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Nevermore > Dead Heart in a Dead World > Reviews
Nevermore - Dead Heart in a Dead World

When Nevermore were about substance - 72%

Annable Courts, November 19th, 2020

Nevermore may not be for everyone but what they do offer here is a brand of crossover metal with a wealth of influences pulling the tracks in multiple directions rather than being a sound limited to one particular dogmatic persuasion. They are indeed an American prog/heavy metal band, but there's no way one could predict what this album would sound like before hearing it, as opposed to other bands that slip into one given label like a glove.

The awe-inspiring opener and poetic 'Narcosynthesis' differs substantially from the next track 'We Disintegrate' and its uniquely atmospheric dynamic, and both tracks are well different yet from the ensuing developments, particularly the power ballads found later on the album. It would be easy to think this would just be guitar hero Jeff Loomis spewing a boring amount of virtuosic leads and solos all over basic thrashy heavy metal songs with operatic spells from vocalist Warrel Dane, and yet the tracks focus on song-writing first; crafting full songs with inspired parts and with a specific goal in mind for each one; and only welcome the technical prowess of the different instrumentalists as a bonus on top.

The music can get a tad dull in parts whenever the songs steer towards the more stereotypical aspects: the solos are usually tasteful, at times impressive with contagious lead parts, but sometimes come across as a bit on the cliche side, and a few passages can be rather predictable (say, 'The Heart Collector' as a whole). But mostly the album carries that exciting vibe associated with that period and more particularly the year 2000, like a crossroads between old metal and more contemporary elements from the new millennium like the wider sounding production, on the drums and guitars notably. They still sound like an authentic and organic mid 90's band, only with enhanced technologies serving as a more powerful platform seeing through the goal of the record, while preserving the quality song-writing intrigue and not letting the production trump the fundamental compositional and stylistic objectives.

The album a bit oddly shifts to seemingly only power ballads after a point, and although those make for a so-so pleasant listen, the meat of it and the interesting parts undeniably occur early. That whole starting fivesome is quite special metal content, and the sort that cannot simply be found on just any album pulled out from the modern heavy metal bin. Those will likely stay with the fan - for good with at least a couple of those songs. The material alternates between sheer heaviness with deep enormous sounding guitar rhythms, baritone 7 string single-note open plucks with dynamic octave chord motions bringing to mind the more alternative scene of the early 2000's, and more melodious sequences with either Dane's soaring voice let loose on choruses or catchy lead guitar patterns. There's also great continuity between the sections as the vocal lines will sometimes be emulated by the ensuing leads and Loomis favors expanding core ideas for songs rather than stuff them with tons of aimless different parts. At times it can also be poignant with heavy sorrow as heard on the chorus to 'Evolution 169' or better yet on the brilliant schizophrenic chorus for 'We Disintegrate' with its subtle background arpeggio leads and Dane's split personality act behind the mic.

Overall it does well at being a mashup of many of the available influences of its time while not sacrificing its core identity. If anything it's a shame the album should show off glimpses of brilliance and high octane creativity, before settling for more innocuous status quo content in comparison. It provides great vision into a world unseen til that point in the field, then acts like it was a fluke and returns to a more ordinary routine, with a few moments rather pedestrian even. This is still arguably the band's best effort; the one where they sounded most unique; with the previous ones a work in progress striving for separation and the next releases more generic, self-indulgent and infatuated with the prospects of sounding big and ultimately, formatted.

Annable Courts - http://antichristmagazine.com/review-nevermore-dead-heart-in-a-dead-world-century-media-records/

The Royal Seal Of Gayness (17th in class) - 27%

hells_unicorn, September 9th, 2016
Written based on this version: 2000, CD, Century Media Records

Mistaking homophones, or words that sound the same but have very different meanings, is usually a hallmark of those learning a new language or maybe a handful of conspiracy theorist types who wish to infer common meanings between two words from two entirely unrelated languages in order to sell some version of reality that would even make Agent Steel blush. However, there is a case to be made that this is also a fairly common occurrence for those who follow Nevermore's much lauded "middle period" (aka between the self-titled debut and Enemies Of Reality), mistaking something being great when instead it is simply grating. While there is a case to be made for any of the three albums in question being among the worst things to come out of the groove metal craze, their turn-of-the-millennium, preachy as hell fourth LP Dead Heart In A Dead World is where most media and fan boy praise tends to congregate. Though there is a certain logic as to why this album tends to be the most praised, the musical results are an exercise in pure torture.

This was the first album to feature the production input of Andy Sneap, who's signature sound became synonymous with the superior output that would ensue following this album, and it comes with a certain degree of crispness and clarity that is one of the few upsides to this album. Granted, Nevermore's issues were never with production values, but with songwriting and vocal execution. In said respect, this album contains elements of The Politics Of Ecstasy's occasional thrashing fury as well as Dreaming Neon Black's melodramatic balladry, with maybe a slightly greater affinity for the latter, but a lyrical approach that is about as pompous and sententious as can be. This isn't to say that a call for proportionality in the American justice system on issues of drug use as noted in "Inside Four Walls" or concerns of environmental destruction on "The River Dragon Has Come" are mistaken or not worthy of consideration via song, but Warrel Dane's tortured bellowing and almost arrhythmic lyrics turn a valid point into a revolting display of self-righteous pontificating. For all of the lousy music that Geoff Tate has put out either on his own or during the latter days of Queensryche, not to mention a long time of cigarette smoking, he never reached the sort of haggard sounding sloppiness on display here.

The songwriting generally follows the same frustrating formula that took hold of this outfit in 1996, namely starting things off on a relatively strong note and then immediately degenerating into repetitious drudgery. The opening song "Narcosynthesis" is a classic illustration of this, starting off with a fairly animated and engaging thrasher of a riff that is admittedly groove oriented given the deep notes employed by Loomis' newly acquired 7-string guitar. But as soon as Dane's vocals prepare to hit the scene, the hypnotic one/two note chugging commences to clear the way for the lyrics. That's sort of the problem with vocals-oriented metal, everything is slavishly devoted to either filling space when the vocals are absent (ironically the small spaces where this band sounds remotely decent), or dumbing itself down to the lowest common denominator so that the vocals are fully exposed. Granted, if Dane would construct some melodic material that was coherent and not garbled by melodramatic shouts and wails, it would be considerably less of an issue.

The aforementioned opening song, along with parallel ones found in "Engines Of Hate" and "Behind Four Walls" are generally the best displays on this album, largely because they don't get bogged down in poorly executed ballad sections and have some semblance of riff work going when Dane rests his shredded vocal chords. "We Disintegrate" would be of a similar persuasion, but Dane actually makes a tragic attempt at revisiting his Refuge Denied days during the verse and ends up channeling a banshee with a leprechaun crammed up its ass. Surprisingly enough, there is also a fair degree of riff intrigue and frenzied goodness from the rhythm section on the twisted remake of "The Sound Of Silence", which literally sounds nothing like the original, but more like one of those few moments of modern thrashing brilliance that would pop out of Pantera every now and then in the mid-90s mixed with a bit more noodling. The rest of the album is generally locked in ballad territory, plodding along slowly and ultimately defeating its own purpose given how anti-melodic Warrel's vocals come off.

