Utopia

At this point in time, Nevermore are alive only in history after their split and Sanctuary, the band that morphed into this (in)famous metal entity, has seen Warrel Dane and Jim Sheppard part their ways. So, rather than splits and endings, maybe it is time to remember the inception of Nevermore. This demo consists of ten songs, which can be split in two groups - the ones that made it into album tracks and the ones that didn’t.

First, a quick note on the recording quality. For a demo, this is passable – everything is audible, although there seems to be a muffled quality to everything. Some songs also seem to be taken from one or more different sessions, as the balance of the instruments just sounds different. It’s neither exceptionally clear, nor raw, “Utopia” is just in the middle of the road in terms of sound quality. The musicians, including the still decently shrieky vocals of Warrel Dane, do a fine job and resemble their performances on the debut very well.

Of the songs which appeared on later records, there are few significant changes in their actual structure, sans the vocals and vocal melodies. “Garden of Grey” and “Matricide” seem to have only minor changes, the latter having the vocal line set slightly lower (thus making Warrel sound a bit corny, rather than his emotional delivery from the studio version). “Godmoney” sports a different bridge and chorus compared to the album version, as well as an added intro. It omits the venomous falsettos from the debut, but comes across just as angry – I really can’t decide which version is stronger.

“Chances Three” was later featured on the deluxe edition of “Dead Heart in a Dead World”. It sucked tremendously there and isn’t any good here, either. Just a horrible, sappy acoustic ballad. The other acoustic song, “The Sorrowed Man”, later a strong piece on the “In Memory” EP, actually fares a whole lot better, as its already chilling atmosphere benefits from some added effects, namely vocal layering and an eerie echoing effect (or is it the recording?) on the vocals. Warrel being absolutely spot-on also helps.

The rest of the songs are quite heavy, already showcasing the typical groove sound they would adopt on their second album – most notably in the blueprint-sounding “The Dreaming Mind”. The emphasis on the riffs is generally stronger, but I would still hesitate to call it 100% thrash or 100% power. On the other hand, the doomy sections that comprised a decent part of the Nevermore debut are very much absent. The song that really should have been on the debut, “The System’s Failing” has a strong Sanctuary feel and puts a lot of emphasis on its up-tempo riffs and thumping bass. Also, Loomis excels as usual.

The non-album songs are merely okay – “The World Unborn” is a decent midpaced pounder (the lyrics were later lifted for “A Future Uncertain”) and “Utopia” is bass-driven, with a slight funk influence in the verse riff. It heavily reminds me of Prong’s “Prove You Wrong” album, which was released a year before, just less memorable.

This collection of songs is worth listening to for the avid collectors and rabid Nevermore fans, but besides “The System’s Failing”, “Godmoney” and “The Sorrowed Man”, nothing really stands out completely worthwhile, let alone mandatory. It was a start, but in 1992, Nevermore were not even close to grasping their future sound to the fullest.

NOTE: Part of this demo was included on the re-release of Nevermore’s eponymous debut. Well worth getting.