The World May Be Dead, but the Metal Heart is Still Beating
A Review of Nevermore¹s Dead Heart in a Dead World
I did it. I finally broke down and bought my first Nevermore CD: Dead
Heart in a Dead World. I¹ve been spinning the disc exclusively for
almost a week now, and feel I can give an informed review.
They say you can¹t judge a book by its cover; or an album by its cover
artwork. Well with Dead Heart you can. The artwork on the album cover
is the visualization album's style; dark, brooding and heavy. The disc
opens with a full auditory assault with the opening track
Narcosynthesis. The machine-gun double bass complementing the brutal
throaty Megadeth-ish riffs immediately asserts itself and let¹s the
listener know this album isn¹t for the faint of heart. Warrel Dane¹s
vocals also harken back to the glory days of Power Speed Metal in the
opening verse of the opening track; gruff but with a certain resonance
that is achieved both technologically and naturally. After my first
sojourn into this Dead World, descriptions like dark, surreal, heavy,
brutal, and menacing all swirled in my mind. This is truly a ³Heavy
Metal² disc in all of its double bass pounding riff-laden glory. And
you know whatŠ.I like it. I like it a lot.
I will admit it took me a few full spins of the disc to get my ears
around this style of music and Warrel Dane¹s vocals. I was never a
huge fan of Thrash/Speed Metal, and many times this album crosses well
into that musical territory. However, Nevermore manages to mix in more
then enough great hooks and melodies to keep the music accessible to
any fan of Metal. For me, Nevermore is a difficult band to define as I
hear elements of Pantera, Megadeth, Queensryche, Dream Theater, and
Bruce Dickinson throughout Dead Heart in a Dead World. But somehow,
Nevermore manages to mix these influences into a concoction that isn¹t
derivative or a blatant rip-off. Although I must admit that the
entire ambiance of this album is so reminiscent of Bruce Dickinson¹s
The Chemical Wedding that I¹m wondering if there isn¹t some connection
between the two albums.
Once I¹d listened to the album in its entirety a few times, I starting
taking the music apart and dissecting the aspects of it.
Vocals: Like any singer I¹m not familiar with, Warrel Dane¹s vocals
took some getting used to, but once I¹d gotten my ears around his style
his immense talent became apparent. Dane¹s vocal strength doesn¹t
necessarily lay in his ³technical² prowess as a singer, and note-wise
he definitely doesn¹t have a huge vocal range. However, Dane does have
a huge range across vocal styles and uses them adeptly to compliment
the music. I hear influences from Mustaine to Halford to Tate to
Dickinson. Dane transitions between the styles effortlessly, many
times within a single song, and the end result is a style all his own.
His voice is perhaps the most expressive I¹ve heard since Geoff Tate,
and for me there is no higher praise for Dane than that. In the 20 or
so times I¹ve now spun the disc I find I¹m simply captivated by Dane¹s
throaty resonant vocals.
Music/Musicianship: Make no mistake Dead Heart is Heavy Metal at it¹s
purest. But what type of Metal is it? Speed Metal? At times.
Thrash?Š. occasionally. Power MetalŠmost definitely. Touches of Prog
Metal can even be heard on this disc. Well, call it whatever you like;
just don¹t call it sloppy or poorly played. Nevermore are a well-oiled
Metal Machine and their cohesiveness as a band shines through on Dead
Heart. This band is tight. The songs are well arranged with vocals,
crunchy guitars and thunderous drums driving the music.
Lyrics: The album title should give you an idea as to the demeanor of
the lyrics on this album; in a word: dark. Lyrically the album
explores the theme of the hopelessness and despair. The lyrics are
purposefully vague and even bizarre at times, but somehow still manage
to aptly convey the theme of the album.
Guitars: Guitarist and songwriter Jeff Loomis has written some of the
crunchiest riffage I¹ve heard in over a decade. His deep throaty
sound complements Dane¹s vocal style perfectly and creates a dark
menacing ambiance throughout the entire album. His sound is a bit
fuzzy for my tastes (is he using ³dropped-D² tuning?). The guitar
sounds is very similar to that on Bruce Dickinson¹s Chemical Wedding.
As a lead player Loomis definitely has chops. He¹s no Vai or Petrucci,
but he certainly can hold his own technically. At times the leads
sound a bit like clichéd ³Metal Solos², but they are well played
nonetheless. I think Loomis is at his best combining heavy mid tempo
riffs with atmospheric acoustic accompaniment as he does in the songs
Evolution 169, The Heart Collector and Insignificant.
Drums: I saved the best for last. Drummer Van Williams may have in
fact achieved the perfect drum sound on this disc. His bass drums are
thunderous yet tight. His snare sound balances pop with a resonance
that is just a pleasure to the ears. His toms are deep and resonant.
