Reviewed - 09/10/05
The
Godless Endeavor
[Century Media Records]
Interestingly, over the past few months I found myself falling head-over-heels with Nevermore. I had been a fan for years, ever since acquiring a burn of "Dreaming Neon Black" in the late 90's. A used copy of "Dead Heart in a Dead World" followed a few years later, and while several tracks off that disc blew me away (most notably "The River Dragon Has Come"), I still rarely thought of Nevermore, and listened to their music even less. "Enemies of Reality" pissed me off with its abominable sound quality every time I tried to listen to it, so that didn't help the matter much. But for whatever reason, earlier this year I felt a love affair begin to blossom between myself and this Seattle quintet (or quartet, depending on the album). I completed my discography in preparation of seeing Nevermore on GiganTour, and at the tour's Orlando show snagged a copy of their latest opus, "This Godless Endeavor."
And I found my newly discovered obsession with this band elevated to an even higher plane.
"This Godless Endeavor" is catchier and more melodic than any previous Nevermore release. And somehow, it is heavier and thrashier than previous Nevermore material as well. This dichotomy is staggering, as it manages to satisfy my love for beautiful harmonies and brutal metal cacophony in one dose. "This Godless Endeavor" continues the general progression of Nevermore's discography, with vocalist Warrel Dane taking more of a focus than previously. Dane's ability to drown the listener in emotion one moment and discharge verbal acid the next is nothing short of amazing, and I can testify to his awe-inspiring presence in the live setting as well. When I first heard "Enemies of Reality," regardless of its medicated haze production, I came to the realization that Nevermore was slowly evolving into a more vocal-centric band. I was sure that doing so would only benefit the group... and "This Godless Endeavor" only strengthens the validity of that idea.
Nevermore's latest is not a departure from the sound of earlier albums, but rather takes another step in the direction Seattle's finest have faced since day one. Moreover, for the first time on a Nevermore album I find myself utterly blown away and completely enamored with virtually every track on the disc. When asked what my favorite songs are, I have a tendency of replying "the first seven tracks, and the last one." And then I usually feel bad for disrespecting "The Psalm of Lydia."
Right off the bat, Nevermore are in ass-kicking mode. "Born" opens up with one of the fastest, heaviest riffs heard on a Nevermore release, not to mention an amazingly brutal-sounding Dane. A slightly theatrical "Sentient 6" addresses the concept of artificial intelligence, Nevermore-style. The segue "The Holocaust of Thought" (also a lyric from "Bittersweet Feast") is a short piece featuring James Murphy (ex-Testament) playing an excellent guitar solo over a riff originally concocted by bassist Jim Sheppard. And bringing "This Godless Endeavor" to a close is the title track, which according to Dane deals with the endless conflict between science and religion. At only a few seconds short of nine minutes, "This Godless Endeavor" is the longest Nevermore epic yet, proving that this is a band that doesn't know the meaning of the word stagnation.
Of course, what Nevermore review is complete without a few sentences of praise for Jeff Loomis, easily one of the greatest guitar gods in metal? The list of axmen who can pull off such thick metal crunch, intelligent riffing, blindingly fast solos, and passionate acoustic guitars – all on the same album – is a short list indeed. For the first time since "Dreaming Neon Black," a second guitarist joins Loomis, with Steve Smyth (another ex-Testament guitarist) bringing even more depth and diversity to the band. I hope Smyth sticks around for a few albums – he is no Loomis, but is certainly a welcome addition to Nevermore nonetheless.
One thing Nevermore have never been known for are their album covers. An online compatriot recently brought to my attention the fact that most Nevermore album covers are a stone's throw away from sucking. But this time around, Nevermore enlist the artistic talents of Hugh Syme to devise not only the best Nevermore album cover yet, but one of the best album covers I have come across, regardless of genre. It is dark, creepy, memorable, and 100% Nevermore.
Nevermore are certainly well-enough known in the metal underground that fans and critics alike are familiar with their unique variant of aggressive power thrash. And truth be told, "This Godless Endeavor" isn't going to break any new barriers in terms of creativity or songwriting. If you are adamantly opposed to earlier Nevermore, I cannot promise that this is the album to win your heart. But at the very least, "This Godless Endeavor" is up there with "The Politics of Ecstasy" and "Dreaming Neon Black" as one of Nevermore's strongest releases. It encapsulates everything that makes this band so great, and caps off my own recent voyage into Nevermore's music.
The future may be uncertain, but you may be sure of one fact: this is a Nevermore product that will be remembered as one of the band's finest moments.
