Nevermore - Nevermore

After the break-up of Sanctuary, harpy from hell Warrel Dane, Jim Sheppard and recent recruit Jeff Loomis decided to forge ahead under a new moniker representive of a change in musical direction. Keeping the technicality of their former band, Nevermore cross the best parts of 80's power metal with an aural crunch indicative of Seattle in the 90's. (I hear more than a little AIC in The Hurting Words...) I must say though, the difference in drum styles of the two players changes the entire feel, as Arrington seems to play exactly on the beat in contrast to Williams, who pushes the feel a bit. This may also be noticable as Arrington does play on some of the slower, broodier material. Both styles are appropriate for the mood of the music, which is dark, dank and gritty. Dane's voice still has the bite for which he was known for in Sanctuary, but here is toned down a tad. Guitar sound is just awesome, produced with confidence by Neil Kernon. An excellent release that unfortunately loses me after track 6 (I can't take a song about Timothy Leary that seriously) although the delivery is in earnest. Otherwise Dane's lyrics are aptly representative of society and their poetic quality is noticable. More "metal" than the next L.P., which begins to explore cybernetic areas.