Five years. Is it really so long since Nevermore brought out the excellent This Godless Endeavor? Doesn’t time fly! Of course it’s not like the band have been lazy in all this time, or at least not all of the band – in 2007 Warrel Dane released a more than commendable solo album, and in 2008 guitarist Jeff Loomis followed suit and inflicted his self-indulgent wankfest upon the unsuspecting metal world. Now they are back as a whole unit releasing their seventh studio album.
While the last album received a ridiculous amount of media hype, some long-standing fans still were less than impressed as it continued that progressive thread of ‘Dead Heart…’ and ‘Enemies Of Reality’ which put a further nail in the coffin of Nevermore of old (that is, the more straightforward thrash Nevermore). Technicality, strictly speaking, is not something I care for in music yet somehow Nevermore get things right. Perhaps it is simply because they balance out their technical application with more melodic aspects and of course the wonderfully rich vocals of Warrel Dane keep things from sounding too cold and detached.
For those who viewed ‘This Godless Endeavor’ as a bit of a masterpiece, it was a curious question as to where the band could go next? Well, with ‘The Obsidian Conspiracy’ they seem to have cooled off the progressive technicalities somewhat in favour of a more accessible sound. Opening track ‘The Termination Proclamation’ meets the ears with a trademark technical riff that plays out over a crushingly heavy backdrop, before dropping into an atmospheric chorus where Dane’s rich, sonorous voice booms out really grabbing the spotlight. The track segues effortlessly into ‘Your Poison Throne’ which has a solid rhythm as drums clatter wildly in the mix.
‘Moonrise…’ mashes up some technical guitar work on the verse with a much more straight forward thrashing chorus. ‘As The Maiden Spoke’ is a real highlight for me, with its flowing melody and memorable vocal lines and there are some haunting undertones that I really like here. The vocals of Warrel Dane are as deep and passion-filled as you would expect, on slower tracks projecting a kind of reflectiveness, such as on ‘The Blue Marble and The New Soul’ which is dark and moody with some strained, haunting guitars.
‘Without Morals’ is another stand out track, with a really catchy chorus. As he proclaims ‘this is why I hate you’ he projects a well controlled anger without losing that sonorous tone to his voice. ‘The Day You Built The Wall’ is a slow, heavy number with a prowling bassline and crushing guitar riff. This album took a while for me to get into, although I have always found this with Nevermore. On the whole though it’s a much simpler and more accessible sound for them, which will inevitably earn them criticism from a certain type of fan, but a good album nonetheless.
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