One positive thing that could be said for this album is that it doesn't drink the nu-metal flavorade, though some of the slower material like "Believe In Nothing" get a little too close for comfort and it wouldn't be a surprise to see a lot of people of said generation having this as a token album alongside the entire KoRn and Limp Dickshit discographies. It wobbles along a rather tenuous line between being lazy and being incoherent, yet time-compressed for radio and MTV propagation where most tend not to care if music is good or even catchy, but rather short and not requiring much thought. That's probably the one truly off-putting thing about this band, there is no accounting for subtlety, no clear sense of cadence, just a mechanistic ordering of fragmented ideas with occasional fits of technical prowess. In short, Dead Heart In A Dead World listens like a retarded computer from a really stupid Sci-Fi flick.

"Inconsistent" my ass - 89%

PhillCantu93, June 5th, 2010

To put Nevermore in a nutshell, they blend heavy metal with elements of thrash, power metal, progressive metal and groove metal. Warrel Dane has a vocal style similar to Geoff Tate from Queensryche; very operatic and powerful (often times criticized as "tortured" and "forced", by I myself disagree), and Jeff Loomis is the guitar genius behind it all.

Unlike the bands previous albums, this one features a bit cleaner production and utilizes seven-string guitars, something not done by the band before this album. The song writing is also a bit different, taking a penchant for longer, heavier songs with various groove-metal style riffs (those that are hellbent on being "truer than thou" might call it "nu metal" oriented, but whatever). In the end, however, the band still has the same style as they've always had; political lyrics backed up by an instrument section with influence from many styles of metal (this is often taken by some to be "inconsistency", but I fail to see how).

As much as I love this album, this is by far their weakest release to date. Yes, there are fan favorites such as the opening track "Narcosynthesis", "The River Dragon Has Come" and the semi-balled "Believe In Nothing", this album also contained some relatively weaker songs that seemed more like fillers to complete the 11-track listing (namely "We Disintegrate", "The Heart Collector", and even the title track, despite having a very heavy verse riff) rather than something they put heart and soul into. Some songs do a combination of putting you right in the feeling of the song AND making you wanna straight up head-bang, and others are just sort of there for the sake of being there, and are just average. For example, "The Heart Collector", in my opinion, is just some song loaded with mediocre riffs primarily comprised of basic five-seven chords with an average solo (which is hard to say about something done by Jeff Loomis). Immediately afterward, however, "Engines of Hate" provides a great opener followed by some brutal riffs that also create an atmosphere. So it's essentially a 50/50 album you're listening to here.

So if you're first getting into Nevermore, don't pick this up. Try "This Godless Endeavor" or "The Obsidian Conspiracy" if you want to start listening to them. Dead Heart In A Dead World is not a bad album at all, but by far their weakest. The songs are either fantastic or just average. The only reason I'm keeping the grade above 70 is because the average songs aren't necessarily "bad" in the sense of "this sucks", but they're exactly that; average.

Favorites: Narcosynthesis, Inside Four Walls, Evolution 169, The River Dragon Has Come, Engines of Hate, Believe In Nothing

Average at best - 50%

doomknocker, March 19th, 2009

This was my first foray into the world of NEVERMORE, and sadly, a foray that would prove to be slightly fruitless. I'd heard of these guys back when I was a thread killer on the MEGADETH BBS, when throngs of droogies were tossing neon black flags into the air, espousing praise upon praise and crowning Dane, Loomis and company as the patron saints of modern metal. And since during this time in history metal was taking a serious beating (late 90s into the early 00s...you know what I'm talking about...), I was compelled to give these Seattle noise-mongers a serious try to see what all the fuss was about.

Heavy, competant, and well performed? Very much so. But the patron saints of modern metal? Hardly.

I owned this album for about two or so months until I ended up forgetting about it and traded it to my brother for another album (can't remember which one it was off-hand). For whatever reason this band never really threw me for a loop when it comes to their recorded work, but seeing them live is another story. Onstage they are a solid and very entertaining act who can really tear it up. But anyway, back to the album...it starts off OK with tracks like the ripping "Narcosynthesis" and "We Disintegrate", but then it all kinda spirals downward, attested by "The River Dragon Has Come" and the title track. I think the main issue with the band, and this album in particular, is that they throw too much into their sound without giving it ample time to gel and manifest properly, and each song comes off as a sporadic patch-work of ideas rather than cohesive compositions. Jeff Loomis is definately a riff-machine, no doubt about it; it's just that his abilities are quite hit-or-miss, and maybe two or three riffs of the alloted amount per song are killer, while the rest come off as shrug-inducing. And, for as long as I've listened to them, I could never really get into Warrel Dane's off-key warbling. While I understand that it's probably part of the band's charm, his vocals come off as distracting from the rest of the music.

So in the end, this is average at best. Worth a listen or two, but doesn't really have enough staying power to keep you hooked. Stick with OPETH and AYREON for your prog needs and you'll be just fine.

Just sort of something brilliant - 84%

Dulthasil, April 29th, 2008

Dead heart in a Dead World is a change in style for Nevermore, they move from their earlier sound which was good to a new 'proggier' sound. The real translation of that is that they use ideas that don't really fit into most genres of metal. For example the solo in the "The Riverdragon has Come" is whole tone scale, so it sounds unusual which probably is why it's called progressive, if progressive means different then fair enough.

However this is nothing new, Dreaming Neon Black (which was very good) did have these elements, just listen to the intro of "Poison Godmachine", certainly a very unusual rhythm, probably 'progressive'. It is this edge that distinguishes Nevermore from the amorphous blob that is much of thrash. Originality is unusual and Nevermore are on of the few bands out there who do like to alter the 'formula' by which music genres comfortably exist.

The songwriting is interesting which is refreshing and although it is not the best Nevermore album, it certainly isn't devoid of high quality tracks. "Inside Four Walls" is brilliant, some masterful songwriting. Jeff Loomis as is to be expected creates some brilliant riffs and solos; he is possibly one of the best guitarists of our time.

Warrell Dane's vocals sound tortured, yet are powerful enough to cut over the wall of sound, the lyrics as is Nevermore's tradition, are political and bitter. There really are few bands with as good ideas as Nevermore's they manage to pull off being bitter and twisted far better than most who try. Although it is a cliché for a thrash band to be anti-establishment Nevermore do it well.

Highlights of the album include: Narcosynthesis, Inside Four Walls, The Riverdragon has Come and Believe in Nothing. It is a consistent album, but having said that it is not consistently brilliant, tracks such as Evolution 169 are merely good, as opposed to brilliant. It is pleasant to have slower tracks and variation but sometimes it serves more to disperse the energy and sheer driving force of the album. These are however, only small problems.

Overall a solid release, tightly played creative riffs are numerous. It is refreshing to have a thrash album where speed picked riffs are almost absent and the vocals carry a tune, although there is still something to be said for aggressive vocal styles. Although not Nevermore's best release it is still a good release, certainly not a mediocre one. Compelling to listen to and something you can come back to over and over again. Good stuff.