And finally, his cymbals are crisp and clear, especially his ride
cymbal. His hi-hats are a bit ³swishy² to me and I would have sworn
they were Zildian. Turns out there Istanbul. <shrug> Probably an
offshoot of Zildian or Sabian. I still prefer Paiste but his cymbals
sound good. As for Williams¹ style I¹d say he is one of the best
double bass drummers this side of Mike Portnoy. However, I wouldn¹t
say he overplays. His drumming really drives the music and his bass
drum is extremely tight with the rhythm guitars. An effect I really
enjoyed throughout the disc.
Bass: Was there a bass guitar on this disc? It¹s there, but it¹s not
predominant in the music. I think of it as the subconscious of the
music. It¹s there holding down the bottom end of the sonic spectrum
and you don¹t even know it.
Here¹s a run down of the songs and my thoughts on them.
Narcosythesis: Brutal Speed Metal at it¹s finest. The music hits you
like a wall of sound and assaults you full force. I¹m amazed I like
this song as much as I do. Excellent double bass drumming. This song
really hooked me with the bridge. The song builds and builds and
releases into a lamenting melody. I actually had break out a
dictionary for this line: ³Vilipend and amend the sins you condign².
8/10.
We Disintegrate: Another faster speed metal-ish song with some
Halford-esque vocals. The chorus makes this song special. Absolutely
love the layered vocals and the melody with some Tate-like low tones.
Great tune. 8.5/10
Inside Four Walls: Riff is reminiscent of Megadeth as is the way Dane
sings the verses. However the chorus is smooth and melodic; a la
Queensryche. There is a spoken segue in the middle that is either an
homage to Queensryche¹s Empire or just blatant rip off. A good song
but not great. 7/10
Evolution 169: Not sure what Evolution 169 is, but this is a fantastic
song. Mid tempo, brooding, and dark that releases into a very
Queensryche-esque chorus. I can almost imagine Geoff Tate singing this
chorus. 9/10
The River Dragon Has Come: Nice acoustic guitars at the start that are
smashed by a brutal Pantera-like riff. When I¹m in the mood for
seriously crunchy syncopated riffage this is the song I turn to, but
it¹s a bit much for me at times. Good song. 7.5/10
The Heart Collector: Damn this song could have been on The Chemical
Wedding. I swear that is the same riff on one of the songs on that
album. This is slower tempo song with a beautiful lamenting melody and
acoustic guitars in the verse. I really dig this song. I love the
use of the acoustic guitars in this song. 9/10
Engines of Hate: Pretty much just how I expected this song to sound
based on the title: ANGRY!! Damn everything about this song is angry:
the guitars, the drums, the vocals. Great line: ³ Can I be your
personal demon Sit back absorb the words and feast on my mind¹s semen²
They definitely conveyed the feeling of anger with this song so I¹ll
give them credit for that but not really my cup of tea. 7/10
Sound of Silence: Simon and Garfunkel go full on speed/thrash
nastiness. Don¹t like the opening at all. Didn¹t even realize until I
had read the liner notes that this is a cover of the Simon and
Garfunkel¹s classic. This is definitely my least favorite song on the
album. Interesting idea and they definitely made the song their own,
it¹s just not my cup of tea. 6/10
Insignificant: Wow, now this is where Nevermore shines. I love it.
Mid tempo. Great use of acoustic guitar. Great melody. Smooth as
silk vocals. Remind you of certain other Seattle band? Dane really
does a phenomenal job in this song. 9/10
Believe in Nothing: Mid-Tempo Melodic Power Metal. I totally dig this
as well. This one could almost be considered a ballad. Definitely not
what I was expecting from Nevermore. I¹m sure some Nevermore fans are
going to hate thisŠ.I like itŠ.a lot. 8/10
Dead Heart in a Dead World: Interesting start. Like an old phonograph
is playing in mono. Man you can hear the sorrow in Dane¹s voice; very
expressive vocals that then get obliterated by a very heavy speed riff
with more double base goodness. Serious speed riffage going on in the
verse here, but I like it. Chorus is sung in a sort of mechanical way
to convey the feeling of hopelessness. Great speed and power drumming
in this song. After the near ballad Believe in Nothing, I guess
Nevermore wanted to remind us that they hadn¹t wussed out. Don¹t worry
guys you¹ve proven you Metal.
Overall, I really love this album. It proves that great Metal is being
made these days and this album definitely tapped into my Metal roots.
It was nostalgic and fresh all at the same time; if that is possible.
As you can tell I gravitate more towards the mid-tempo melodic power
metal songs, but if Speed Metal is your thing there plenty of it hear
to satiate even the most hard fan. I¹ve spun about 20 times in the
last week and still only skip over Sound of Silence. This album is
going to get plenty more play time before I tire of it, and this
definitely won¹t be my last Nevermore purchase.. On a scale of 10, I¹d
give this album an 8.5.
