondering when people will wake up and ensure that this band reaps some well overdue rewards for services rendered to music.

If all this sounds like a terrible exaggeration, I challenge you to pick this disc up and tell me I'm off target ...

This one is a little out of whack. This album contains guitars so detuned that some of the riffs could induce a bowel movement. Yet, the overall impression is that this could have been so much more inventive and unique than it is. There are moments that are unique (see the cover of the S&G song -- killer!), but more often than not there is the Pantera-like chugging and the Slayer-like riffing. Warrel Dane is, as always, a god, which still makes me want to recommend this album, but don't buy this one if it is your first listen to Nevermore: go back at least to Dreaming Neon Black or better yet start at the beginning.