Not their best. - 54%

Alcohol, August 12th, 2007

This is Nevermore's weakest album to date, and hopefully the weakest of their career. With Dreaming Neon Black they had really become solid songwriters, writing songs that both chill the bone and slay the face. Dreaming Neon Black was a haunting ballad featuring highly emotive vocals and a truly haunting chord progression, and Poison Godmachine and I Am The Dog were all-out thrashers to bang your fuckin' head to. Dead Heart In A Dead World has a few decent songs and passages, but overall it doesn't hit nearly as hard as any of their others.

The songs here are much slower paced than most of their best work. Enemies Of Reality and This Godless Endeavor were purely metal albums, completely dense with technical and heavy riffs, convincing vocals, great lyrical themes, and masterful songwriting. This album seems to feature a bunch of slower rock ballads, and a lot less riffs than their other works. The most metal song here is their version of The Sound Of Silence.

Don't get me wrong, the songs here are catchy and powerful, it's just that too much focus is on the melody of the vocals, and Warrel Dane's list of strengths does not include melodic singing. Other Nevermore songs were powerful due to a complete package, like Sentient 6 and Dreaming Neon Black were powerful because every member had a solid and emotive contribution. This album sounds like a Warrel Dane solo project, with the riffs (or chords really) just there to back up his vocals. Engines Of Hate's a cool little metal song, that features decent riffs, and Inside Four Walls has a good opening riff, but that's about it. The album just doesn't go anywhere, it's so monotonous and tends to stay in one place. Once you've heard Believe In Nothing and The Sound Of Silence you've heard everything this album has to offer.

So in conclusion, avoid this album. Get This Godless Endeavor instead, or even Enemies Of Reality.

Why does this not excite me at all? - 57%

Empyreal, March 11th, 2007

I hear so much hype around this band. Most everyone fellates their progressive-ness, their intelligent lyrics, and their heavy riffs and melodies, as well as the vocals of Warrel Dane, as you can see by the many high scores for this album right below this review. And I can't deny that this is a talented group of musicians with a well thought out album and good, clear, and heavy production, but does that make it any good? Not exactly.

Nevermore as a band bores me. They meet all of my standards for good heavy metal but do not exceed them or twist them in any way to make their music exciting. I don't really call this progressive, either; while everyone else goes on about how progressive and revolutionary this is, all I hear is solid heavy metal with slightly more complex song structures than is normal for the genre. The riffs are heavy, but that's all they are. The drumming is average at best, good, but not great. This band is so painfully standard that it annoys me---that they could be so much more than this. They're obviously not untalented, as the work here shows. There are two main reasons why this album is not as good as it could be.

I think the biggest issue here out of all of them is Warrel Dane's voice. The guy isn't actively annoying as a singer, nor is he the worst I've ever heard. But he's not good at singing, not at all. Even back in Sanctuary, he was a Halford clone (albeit a pretty damn good one, but still). The guy has no range or emotion to his voice at all on this disc, keeping mostly to an angry sounding midrange which reminds me of a slightly better James Hetfield at times (There is someone else he reminds me of a lot more, but goddammit, I can't put my finger on exactly who!). None of the choruses or verses really jump out at me here, they're all pretty faceless. It does sound like hes' trying to sing well here at times, but he never really pulls it off. I admit that I like his vocals here better than on 'The Politics of Ecstasy', but that's not saying very much. At least they're not at the front of the mix here, or else I'd definetly take a good ten points off the rating.

The other big issue here is the production. It's very good, technically, and all the instruments as well as the vocals are given due representation, but it sucks. Everything here is very modern sounding, as UltraBoris would describe it as, and I don't like it. It lacks any real feeling, any real emotion at all that would make you want to stand up and headbang or sing along. I would use the word 'flat' to describe the sound of this album. It does nothing for me.

The lyrics here are very grim and depressing, which also takes out most of the fun in singing along with it. This is very serious music. I'm not going to go into depth with the lyrics because I'm not one to really read too far into them, but they're very well written, albeit not for those who want more lighthearted party-metal oriented stuff. It's not a detractor that the lyrics are so dark, though, not for me.

Despite most of the review up until now has been criticism of Nevermore, I don't hate this album. There are some good songs on here. The opener "Narcosynthesis" is a strong start, with some slightly raspy vocals from Dane, which I like better than his usual droning. The riffs are nice and heavy, but I still wish I could say more about them. "The River Dragon Has Come" is my favorite song here, and it's actually got some energy going for once, with some really good guitarwork in the middle of the song. I'd say download this song and just skip most of the rest of the album; very strong stuff with nice soloing. "Engines of Hate" is also good, a step above the rest of the dullness on here.

But every other song bores me to varying degrees. Especially tracks 2-4; honestly, can't they do better than this? Nothing redeeming or exciting about them at all. This is a decent album of dark heavy metal, and it's better than the other Nevermore album I have, but it's not revolutionary or progressive, at all, for they haven't progressed much at all from 'The Poltiics of Ecstasy' (which I have not decided whether to review or not). I'm sure I'll get some flak from the Nevermore fanboys for not fellating this, but hell, it doesn't really do anything for me. After listening to it, none of the songs here stick with me at all. Since this is the band's fourth full length album, it's safe to say they won't be changing anything I criticized in this review any time soon.

Nevermore isn't bad, and this album is generally OK, but both are horrendously overrated. I can't recommend this to anyone, since there are so many bands that do this kind of thing better that I would recommend first. It's a safe listen, nothing that will kill your eardrums, but it's too standard and dull. People here will go on about how I don't get it, but I don't think there IS much to get here...I'm not much a fan of progressive metal, but this album isn't prog in the first place! Dream Theater is prog. Pagan's Mind is prog. This is just heavy metal, and average heavy metal at that. It does work as background music, though. Yawn.

A Brutal, Breathtaking Journey of Extreme Prog - 97%

bluedrgn456, December 15th, 2006

Let it be known that this is definitely in my top ten metal albums ever (and i have heard a LOT of albums). The first time I heard of Nevermore was when they were announced for Gigantour. I wish I had heard this album long ago, as it encompasses everything that 'heavy' music should.

Jeff Loomis' guitar tones are heavy as shit, and very unique. His 7-string guitar playing has inspired me to pick up one of the axes myself, and use heavy guage strings, much like his style, but I am still nowhere close to the madness of this album. Right from the beginning, "Narcosynthesis" promises us something truly dissonant, but powerful with its heavy drum and guitar tones, and brutal rhythms. Essentially, it has all of the characteristics of 'nu-metal', but faster, and excecuted properly. Dane pulls off a good Halford in 'We Disintegrate', and the philosophical rocking of 'Behind Four Walls' continues to rock out.

'Evolution 169' is, without question, the weakest track on the album but still has a sorrowful chorus that Nervermore 'ballads' are known for. It breaks up the first three songs from the insanity that is to come. Some would think it is over-rated, but once you get into 'The River Dragon has Come', you never get out. With its strange, japanese-esque intro, it captures you, then kicks your ass sideways with its brutal rhythm changes and use of triplet rhythm figures. The Heart Collector is probably the softest track on the album, which fits nicely next to the brutal 'Engines of Hate'.