A Review of Nevermore¹s Dead Heart in a Dead World
I did it. I finally broke down and bought my first Nevermore CD: Dead
Heart in a Dead World. I¹ve been spinning the disc exclusively for
almost a week now, and feel I can give an informed review.
They say you can¹t judge a book by its cover; or an album by its cover
artwork. Well with Dead Heart you can. The artwork on the album cover
is the visualization album's style; dark, brooding and heavy. The disc
opens with a full auditory assault with the opening track
Narcosynthesis. The machine-gun double bass complementing the brutal
throaty Megadeth-ish riffs immediately asserts itself and let¹s the
listener know this album isn¹t for the faint of heart. Warrel Dane¹s
vocals also harken back to the glory days of Power Speed Metal in the
opening verse of the opening track; gruff but with a certain resonance
that is achieved both technologically and naturally. After my first
sojourn into this Dead World, descriptions like dark, surreal, heavy,
brutal, and menacing all swirled in my mind. This is truly a ³Heavy
Metal² disc in all of its double bass pounding riff-laden glory. And
you know whatŠ.I like it. I like it a lot.
I will admit it took me a few full spins of the disc to get my ears
around this style of music and Warrel Dane¹s vocals. I was never a
huge fan of Thrash/Speed Metal, and many times this album crosses well
into that musical territory. However, Nevermore manages to mix in more
then enough great hooks and melodies to keep the music accessible to
any fan of Metal. For me, Nevermore is a difficult band to define as I
hear elements of Pantera, Megadeth, Queensryche, Dream Theater, and
Bruce Dickinson throughout Dead Heart in a Dead World. But somehow,
Nevermore manages to mix these influences into a concoction that isn¹t
derivative or a blatant rip-off. Although I must admit that the
entire ambiance of this album is so reminiscent of Bruce Dickinson¹s
The Chemical Wedding that I¹m wondering if there isn¹t some connection
between the two albums.
Once I¹d listened to the album in its entirety a few times, I starting
taking the music apart and dissecting the aspects of it.
Vocals: Like any singer I¹m not familiar with, Warrel Dane¹s vocals
took some getting used to, but once I¹d gotten my ears around his style
his immense talent became apparent. Dane¹s vocal strength doesn¹t
necessarily lay in his ³technical² prowess as a singer, and note-wise
he definitely doesn¹t have a huge vocal range. However, Dane does have
a huge range across vocal styles and uses them adeptly to compliment
the music. I hear influences from Mustaine to Halford to Tate to
Dickinson. Dane transitions between the styles effortlessly, many
times within a single song, and the end result is a style all his own.
His voice is perhaps the most expressive I¹ve heard since Geoff Tate,
and for me there is no higher praise for Dane than that. In the 20 or
so times I¹ve now spun the disc I find I¹m simply captivated by Dane¹s
throaty resonant vocals.
Music/Musicianship: Make no mistake Dead Heart is Heavy Metal at it¹s
purest. But what type of Metal is it? Speed Metal? At times.
Thrash?Š. occasionally. Power MetalŠmost definitely. Touches of Prog
Metal can even be heard on this disc. Well, call it whatever you like;
just don¹t call it sloppy or poorly played. Nevermore are a well-oiled
Metal Machine and their cohesiveness as a band shines through on Dead
Heart. This band is tight. The songs are well arranged with vocals,
crunchy guitars and thunderous drums driving the music.
Lyrics: The album title should give you an idea as to the demeanor of
the lyrics on this album; in a word: dark. Lyrically the album
explores the theme of the hopelessness and despair. The lyrics are
purposefully vague and even bizarre at times, but somehow still manage
to aptly convey the theme of the album.
Guitars: Guitarist and songwriter Jeff Loomis has written some of the
crunchiest riffage I¹ve heard in over a decade. His deep throaty
sound complements Dane¹s vocal style perfectly and creates a dark
menacing ambiance throughout the entire album. His sound is a bit
fuzzy for my tastes (is he using ³dropped-D² tuning?). The guitar
sounds is very similar to that on Bruce Dickinson¹s Chemical Wedding.
As a lead player Loomis definitely has chops. He¹s no Vai or Petrucci,
but he certainly can hold his own technically. At times the leads
sound a bit like clichéd ³Metal Solos², but they are well played
nonetheless. I think Loomis is at his best combining heavy mid tempo
riffs with atmospheric acoustic accompaniment as he does in the songs
Evolution 169, The Heart Collector and Insignificant.
Drums: I saved the best for last. Drummer Van Williams may have in
fact achieved the perfect drum sound on this disc. His bass drums are
thunderous yet tight. His snare sound balances pop with a resonance
that is just a pleasure to the ears. His toms are deep and resonant.
