I always think of Nevermore as a great live band, and maybe they are, but like Into Eternity, their setlists have always been predictable. They tend to play mostly songs from their new album, which is fine when you've only got two discs, or when your new album is good. But Nevermore have six albums now, and their best is three albums ago, not that you'd even know they had more than three albums, as their setlist on Halloween included only one song from Dead Heart in a Dead World (the excellent "River Dragon," easily the best song on that very overrated album), two songs from Enemies of Reality (the dull "Never Purify," and the title track, on which more later), and then a bunch of tracks from the disappointing new album, This Godless Endeavor. Nevermore are catching on with a younger crowd, and I'm happy for their well-deserved success, but their setlists for the last two or three tours have conveyed the following subtext: "Hey, all you long-time fans who bought our albums and came to our shows when nobody knew who we were - thanks and fuck off!" Warrell Dane is still a good frontman (if not the world's best singer), and it's always worth the trip to see Van Williams play drums. This guy is ridiculously good, one of the absolute best players in metal right now. Main guitarist Jeff Loomis is also an impressive talent, and I like his lead style, but his riffs just keep getting simpler and lamer. That seven string guitar has been very bad for him. The guy that really pisses me off, though, is new guitarist Steve Smyth. He's a bit of a band whore (having spent some unimpressive time in Vicious Rumors and Testament), and he's not even that good. When Chris Broderick of Jag Panzer filled in the second guitar slot for Nevermore last year, at least he had the skills to play the harmony to the awesome second solo in "Enemies of Reality," but not Smyth, whose only tangible contributions to Nevermore so far have been a couple of boring songs on the new album, and a silly looking guitar. The band's set was remarkably short, under 45 minutes I believe, which surprised me. I assumed it would be more of a co-headlining affair than it turned out to be. The first time Opeth toured the states, it was opening for Nevermore, who gave them at least a forty-five minute set, and this was years ago, before Opeth were the underground juggernaut they are now. Ingrates.
I won't paste the opeth or IE parts... I was entertained by this
I won't paste the opeth or IE parts... I was entertained by this