We now enter the third part of the album, which is arguably the best. Things start off strangely with a cover of 'The Sound of Silence'. Thats right, its Simon and Garfunkel.. in a different key, changes in scales and modes, completely different tempo, and overall tone. Pure genious. The next two tracks are 'ballads', but the best that Jeff Loomis has put together, thanks to his favoring of diminished scales. Although it has that evil tone and disonnance, 'Insignificant' really catches your ears during the chorus, not using the convential 'ballad chord changes', you won't forget it. 'Believe in Nothing' is probably the least exciting or strange track of the album, but that doesn't make it bad. In this song, the band simply puts their hearts out.

The albums title track, and closer, is enough to make anyone shits their pants upon getting into. It starts off very peacefully, with nothing more than a bass guitar and Warrel Dane's vocals, as if theyre played through a radio, with a lot of fuzz. However, it is still very listenable, and still draws you. After the very ear catching 'dead heart' part, it shifts into full gear, with no doubt the heaviest section Jeff Loomis has ever put together. The pure brutality of the riffs here are unforgettable. Listen to it LOUD for best results. With brutally honest verses, and a truly epic and thought-provoking chorus, this song conitnues to rock the hell out of you, never faltering for even a second.

In short, 'dead heart in a dead world' is worth a chance for fans of any type of metal. The strange uses of diminished scales, chords, and Jeff Loomis' idea of dynamics makes this an album you will not soon forget.

Cold Dead Heart - 79%

Erin_Fox, October 28th, 2006

“Dead Heart In A Dead World” is undeniably a masterpiece of conceptual composition, as Warrel Dane, Jeff Loomis and Co., tear away at further sonic intensities.

The addition of Tim Calvert (Forbidden) to the fold brings a highly regarded talent to the operation. Calvert brings the wall-of-sound guitar tone that he’s well known for dishing out in waves, but it’s the monstrous tone and sharp execution of axe slinger Jeff Loomis that provides the bulk of the poundage.

Nevermore sounds like a band that is strictly on the edge and it is this precarious nature that makes this music so breathtakingly thrilling. Filled with energy, yet retaining the all-out heaviness of past efforts, this release challenges the listener to delve deeply into a musical world of dark emotive release.

“Evolution 169” will sound familiar yet to fresh to those listeners that are familiar with the band’s thick grooves, while cuts like the pounding, hammer-to-anvil lead track “Narcosynthesis” and the urgent, wandering “We Disintegrate” both show that Nevermore have continued to develop as songwriters, their creativity enhanced through experience and vision. This song also peers a bit into the sound pioneered by Dane’s former group, Sanctuary.

But in doing so, Nevermore expand upon that sound, modernizing it and melding it into their own manifestation of musical psychosis. Primed for mechanized sonic warfare, “Engines Of Hate” delivers a riveting ride, with a cold-as-steel charisma certain to appeal to those fans that long for the more commanding personality of the group. With much to offer those interested in metal that is at once progressive and overpowering, “Dead Heart In A Dead World” is a touch less brilliant than the band's former efforts, but a solid one nonetheless.

Very very good - 93%

invaded, July 7th, 2006

This is just a solid release from a pretty damn solid band. Nevermore are widely recognized as leaders of the pack for a new generation of metal bands, and it's easy to see why. The musicianship is fantastic, the songwriting is brilliant, Warrel Dane's vocals are unique and intersting, their lyrical IQ is quite evident, and their sound is very polished and hits you like a well-oiled machine.

This album was very much a breakthrough for them. Jeff Loomis by now was known as a high octane and high speed shredder of world class talent. Warrell Dane has a voice that I know for a fact many people dislike, but it fits the band's sound to a tee. This record has a very depressing and grey feel to it. The lyrical content isn't exactly very joyous either. The sound the band has here is very prestine and mechanical, so you kind of feel bummed, yet are entranced by the music you hear.

There are so many stnadout tracks on this record it's tough to know where to begin. The album opener "Narcosynthesis" kicks things off in high gear with a double bass chug assault with some powerful vocals over the top. There is some amazing lead play from loomis and the band is super tight. "The River Dragon Has Come" is another doozy of a song where Dane even kicks things into falsetto high gear towards the end after another blistering solo from Loomis. "The Heart Collector" is slow ballad-y type song with a catchy chorus that gets one singing in no time.

Nevermore always seem to finish their records in style, and this one is no exception. The Simon and Garfunkel cover of "The Sound of Silence" is truly unique in that Nevermore have really made the song their own and got a very cool and dark sound whilst still keeping an allure of the original's main melodies. "Insignificant" is probably my favorite track on the record. The song starts with some really nice and interesting clean playing from Mr. Loomis before dane kicks in with a perfect vocal melody to match. The song has a very anthemic quality to it that makes the mind wander to distant thoughts. The album closer and title track is a rapidfire ripper of a track that is short and sweet and finishes this off with quite a bang.

The album is superbly crafted and the songwriting is top notch. From the musicianship of the entire unit to the lyrical content and the buildup of the entire record. Everything just meshes perfectly and the mood is set up greatly for the album's namesake. This is very interesting as this is one of the top modern metal bands today.

The best Progressive Extreme Metal band ever! - 100%

pentakle361, September 17th, 2005

This is Nevermore's best album ever! This is the 1st true metal album, I can think of, done competely w/ 7-string guitars. This band proved to the whole metal genre and to n-metal bands that 7-strings are not restricted to n-metal bands only and that the old-school guys should open up a bit and expand their creativities and horizons. Nevermore is a band that has elements of thrash, death metal, a little black metal, some trad/power metal and a lot of prog too. One amazing, talented and creative multi-dimensional band. That's why I describe this band as Progressive Extreme Metal. Nevemore's doing what Queensryche should've done after their "Promised Land" album. I got introduced me to this band thanks to Tim Henderson of BW&BK thru his Brave Radio, where I heard "Narcosynthesis" and "Inside Four Walls". Those songs introduced me to this album and Nevermore itself. This band is in my current playlist.

The best song of the album is "Inside Four Walls". "Engines Of Hate" is great song when you're driving on the highway; it boils your blood very well. "The Sound Of Silence" is the first cover of its kind that I can think of in which the music differs completely from the original; the only common link are the lyrics; wonder how would Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel respond after hearing this. Its music is very well written and composed; sounds very death metal and some glimpses of thrash w/ Warrel Dane's clean vocals. How do these opposite forces attract? Only Nevermore has succeeded so far this way.

I also have all the bonus stuff. "Chances Three" is a beautiful song and I wish it's available as the bonus track in the future reissued version of this album. "All The Cowards Hide" is an amazing song and it's a "Dreaming Neon Black" leftover; hope it'll also be available as the bonus track in the future reissued version of "Dreaming Neon Black". The Judas Priest cover "Love Bites" is amazingly well-done; very groovy track and hope it'll be available as a bonus track in the future reissued version of "In Memory" EP.

