When I heard that one of my all time favourite singers Warrel Dane was taking some time out from his main band Nevermore to record a solo album I was pretty intrigued. Having been previously involved in straight up Power/Thrash with Sanctuary then following it up with the progressive genius of Nevermore I was curious as to when he would take his music next.
I was taken aback slightly when it was announced that his main collaborators on the album would be Pete Wichers ex of Soilwork and Matt Wicklund who previously plied his trade with metal-core merchants Himsa.
Thankfully it turns out that I needn't have been overly worried as Warrel has turned in another fine performance on a solid solo release. In truth he never strays too far away from the path that he and his cohorts in Nevermore were travelling on, which is perhaps a bit of a missed opportunity to experiment and try something different. I was secretly hoping for a bit of the old ball-clenching falsetto that he used to use to great effect in Sanctuary but sadly I was to be denied.
Opening track When We Pray offers up a familiar crunching down tuned guitar riff with the time honoured anti organised religion lyrical bent. It's a theme that Dane has covered extensively in previous works and returns at various points on this release in tracks like Obey and Equilibrium.
When We Pray like the rest of the album is generally more straight ahead and to the point than Warrel's main band, lacking the labyrinthine twists and tempo changes of the Jeff Loomis penned material. But it's an unyielding, angry opener which sets the tone for the first part of the album.
Speaking of Jeff Loomis, the man himself pops up to lend his extraordinary lead work to the next track Messenger. As usual its impeccable playing though slightly shorter than we are used to from the Nevermore instrumentalist. The song vents its fury at people who are unable to take the responsibility for their own actions, it's apparently directed at someone close to Warrel but the man himself is being coy on the identity of this person.
If the first few tracks seem to stick a little to close to a previously established formula, the album takes a different tone when it hits the fourth track. A cover of the Sisters of Mercy classic Lucretia My Reflection. It's an excellent cover which transposes the originals stark bass and snare drum lead structure into a righteous metal stomper which really should be filling dance floors in metal clubs everywhere.
I can imagine Dane in the studio in a long leather jacket and dark sunglasses having a great time doing his best Andrew Eldritch impersonation as he delivers the lines like "I hear the sons of the city and dispossessed get down, get undressed". A self confessed old-school Goth nut it's not the first time Warrel has raided the 80's Goth crypt. You can find a medley of the Bauhaus tracks Silent Hedges and Double Dare on Nevermore's 1996 EP In Memory.
Incidentally if you like the song you should track down the original on the Sisters 1987 release Floodland. You won't be disappointed. But anyway I digress..
Let You Down ushers in a change in mood which continues for the next few tracks. The mournful opening melody and use of acoustic guitars give off a more laid back atmosphere that allows the listener to be carried off on a melodic wave. Its playful chorus of "I love to let you down, I love to wear this foolish crown of suffering" shows a lighter side to the album.
The next song August brings the weighty riffs back into focus but continues the feeling of wistfulness and melancholy. The haunting line "In August we laid her down, In August we gave her to the ground" should perhaps not be taken at face value as Warrel has stated that the song is really just about his fantasies concerning gothed-up girls. Perhaps this is his bid to create his own song in the style of the goth-fixated Black No.1 by Type O Negative.
The jewel in the album's crown is the poignant Your Chosen Misery. Again the acoustic guitars are broken out to great effect as the highly personal lyrics deal with people who attempt to retreat from the world by abusing drugs. Clearly a subject close to his heart the touching cry of "I played the jester perfectly, hail yesterday" is utterly devastating. It's also one of the tracks that makes this solo album more than a mere time waster till the next Nevermore release as it breaks away from that bands usual song writing patterns and covers some new ground.
More traditional fare follows with The Day The Rats Went To War. It's on songs like this where the quality is raised no end by Warrel's flawless vocal performance. He can without doubt turn an average song into something greater than the sum of its parts. Congratulations must also go to guest musician James Murphy for unleashing a fine solo as sadly there aren't as many as I would like on the record.
Brother is possibly one of the most soul bearing songs Dane has ever committed to tape. It's a plea to his estranged brother for understanding and reconciliation. Its one of those songs that on first listen doesn't really catch the attention but with repeated spins slowly seeps its way under the skin.
Just when Paul Simon thought his back catalogue was safe from further perversion at the hands of Warrel Dane, up comes a version of his song Patterns. I'm not familiar with the original but I'm guessing it didn't sound as dark and thoroughly pissed off as this take.
The Old Man is another touching down tempo track which tells of an elderly person who feels left behind and abandoned by society. It's apparently based on events from Warrel's childhood and listening to it you can hear that the aged man's passing clearly had an effect on the boy. Just listen to the aching in Dane's voice during the "I will remember..." passage at 1.52.
Closer Equilibrium is probably the heaviest song on the album but it is ruined somewhat by a very Melodic Death Metal guitar tone reminiscent of In Flames. I'd imagine it was probably inspired by Mr Wichers time spent in Soilwork. It doesn't destroy the song but it's not a style I'm fond of and dampens my enthusiasm for it to some extent.
It's difficult to be completely objective when reviewing a new release by one of my favourite artists. It's made harder by the fact that its human nature to compare anything new to what has gone before. And to be honest each and every Nevermore release is stronger than this one. However it is an album that rewards the repeat listener as the meaning and messages of the songs hit home. So I would defiantly say that it is a worthy aside in an already prestigious career of one of the finest vocalists around.Written by
Stuart Tuesday, April 15, 2008
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