[Century Media Records]
Interestingly, over the past few months I found myself falling head-over-heels with Nevermore. I had been a fan for years, ever since acquiring a burn of "Dreaming Neon Black" in the late 90's. A used copy of "Dead Heart in a Dead World" followed a few years later, and while several tracks off that disc blew me away (most notably "The River Dragon Has Come"), I still rarely thought of Nevermore, and listened to their music even less. "Enemies of Reality" pissed me off with its abominable sound quality every time I tried to listen to it, so that didn't help the matter much. But for whatever reason, earlier this year I felt a love affair begin to blossom between myself and this Seattle quintet (or quartet, depending on the album). I completed my discography in preparation of seeing Nevermore on GiganTour, and at the tour's Orlando show snagged a copy of their latest opus, "This Godless Endeavor."
And I found my newly discovered obsession with this band elevated to an even higher plane.
"This Godless Endeavor" is catchier and more melodic than any previous Nevermore release. And somehow, it is heavier and thrashier than previous Nevermore material as well. This dichotomy is staggering, as it manages to satisfy my love for beautiful harmonies and brutal metal cacophony in one dose. "This Godless Endeavor" continues the general progression of Nevermore's discography, with vocalist Warrel Dane taking more of a focus than previously. Dane's ability to drown the listener in emotion one moment and discharge verbal acid the next is nothing short of amazing, and I can testify to his awe-inspiring presence in the live setting as well. When I first heard "Enemies of Reality," regardless of its medicated haze production, I came to the realization that Nevermore was slowly evolving into a more vocal-centric band. I was sure that doing so would only benefit the group... and "This Godless Endeavor" only strengthens the validity of that idea.
Nevermore's latest is not a departure from the sound of earlier albums, but rather takes another step in the direction Seattle's finest have faced since day one. Moreover, for the first time on a Nevermore album I find myself utterly blown away and completely enamored with virtually every track on the disc. When asked what my favorite songs are, I have a tendency of replying "the first seven tracks, and the last one." And then I usually feel bad for disrespecting "The Psalm of Lydia."
Right off the bat, Nevermore are in ass-kicking mode. "Born" opens up with one of the fastest, heaviest riffs heard on a Nevermore release, not to mention an amazingly brutal-sounding Dane. A slightly theatrical "Sentient 6" addresses the concept of artificial intelligence, Nevermore-style. The segue "The Holocaust of Thought" (also a lyric from "Bittersweet Feast") is a short piece featuring James Murphy (ex-Testament) playing an excellent guitar solo over a riff originally concocted by bassist Jim Sheppard. And bringing "This Godless Endeavor" to a close is the title track, which according to Dane deals with the endless conflict between science and religion. At only a few seconds short of nine minutes, "This Godless Endeavor" is the longest Nevermore epic yet, proving that this is a band that doesn't know the meaning of the word stagnation.
Of course, what Nevermore review is complete without a few sentences of praise for Jeff Loomis, easily one of the greatest guitar gods in metal? The list of axmen who can pull off such thick metal crunch, intelligent riffing, blindingly fast solos, and passionate acoustic guitars – all on the same album – is a short list indeed. For the first time since "Dreaming Neon Black," a second guitarist joins Loomis, with Steve Smyth (another ex-Testament guitarist) bringing even more depth and diversity to the band. I hope Smyth sticks around for a few albums – he is no Loomis, but is certainly a welcome addition to Nevermore nonetheless.
One thing Nevermore have never been known for are their album covers. An online compatriot recently brought to my attention the fact that most Nevermore album covers are a stone's throw away from sucking. But this time around, Nevermore enlist the artistic talents of Hugh Syme to devise not only the best Nevermore album cover yet, but one of the best album covers I have come across, regardless of genre. It is dark, creepy, memorable, and 100% Nevermore.
Nevermore are certainly well-enough known in the metal underground that fans and critics alike are familiar with their unique variant of aggressive power thrash. And truth be told, "This Godless Endeavor" isn't going to break any new barriers in terms of creativity or songwriting. If you are adamantly opposed to earlier Nevermore, I cannot promise that this is the album to win your heart. But at the very least, "This Godless Endeavor" is up there with "The Politics of Ecstasy" and "Dreaming Neon Black" as one of Nevermore's strongest releases. It encapsulates everything that makes this band so great, and caps off my own recent voyage into Nevermore's music.
The future may be uncertain, but you may be sure of one fact: this is a Nevermore product that will be remembered as one of the band's finest moments.
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Tracklist:
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| Rating: 9.5/10 | |
| Release Date: 2005 | |
| Length: 57:12 | |
| Review By: F. Justin Ossmann | |
| Total Reviews: (1) | |
| Bands Website: Go Here | |
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