Amazing guitar work and solos from Jeff Loomis. The only complaint I have with Jeff Loomis would be repetitions in his solos; avoid being another Yngwie Malmsteen. Excellent drumming by Van Williams. He's somewhere between Nick Menza and Dave Lombardo. Great bass from Jim Sheppard. Last but not the least, outstanding vocals from Warrel Dane. He has his own unique voice, but at times he reminds me a lot of Geoff Tate, and sometimes Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford too. The lyrics are very bizarre, deep, philosophical and metaphysical. Hands down to Andy Sneap for his brilliant production and Nevermore should continue working w/ him.

Can't wait to catch them live. Keep it up guys!

\m/

My Dead Heart...ALIVE! - 90%

Dark_Mewtwo1, May 21st, 2005

It's a winner folks. It's a winner. Nevermore's Dead Heart is one of those masterpiece albums of this middle-aged decade. It's spot on, Warrel's great vocals, Jim's bass, Van's drumming, and of course, Jeff Loomis' guitar work is great. It's a great ride, but it does falter down the stretch a bit for me.

Narcosynthesis and We Disintegrate make a ballsy start to this album. The very intelligent lyrics in these songs are mind-blowing, and recall Rage For Order/Mindcrime Queensryche and Fates Warning. The guitar work is excellent, and the good times continue throughout Inside Four Walls, Evolution 169, all the way until Engines of Hate.

The song that really stands out for me is The Heart Collector, in which I think Warrel Dane delivers his best vocal performance in Nevermore history. The song is very melodic, ala Dreaming Neon Black, but this song just bullied DNB out of its spot. And We Disintegrate has some great high pitched screaming-type vox from Warrel as well.

Once this album hits the Simon and Garfunkel cover, it starts to slow down, with three songs that are a bit more melodic, and it gets a little too dull for me here. The songs are good if you listen to them by themselves, but it slows the album when played in succession. The title track does make a great finish to this album, though, with the powerful words this song induces.

This album made me a fan of Nevermore back in 2002, and I've been an avid supporter of this band. Even through their slip with EOR, I still support them, and this album is close to metal perfection in my mind.

–a psychedelic journey into a shapeless reality- - 93%

angel_of_pain_000, May 9th, 2005

If Dreaming Neon black can be considered the absolute masterpiece of Nevermore's production, Dead Heart, in a Dead World is the obvious successor and the natural progression of their journey through human issues.
Nevermore are one of the most controverse bands in metal scene of the whole world. Many people think that their grinding riffs, united to Dane’s particular vocals, are really awful, “only noise” or something like this.
I agree: Nevermore makes bad music. There is not (with the exception of some ballads) a melodic path to drive the listener, the sounds are grinding, vocals are cruel and someway nothing but screams of a dying man.
But tell me: what is the real aim of this music? What is the message behind these painful growls? Why a great baritone singer like Warrel Dane is wasting his voice recording this shit?
Because life is shit. And so no other sound, no other metal band in the world can express so well man’s pain, grief and broken dreams. No other metal band can make you feel so down, so insignificant, so sad. No other song we can play but a crying scream of agony (“...all play dead.”).
So, the question that a critic must pone to himself is: how much this nears to the poetic aim (..metal is poetry, and if you don’t agree you’d better set your ass out of this site..!!!)? The obvious answer is that Nevermore music may not look good, but it perfectly represents the image of men condemned by god to dwell in pain “in this useless hole in time/on our way to the black unknown”.
Nevermore does nothing but following the path of metal, which has –in time- put his basements on anguish, anger and death. They just made a jump forward on this way, and few people understood it. This is more metal than metal!
After this ‘short’ intro, it’s time to focus our attention on the work of art that DHiDW is. The title itself represents the emptiness and the sorrow that will grow in you while crawling on the psychedelic notes of this album. The ‘natural evolution’ between DNB and DHiDW is constituted by anger and sorrow of man against god, nature and humanity seen as ‘flesh’ to the introspection to the ego, the rebellion against society and technology as a mind-controller. Eventually, man realizes to be and believe in nothing, and looking around (and inside) himself he can’t see anything but a shapeless, dead world. The successive progression will come with the even more contested Enemies of Reality – but this is another story. The thing we can easily notice is the dramatic evolution of Nevermore’s conception of the ‘kosmos’ (= beautiful...) the Greek word used first by Aristotle to describe the universe.

Narcosynthesis: Not the best song of this album, but built on a solid riffage base. The anger of the first part disappears with a sort of slowing praise to the cleaning power of time (“Turn my blood to sand / The life falls through the hourglass and grows cold...”)

We Disintegrate: One of my favourite songs by Nevermore. Warrel Dane is a god, and he shows his incredible ability singing this song in (at least) 4 different tones, a range of voice that quickly passes from the ‘growling baritone’ of the intro to the falsetto of the verse, and to the double-tone full of passion and sorrow of the chorus. A really fantastic one!

Inside Four Walls: The anger against mind control operated by governments and religion gets inside you now: with explicit anti-americanism Dane describes how institutions bound our freedom “Inside four walls”. Drumming by Van Williams couldn’t have proposed a better rhythm for this song: speedy, strong, complex. The cymbals are tortured under a thousand beats, and riffage perfectly underlines the raging “Is this the American way... ... NOOO!” and the extraordinary solo which follows.

Evolution 169: A sorrowful ballad with a wonderful refrain that breaks the bursting anger of the previous song.

The River Dragon Has Come: In my opinion, the most overvalued song of DHiDW. It tells of this ‘unstoppable flood’ that will take everyone to his grave, without any chance of find shelter or salvation. Good idea (and a beautiful metaphor in the image of the river dragon coming), bad realized for a chorus that, repeated three times in the same ‘lamenting’ tone, really gets you bored.

The Heart Collector: It focus your attention on what the others expects from you, and how the pain in your life may make you listen to the ‘heart collector’s’ song and allurements, alias to feel the temptation to sell your heart, switching your brain off to obtain some kind of salvation from this anguish... Another perfect song!

Engines of Hate: The most insane and merciless song in this album. The fast rhythm is mystically broken by a very melodic parenthesis towards the end, and the result is a very strange feeling, even for a Nevermore creation. Maybe a precursor of Enemies of Reality...

The Sound of Silence: This is a Cover. A well realised one. Who can tell, listening to this psychedelic screams and riffs that the words have been written by Simon and Garfunkel? The theme is as gloomy as a true Nevermore one should be, and the music is wonderful!

Insignificant, am I? A slow intro that screaming grows in one of the powerful, saddest ballads I ever heard. Everything breaks down, everything becomes insignificant and sanity slips away with the evidence of man’s weaknesses and limits.

Believe in nothing: A beautiful and someway ‘happy’ classical guitar lead open this good ballad which shows the emptiness and the strange peace that the man reaches at the end of his journey, finally finding the inadequacy of every kind of dogmatism to find the answers he was searching. “Nothing is sacred when no one is saved / Nothing’s forever, so count your days / Nothing is final and no one is real / Pray for tomorrow and find you’re empty still” Maybe too much repetitive in its last section.

Dead Heart, in a Dead World: A dark introduction contributes to make us see and feel nothing but a cold, dead and empty world. This song is not perfect, because of the broken rhythm (used to represent the madness and anger or a man in which nothing is left) and its shortness (inadequate to such a symphony of suffering). But the solo and the chorus, which truly seems to come from an empty and dark cave are simply extraordinary. Sanity is slowly shed in tears on the ruin of the world, there is no saviour for man: he is definitely alone.
What more should I say but stand up and go to buy it??

