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The year may be winding down but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still a few new releases coming our way. With new releases come streams, and today we’ve got three excellent ones for you: Vektor, Dirk Verbeuren’s Bent Sea, and The Fallen Divine.
This past July I asked you all which of the four Devin Townsend Project albums was your favorite, now that all is said and done. Addicted came out on top, followed closely by Deconstruction. I ran the poll almost exactly one month after the release of Deconstruction, but I’m wondering if maybe that was still too soon and if the results would be different if I ran the poll now. Either way, I know what MY favorite is… and it’s Addicted, followed closely by Ki. For some reason I just can’t get into Deconstruction the way some folks can; it hasn’t got the songs.
Over the weekend Devin posted a new song comprised of “some shrapnel from the past few months,” and it reminds me of a song that could have been on Addicted. The accompanying video reel of tour highlights is entertaining too. Devin said via Twitter that “The song on that video is a rough demo of some ideas I’m working on… no title yet.” I wonder if it’s something for Ziltoid 2? Come for the new song but stay for the “silent” jam at Dirk Verbeuren’s house that’s at the end of the video. I won’t ruin it for you, so just watch.
-VN
photos by Daniel Zetterstrom
In April, Jeff Loomis (#7 on our list of the Top 25 Modern Metal Guitarists) and drummer Van Williams announced their departure from Nevermore. And while bands lose members all the time, few splits have ever rocked the metal world the way this one did. The idea of Nevermore without Williams and, especially, Loomis, seemed like blasphemy to a lot of fans — including this one. For Loomis is truly a guitar god; his style and sound define Nevermore, and if he retired tomorrow, his legend would already be assured.
But Loomis stayed quiet about the cause of the split, even as Nevermore vocalist Warrel Dane openly talked smack in the press. Instead of dwelling on the past, it seemed that Loomis wanted to concentrate on the future: In July, he teased a new solo effort — his first since 2008′s Zero Order Phase — and in August, he revealed that he’d recruited some pretty incredible collaborators for that album, including Soilwork drummer Dirk Verbeuren, and 7 Horns 7 Eyes’ guitarist Aaron Smith, who is producing the release.
And while there’s still no official release date or even a title for Loomis’ first post-Nevermore outing, he has, at last, started to speak out on the whirlwind year he’s been experiencing… albeit cautiously. He’s granted interviews to a few European magazines, but MetalSucks is the only North American media outlet with whom he has discussed — and, as we understand, will discuss — the break-up. And, yes, as card carrying members of the Cult of Loomis, we were only too thrilled to be able to get his side of the story.
After the jump, read everything Loomis has to say about what went wrong with Nevermore, how he feels about Dane’s comments in the press, the current status of his relationship with Dane and Nevermore bassist Jim Sheppard, and, of course, some juicy details on his new solo album.
As previously reported here on MS, now that Nevermore has quit Nevermore, ex-guitarist Jeff Loomis (#7 on our list of the Top 25 Modern Metal Guitarists) is working on his second solo album. We are very excited!
Our excitement was elevated to the next level today upon finding out the makeup of the band he’ll be recording with this time around:
If you’re wondering who the hell Shane Lentz is, like we were, peep this quote from Loomis: “Up until about 2 weeks ago, I was planning on doing the bass parts myself but then saw this amazing bass player on YouTube and said to myself, ‘I need to have him on the record.” Awesome; Internet dreams really do come true!
It’d be awesome if Loomis invited Keith Merrow in to contribute a guest solo. Ya know, to return the favor.
Expect the new Loomis solo joint in Spring 2012.
-VN
Each time Devin Townsend releases a new studio video of the Deconstruction sessions — or each time he releases anything at all, really — my inner dialogue goes something like this:
Vince Neilstein 1: This is awesome! Gotta post about it immediately
Vince Neilstein 2: Yeah, but you post everything Devin does! Lay off this time, maybe.
Vince Neilstein 1: Yeah, but… this is soooo awesome!
Vince Neilstein 2: So is everything. Wait ’til he releases an actual new song or something, and avoid over-hype.
Vince Neilstein 1: Yeah, but… fuck you, I’m posting.
And so, here’s the latest Deconstruction recording update. It features the great Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork, Scarve, 10,000 other bands) on drums. Verbeuren’s got to be one of the most under-rated players in metal; every time I watch him play I’m absolutely floored. He’s got such great hands (huh huh, that’s what she said); in a modern metal drumming landscape that’s dominated by constant double-bassing, Dirk uses his hands more creatively than just about anyone.
Expect Deconstruction to come out some time this summer, and expect it to feature guest vocal appearance by Mikael Akerfeldt, Joe Duplantier, Tommy Rogers and Greg Puciato.
-VN
Dirk Verbeuren is a fucking MONSTER behind the kit. Dude could just be playing 1/8th notes on the hi-hat and nothing else, and he’s have more finesse and style than 99% of drummers in metal today who can out-blast each other into oblivion. Just sayin’.
Check out Verbeuren in this video (first posted on Blabbermouth) of the recording sessions for The Panic Broadcast, Soilwork’s forthcoming album. As if watching this guy pound away at the kit weren’t enough, we get the added bonus of (sort of) getting to hear the rest of the music, sans-vocals, of a new Soilwork track. We even get a guitar solo, presumably played by Peter Wichers. This video gives great reason to be hopeful that the new Soilwork record will be as good as we hope it will be.
-VN
Death metal butchers Aborted have launched the title-track of their forthcoming EP, Coronary Reconstruction, at the band’s redesigned MySpace page.
Aborted have recently announced a new line-up, featuring Sven de Caluwe (also of System Divide) on vocals, Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork) on drums, Eran Segal (ex-They Swarm/Whorecore) and Ken Sorceron (Abigail Williams) on guitar and Cole Martinez (System Divide) on bass…
Wait wait wait wait wait wait. The dude from Abigail Williams is in Aborted now? How the fuck did I miss that?
