This is some heavy shit!
Well, nothing new there then... :) But this one ranks up there with the heaviest and most aggressive
Nevermore albums ever. It even manages to sidestep "The Politics of ecstasy" in terms of pure energy driven anger. While this is an extremely aggressive album it still oozes that special
Nevermore feel. It is another worthy addition to the fantastic
Nevermore catalogue and is a safe purchase for everyone who likes the band. On the other hand, I'm not sure that this is the best way to discover
Nevermore. Personally I would recommend my favorite, "The politics of ecstasy" or maybe "Dead
Heart in a dead world" first.
One thing that is not helping the album is the production, which is very dry and feels somewhat hollow. Comparing to the other
Nevermore albums, this is my least favorite in terms of production. With a heavier and clearer production I feel the album would have been even better. Listening to the album with the volume turned up there is a lot of noise in the sound, both when I listen on speakers or headphones. It is really annoying. One example is the otherwise mindblowing solo part of
Ambivalent.
Jeff Loomis on guitar and Van Williams on drums are both brilliant. The guitar playing of Jeff Loomis is outstanding and a big highlight of the album. One monster riff after another bounces from his guitar along with lightning fast solos. He is on fire through the whole album! Van Williams on drums is tight as hell and although the drum sound is somewhat thin it is still a pleasure to listen to his playing. Extremely groovy, with an incredible amount of detail, I don't think I will ever tire of just listening to the drums on this album. Jim Sheppard on bass is unfortunately hidden deep in the production most of the time.
Warrel Dane is still what gives
Nevermore much of its special feel. His singing is both agressive, emotional, fragile and powerful at the same time. He sings like no one else and has been one of my favorite singers ever since I first heard Sanctuary's Into the mirror black. This album just proves his talent once again.
The powerful and aggressive title track kicks of the album.
Warrel Dane spits out the words while Loomis' guitar is all over the place. The chorus is classic
Nevermore and overall the song is a good example of the album.
Ambivalent gets even heavier and more aggressive, yet it still carries the melodic touch as a strong element throughout the song.
Never purify begins with the chorus of the song and that is a good choice as it is also the highlight. I especially love the drumming in this very intense song.
Tomorrow turned into yesterday is the most melodic song on the album. Warrel sings in a brilliant way that gives it that special melancholic
Nevermore feeling. Once the chorus hits I find myself singing along like I did on "The heart collector" from Dead heart... Definitely a favorite.
I voyager raises the intensity level again with a heavy driving riff and some strong links to the Politics of ecstasy album. The lyrics to this song are also very inspiring.
Create the infinite is the most anonymous song of the album and my least favorite, but that is soon forgotten when
Who decides blasts off. This is another heavy beast, blasting off at high speed, it soon slows down and becomes a very atmospheric journey through haunting melodies and a huge sweeping chorus that is really fantastic.
Noumenon has a great "The sorrowed man" feel to it (Superb ballad from the In memory EP). While the atmosphere and guitar playing is great, I don't feel the song really goes anywhere. The song is quite a relaxing and serves as an interesting link to
Seed awakening, which closes the album on a heavy, fast and powerful note. Wow, what an opening riff! This one has the band going all out crazy in the opening part and the way the guitar raises the intensity to an explosive level when
"Witness seed awakening" is first said is ingenius. Other highlights include the way the guitar leads the song to the chorus and the way the song suddenly slows down right before the first chorus. Sometimes I feel that this song was put together backward. It is really ingenious and definitely my favorite of the album.
As always with
Nevermore the lyrics are captivating and it feels like they hold a higher form of truth sometimes.
With 40 minutes playing time the album is over all too soon, but I'm not complaining when it is so packed with quality music. What you get is 40 minutes of intense, in your face Metal that is bound to leave you breathless. It does take some time to get really into the album as it is so compact, but it grows with each listen. The album has a lot to offer if you are willing to dig deep enough.
I can recommend buying the special edition of the album as it has a bonus DVD with videos of
Believe in nothing,
Next in line and
What tomorrow knows, as well as live versions of
Engines of hate and
Beyond within. Especially the live versions are enjoyable and it's great to witness the energy the band has on stage.
This is yet another outstanding collection of
Nevermore songs, shame about the production.
Written by
Steen Monday, September 22, 2003
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