Prog-metal the way it should sound - 93%

NeverCrypt, April 22nd, 2004

This is the first album I picked up by this amazing group, and I immediately fell in love with it. Warrel Dane is an accomplished vocalist, Jeff Loomis is a living guitar god, Van Williams is a maniacal drum genius, and Jim Sheppard can provide some of the best bass lines heard in metal today.

A song by song review is certainly in order:

Narcosynthesis - At first, you're hit with some really modern sounding guitar, and I used to really not like this song. After listening to "Enemies of Reality", I learned to really appreciate this song. The lyrics are extremely catchy, the breakdowns are really chunky and well-executed, and the guitar noodling by Jeff Loomis is superb. Dane slowly unleashes his vocal attack, the bass is basically inaudible, and the drums are quite standard. 7/10

We Disintegrate - This song has a really wicked intro, a lot of Loomis' wonderful guitar work prevails, and then the vocals come in. Dane starts out soft and then rips into this high-pitched shriek, then to this really powerful tone. The song is full of duality, the chorus is perfect. The only thing that could make this song better is if the higher-pitched guitar licks really stood out. 9/10

Inside Four Walls - This hits you like a bull-dozer. It begins with some chugga-chugga riffs and just smashes into this amazingly complex breakdown. Dane seems to be toning down his vocals, but they're still top-notch and work well with this song. 9/10

Evolution 169 - A rather calm song...it's full of very bright and almost sorrowful guitar tones, Dane's voice is soothing and really silky, deep and just really epic sounding. This song is deep with emotion and power. Dane's range is really starting to show and the album is about to really take off. Get ready, this is just the eye of the storm. The breakdown is just amazing, and the soloing is mind-blowing. 8/10

The River Dragon Has Come - This is probably one of my favorite songs of all time. You hear that? It's the sound of Jeff Loomis owning you! HA! This song starts out with this gorgeous little acoustic-esque intro, and then slams into this monstrous riff. Modern guitaring, but applied properly. This is an epic. Dane's voice has never sounded better, the drumming is just perfect, the bass is not that audible, but that's ok, it doesn't hurt the song at all. Seeing this live totally took my breath away. I never headbanged so hard in my life. You cannot refute this song. Any metalhead will love this song. A PERFECT 10/10.

The Heart Collector - Following the best song on the album may be a tough spot, but, this song definately holds its own. Finally, Jim Sheppard's brilliant bass work can be heard. The song is beautiful and mellow and escalates without trouble into this heavy, monolith. The solo towers over you and washes you away with it's warmth and gorgeous tones. 10/10

Engines of Hate - An explosive intro fueled by William's powerful drum work. Then Loomis gives us this sick little guitar lick and then a bad-ass riff, then vocals...and oh the vocals! Dane is delivering, the album gets stronger and stronger. The lyrics are just great, "Can I be your personal demon? Sit back absorb the words and feast on my mind's semen." I remember my ex-girlfriend reading that and being totally appalled. HA. Dane is just brilliant, from Sanctuary, even on Nevermore's most recent effort "Enemies of Reality", his vocal work and lyrical prowess have been astonishing. 10/10

The Sound of Silence - You wouldn't guess that this was a Simon and Garfunkel tune, now would you? The guitar attacks in after a short intro, this is the most brutal song on the album...from SIMON AND GARFUNKEL! That makes me laugh, but Nevermore takes a once acoustic song about the state of the world and turns it into this killer cover. Dane's vocals are sinister and pained, you can hear the evil leaking from his genius lips and tongue. Loomis creates this soundscape that just punishes the ears, it's truly a brutal song. The breakdowns are just perfect, Dane really brings something to the table with his vocals...you can't ask for a better cover. The solo is simple but is just perfect for the song. 10/10

Insignificant - An acoustic verse, a very haunting ballad of a song. Dane's voice is somber and really creates a feeling of despair. Once the electric guitars come in, the song becomes this rising wave of depression with a sort of thunderous attack. You really take notice to the lyrics of this song and you just become enveloped in it. This is a fine example of a metal ballad. 10/10

Believe in Nothing - The first track I heard off this album, which I fell in love with. This is a strong ballad. More of a ballad than "Insignificant", but with more power. It's just so strong, it's a stand-out within the last few songs, and probably the second best track on the album. It's not a riff-heavy powerhouse, nor is it that complex, it's just simply perfect "power ballad". ANOTHER PERFECT 10/10

Dead Heart, In a Dead World - Ok...the closer and the title track all in one. You can tell by the intro that this was meant to be a closer. This really drags down the amazing qualities of this song. The first minute and thirty seconds (1:32), are a chock-fest of rather mediocre guitar plucking. Dane has some excellent lyrics and provides a rather slow vocal performance. Once the guitars really hit in, this song bitch slaps you. I mean, if this song didn't have that lame-ass intro, it'd be perfect. Everything is just amazing. The guitar work, again modern and really chunky, still works very well. 9/10

This album is a must, no doubt about it. It may not be up to their older albums standards, but still has a great deal of staying power and is constantly in my stereo. Nevermore is a band of talented musicians that shouldn't be overlooked.

Suggested Tracks:

The River Dragon Has Come
The Heart Collector
Believe in Nothing
(the latter portion of) Dead Heart, In a Dead World
The Sound of Silence

Oodles of potential but... - 71%

OlympicSharpshooter, April 6th, 2004

Nevermore, Nevermore, you show such flashes of talent but you constantly seem to let me down. When I first got this one I was in love, really digging on the album. Unfortunately the more I listened, the more I was let down. My mental mark for this started around 90, dropped to 85, and then petered down to a disappointing, but respectable, 71. Thing is, this band has a great deal of talent, particularly the vocals of Warrell Dane, but for every "The Heart Collector" there's an "Engines of Hate". I think the major problem is how dry a lot of this feels, this ponderous modern fat that seems to seep into you until you feel like your bones have lead for marrow.

I despise this band's rhythm section, and their ugly fucking guitar tuning. Really. The stuttery heavy (nu) metal songs just bore me, really making me wonder how people can trumpet these guys as the future of power metal. Smothering heaviness isn't the solution to the pestilence of limp neo-classical trash on the market. That'd be like trying to cure anemia and giving the patient a blood clot. But then again, man, when Loomis just plays those soaring trad metal riffs all is right with the world… this is what power metal needs more of: passion, and while Nevermore are capable of producing it there's just too much chunk and not enough finesse. The drums are generic thunking, and the bass is like some bastardized KoRny thumping. I'd use the same adjectives to describe potatoes rolling around in a sack, and that seems oddly appropriate here.