And finally, his cymbals are crisp and clear, especially his ride
cymbal. His hi-hats are a bit ³swishy² to me and I would have sworn
they were Zildian. Turns out there Istanbul. <shrug> Probably an
offshoot of Zildian or Sabian. I still prefer Paiste but his cymbals
sound good. As for Williams¹ style I¹d say he is one of the best
double bass drummers this side of Mike Portnoy. However, I wouldn¹t
say he overplays. His drumming really drives the music and his bass
drum is extremely tight with the rhythm guitars. An effect I really
enjoyed throughout the disc.
Bass: Was there a bass guitar on this disc? It¹s there, but it¹s not
predominant in the music. I think of it as the subconscious of the
music. It¹s there holding down the bottom end of the sonic spectrum
and you don¹t even know it.
Here¹s a run down of the songs and my thoughts on them.
Narcosythesis: Brutal Speed Metal at it¹s finest. The music hits you
like a wall of sound and assaults you full force. I¹m amazed I like
this song as much as I do. Excellent double bass drumming. This song
really hooked me with the bridge. The song builds and builds and
releases into a lamenting melody. I actually had break out a
dictionary for this line: ³Vilipend and amend the sins you condign².
8/10.
We Disintegrate: Another faster speed metal-ish song with some
Halford-esque vocals. The chorus makes this song special. Absolutely
love the layered vocals and the melody with some Tate-like low tones.
Great tune. 8.5/10
Inside Four Walls: Riff is reminiscent of Megadeth as is the way Dane
sings the verses. However the chorus is smooth and melodic; a la
Queensryche. There is a spoken segue in the middle that is either an
homage to Queensryche¹s Empire or just blatant rip off. A good song
but not great. 7/10
Evolution 169: Not sure what Evolution 169 is, but this is a fantastic
song. Mid tempo, brooding, and dark that releases into a very
Queensryche-esque chorus. I can almost imagine Geoff Tate singing this
chorus. 9/10
The River Dragon Has Come: Nice acoustic guitars at the start that are
smashed by a brutal Pantera-like riff. When I¹m in the mood for
seriously crunchy syncopated riffage this is the song I turn to, but
it¹s a bit much for me at times. Good song. 7.5/10
The Heart Collector: Damn this song could have been on The Chemical
Wedding. I swear that is the same riff on one of the songs on that
album. This is slower tempo song with a beautiful lamenting melody and
acoustic guitars in the verse. I really dig this song. I love the
use of the acoustic guitars in this song. 9/10
Engines of Hate: Pretty much just how I expected this song to sound
based on the title: ANGRY!! Damn everything about this song is angry:
the guitars, the drums, the vocals. Great line: ³ Can I be your
personal demon Sit back absorb the words and feast on my mind¹s semen²
They definitely conveyed the feeling of anger with this song so I¹ll
give them credit for that but not really my cup of tea. 7/10
Sound of Silence: Simon and Garfunkel go full on speed/thrash
nastiness. Don¹t like the opening at all. Didn¹t even realize until I
had read the liner notes that this is a cover of the Simon and
Garfunkel¹s classic. This is definitely my least favorite song on the
album. Interesting idea and they definitely made the song their own,
it¹s just not my cup of tea. 6/10
Insignificant: Wow, now this is where Nevermore shines. I love it.
Mid tempo. Great use of acoustic guitar. Great melody. Smooth as
silk vocals. Remind you of certain other Seattle band? Dane really
does a phenomenal job in this song. 9/10
Believe in Nothing: Mid-Tempo Melodic Power Metal. I totally dig this
as well. This one could almost be considered a ballad. Definitely not
what I was expecting from Nevermore. I¹m sure some Nevermore fans are
going to hate thisŠ.I like itŠ.a lot. 8/10
Dead Heart in a Dead World: Interesting start. Like an old phonograph
is playing in mono. Man you can hear the sorrow in Dane¹s voice; very
expressive vocals that then get obliterated by a very heavy speed riff
with more double base goodness. Serious speed riffage going on in the
verse here, but I like it. Chorus is sung in a sort of mechanical way
to convey the feeling of hopelessness. Great speed and power drumming
in this song. After the near ballad Believe in Nothing, I guess
Nevermore wanted to remind us that they hadn¹t wussed out. Don¹t worry
guys you¹ve proven you Metal.
Overall, I really love this album. It proves that great Metal is being
made these days and this album definitely tapped into my Metal roots.
It was nostalgic and fresh all at the same time; if that is possible.
As you can tell I gravitate more towards the mid-tempo melodic power
metal songs, but if Speed Metal is your thing there plenty of it hear
to satiate even the most hard fan. I¹ve spun about 20 times in the
last week and still only skip over Sound of Silence. This album is
going to get plenty more play time before I tire of it, and this
definitely won¹t be my last Nevermore purchase.. On a scale of 10, I¹d
give this album an 8.5.