There's a lot to love though. "The River Dragon" is a novel way of executing the classic power metal formula, particularly the non-standard vocal melodies and truly haunting vocals. The solo is wonderful, and the narrative is interesting. There's a lot of depth to this stuff. "Insignificant" is a really sparkling number, a standard power ballad formula performed to perfection, with some very good lyrics within. "Evolution 169" is another weird twist on a classic form, the song highlighting Dane's strained vocals over an almost plodding guitar line. This song brings to mind Geoff Tate of Queensryche, both men having a very thespian style, as does "Within Four Walls" which is trés Operation: Mindcrime, particularly the spoken part that is a mirror image of "Spreading the Disease".

"Dead Heart in a Dead World" really stands for a lot of the problems I have with the band. The song is tailor made to be an epic, up there with "Holy Wars", but the band refuses to let it take off. The scratchy intro is brilliant, the chomping staccato riff is excellent, and that chorus is amazing, particularly that little lifting riff underneath the vocal melody. That break is pure gold too, a Sabbatherian riff that houses some wonderful soloing...but why is it so short? We get only one repetition before they end the song. I can totally see this song going around 7-8 minutes like a good title track should, but they chop it off at the knees. It's like they have this urge to write stuff that'd rank them with the greats, but the strictures of staying 'modern' make truly stirring epics seem... out of character.

There's so much blandness here. "Engines of Hate" is crappy post thrash with crappier lyrics, and "Narcosynthesis" is a weak opener, despite some amazing lyrics. "The Sound of Silence" is a song I dislike anyway, but the attempt to make it thrash is wasted. "Diamonds and Rust" this is not. Why not go for some doom and gloom to break up the bombast, give it some mellow and depressing SPACE as in "The Heart Collector" to give the poetic lyrics their place to shine. Bleh. Machine Head would be proud.

Ultimately, this album is just frustrating. I may give Dreaming Neon Black a chance, but at this point Nevermore only frustrates me. And I look for release in my metal. Excuse me while I go spin something that doesn't just make me sad. This is half a great album, but half a great album won't cut it amongst the Orphaned Land's and Emperor's of the world.

Stand-Outs: “The Heart Collector”, “The River Dragon Has Come”, “Insignificant”

Doesn't live up to the previous two, but not bad - 76%

Pyrus, June 2nd, 2003

Well, this is no Dreaming Neon Black, that's for sure; then again, it would be extremely hard for any band to match the levels of mastery on that album. Dead Heart instead goes in a new (dare I say "nu?" Nah...) direction, introducing a seven-string guitar and some more chugging, modern-ish riffs than the power/thrash of the previous effort. However, the ripping thrash of Politics of Ecstacy remains very clearly evident, and come out sounding somewhat like Machine Head before they began to suck (i.e., the first album), only faster.

The album has a fairly unconvincing start, unfortunately, with "Narcosynthesis" kicking things off in undistinguished fashion. The main riff is pretty lame, the vocals are a bit too "nu"-sounding, and stealing the opening lines from "Devil's Child" didn't help. "We Disintegrate" is a solid song that would be much better if not for the pseudo-Middle Eastern wankery that bogs down the end of the song; the chorus is great however. "Inside Four Walls" is a live favorite, but sounds a bit too much like a couple of the suckier tracks on Judas Priest's Demolition (even though this came first) for me to be comfortable with it. Things pick up quickly with the pulsing "Evolution 169," however.

That leads to the album's top spot, "The River Dragon Has Come," where the modern start-stop riffs work because Warrel Dane carries the song's melody, and carries it well. His voice still carries that "straining-to-hit-every-note" quality, probably a result of fucking up his throat doing Rob Halford impersonations on Sanctuary's first album, but he's technically flawless and full of emotion. "River Dragon" is also notable for Jeff Loomis's brilliant guitar work, especially on the dramatic sweep scales preceding the real solo.

From there, the album roars along in good fashion, featuring a really good ballad in "The Heart Collector" and a couple decent ones in "Insignificant" and "Believe In Nothing," the vicious attack of "Engines of Hate" and the rumbling thrash of the title track, and a sledgehammer-pounding, intricate cover of "The Sound of Silence," which shares nothing in common with the original but a short intro and the lyrics.

Speaking of lyrics, this continues the fine Nevermore tradition of some of the best lyrics in heavy metal, most notably "Engines of Hate" - "Sit back, enjoy the words, and feast on my mind's semen" and "Will you watch the hate machines spit evil/Or will you walk away and plead apathy again?" being two examples. The drumming is also stellar, especially on the nearly non-stop cymbal-and-bass barrage of the title track. All four members of Nevermore are incredibly talented musicians; they just need to get their riff-writing back up to par.

So overall, a solid album; just not up to the standards of the previous two. A bit too experimental in places, and the ballads, while good songs, just slow down the attack of the faster tracks. Worth buying if you like Nevermore's other stuff, but if you're new to the band, get Dreaming Neon Black for sheer awesomeness or Enemies of Reality to get the shit beaten out of you.

Pretty good - 87%

Paradox, April 8th, 2003

My first experience with Nevermore. I can't say I was disappointed, but I wasn't completely blown away either. This album definitely has its moments, but it isn't consitent. Almost all the song writing is top notch, but the music doesn't always meet that same level.

The opening track "Narcosynthesis" is really killer. Probably the best song on the album. The vocals during the verses seem like they could have been mixed a bit louder though. "We Disintegrate" is heavy, but not anything to write home about. The chorus vocals seem awkward. "Inside Four Walls" is a great song. I especially love the intro and I've always been somewhat of a sucker for songs that are critical of the government, whether I agree with the message or not. The next three tracks are really solid, but the riffs start to seem somewhat like repetitions of previous songs. "Engines of Hate" is heavy, but not very memorable. The riff is pretty cool, but it doesn't have any of the lyrical hooks some of the other songs have. "The Sound of Silence" is an interesting cover of a Simon & Garfunkel song that Nevermore has completely made their own. What can I say, it works. "Insignificant" and "Believe in Nothing" are two more of my favorite tracks. "Believe in Nothing" especially hooks you with the infectious lyrics. The title track really disappointed me. I can see where there were some great ideas, but in some places it just doesn't sound right. The heavy riff doesn't flow very well out the soft intro or the chorus portions. The chorus is definitely catchy, but the other problems with this song sort of ruin it for me.

Overall, this is a pretty good album. There are some great riffs and melodies, the quality of the solos is suprisingly good, and there are definitely some catchy lyrics.

Cleaner than DNB - 90%

Symphony_Of_Terror, April 7th, 2003

This album, a bit different than dreaming neon black, is much cleaner than its predecessor. This causes mixed opinions about this album, personally I like this one better than DNB or the othe Nevermore releases. I enjoy th cleaner more technical sound, its less sloppy than their previous work. When I say their previous work is sloppy, I don't mean in a bad way, that was just their sound and may be only my opinion. This album just seems to fit my style of heavy metal more than their other works. Definatly a solid album, with many great tracks, just a few songs fall short of Dead Heart In A Dead World's standards.

The album starts out pretty good with Narcosynthesis, but I feel this track is not as good as the two which follows ( We Disintegrate, and Inside Four Walls). Which finds me often skipping the first track and just getting right into what makes Dead Heart In A Dead Wolrd a great album. We Disintegrate has a nice powerful emotional chorus, and Inside four walls has a awesome technical and heavy intro and main riff, this whole song is filled with anger. I am not to fond of the next two tracks, I would say they are on par with tracks two and three, yet again, still great tracks, but they do not live up to the rest of this album. Track six is similiar to track two is song structure and chorus. Definatly a nice track. Seven yet again falls a bit short of this albums standards. But the album really shows what its all about with tracks 8 to 11, starting off with the Simon and Garnfunkle classic the sound of silence. This is definatly one of the best covers I had ever heard of a Metal band covering a non metal song, I love it. This song is really creapy. The album finish's with three great tracks, all very similiar in style, powerful chorus's and emotional songs. The title track has a great chorus.

Overall this album has a technical heavy metal sound, with some nice powerful vocals. Much cleaner than DNB. I would recomend this album to metal-heads who like technical heavy metal. The only problem I have with this album is Nevermore could have produced this album with 11 great tracks on it, they certainly have the talent. But the band had to throw in some pretty good filler. So sometimes I find myself skipping tracks, while othertimes I can listen to the whole album all the way through. Definatly worth a buy even for non Nevermore fans.

Suck More - 7%

UltraBoris, February 3rd, 2003

This has to be THE most overrated band of all time. By far. People rant and rave like this is the greatest metal band ever, but even if they managed to be at best mediocre they would rule far more than they rule now - which is approximately none at all. The album is a mishmash of ideas, both good and bad... overwhelmingly from the second category. The occasional cool riff is buried between ideas that just don't make any sense - from really bad half-thrash Machine Head reject riffs to even worse "melodic" interludes. Warrel Dane's voice should never, EVER be allowed to carry a tune - he is decent when backed up with guitars, but in and of himself he is whiney as fuck. A far cry from the glory days of Termination Force. His range is miserable, his delivery awful, his tone crying out "ass rape".

This is a "modern" band, in every sense of the word. The guitar sound like they are completely out of tune, in the name of making up heaviness that is missing due to the lack of solid riffs. The drumwork and the vocals are far too forward in the mix, and the guitars not nearly interesting enough.

The first song... Narcosynthesis. Starts off kinda promising with a decent riff, but then that leads into the main riff, which is just complete fucking crap. Didn't Pantera disown this one around 1992 as being too stupid? Also, the little "melodic" interludes are horrible and are not all that far removed from mallcore. "Please salvage my soul..." Salvage it yourself, and bring back the one riff in the song that didn't completely suck. The solo is okay but far too repetitive - not creative at all.

That pretty much is a paradigm for the whole album right there: one good idea, but then all sorts of really utterly crappy ideas. They are just not CONSISTENT.

We Disintegrate - as usual, the intro riff fucking rules. Then, the stupid keyboard interlude. Then, the verses are okay but unspectacular. Then it gets worse with a hideous melodic chorus, which just does NOT work. And so it goes. Every song has pretty much one good riff in it. "Inside Four Walls" has the intro, and then the stupid half-thrash stuff.

After about that song, the album manages to get even more miserably bad, slowing down and letting the "melodic" parts take over. Evolution 169 sounds like a Machine Head reject, and the River Dragon needs to go back to the Pantera album from which he was ejected. Then, "The Heart Collector" is just complete boring, and an utter waste of time. Again, it is the vocals which carry the melody, while the guitars do next to nothing.

"Engines of Hate" picks up a bit, and can be considered the other highlight of the album. Well, the first two minutes anyway. Then, it descends into horribleness, being saved from utter shittiness only by the riff around 3.30 - but after that, it is lost in a flurry of overpowering drumwork, in that hideous "modern" sense of the word production that dictates that the guitars must be always fighting to be heard over the drums. The outro part is decent again, but again - far too inconsistent. If this is the best the album can do.....

The rest... yes, there is a Simon and Garfunkel cover, with hideous half-thrash riffs thrown in. Insignificant cuts the decent opening riff and cuts right to the suck chase. Believe in Nothing seems to be continuing the same silly idea. The album really manages to disintegrate (no pun intended) after the cover - it's like they realised that they made the original Simon and Garfunkel cover too heavy, so they had to puss out on the rest. Only about 2 minutes into the final track do we pick up the pace again, but of course the riffs are boring as Hell, and do not grab you by the throat sufficiently.

So, in conclusion, this album is far too melodic to be aggressive, and not nearly riff-oriented enough to be a real solid balls-out METAL album. There are too many slow, dragging parts - too much stop/go crap - not nearly enough of the section-after-section of solid fucking guitar work that makes a real metal album worth having. This just changes too fast, going through too many hideous and underdeveloped ideas for its own good.

In a word: BORING AS FUCK. That's three words. Here's three more: AVOID THIS SHIT. Go find the first Sanctuary album instead.

It's DEAD, I tell you...DEAD! - 50%

Sicarius, July 23rd, 2002

Apart from succumbing to the extreme spiritual sickness that is nihilism in their album name, this band has also produced a fitting companion to their somewhat witty but cumbersome title with rather trite and repetitive music. It's all rather depressing; nothing in this album makes me want to get up, scream the vocals, and headbang like crazy (not that all good music makes me do that, mind you... but when this stuff happens you just know the music's good). Perhaps that was the effect the band was aiming for, but this very thought makes doubt settle into my head and stubbornly stay put.

Anyways, a loyal Nevermore fan would, at this point, ask, "O wise Sicarius...please...tell this poor soul why thou dost not lovest yon album?" And thus did Sicarius undertake the Clearing of the Throat and begin the creation of an Explanation. "Firstly," he spake unto the Nevermore fan, "the title sucks."

"But that is not all!" he would continue. "For titles are rather meaningless things; what lies beneath is what is important. Unfortunately, in this case, "what lies beneath" does not amount to much." And thus did the reviewer tire of this form of poetic non-fiction and begin to speak more plainly.

Yes, the title sucks, but that is not all. My one main big complain about this album and this band is the sheer generic-ity that radiates out of them. There is nothing outstanding about this album, and nothing really bad; just a straight line, uniform and unending in its unidimensionality, from beginning to end. There is NOTHING to be found in this album. It's DEAD. There is no reason for me to listen to it again. Sure, some of the songs here and there have some catchy phases; the chorus from "The Heart Collector" comes to mind. Yet, these phases are few and far between.

A secondary complaint, which I would be able to overlook in a better band, is the awful vocals. They are whiny and annoying. The guy sounds as if he's recovering from having a stick shoved up somewhere sensitive. For a band with Nevermore's sound, I would have preferred dark vocals, the kind that we hear in Iced Earth from Mr. Barlow. Growls would have been welcome too. But NO. All we hear from Warrel Dane is an unending soundscape of paralyzing lameness.

All of this said, it should be known that originality is definitely not the album's stronger point. There's nothing in here that hasn't been done before by another, better band. Queensryche definitely comes to mind; so do a bunch of bands of yore who used less distortion but who definitely showed more talent in every aspect of their music.

To conclude, I feel an obligation to mention that their guitarist (or one of them...the one who plays leads) is pretty good... at the very least, he's better than me. That doesn't really grab my attention in most cases though; lots of guitarists are better than me.

This music is just average. Too much so. I don't like average music; no one should - why? Cause it's boring. Savagely so.