Ever since Sanctuary reunited on the inaugural 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise this past January fans have been speculating as to when (and if) they’d get around to doing a few more shows. And, ya know, it’s not as if Nevermore’s busy schedule is providing any conflicts these days. Speculate no longer: the website for NYC’s Gramercy Theatre lists a January 11th, 2012 Sanctuary date, while a search on Ticketbastard turns up another date on January 7th, 2012 at Club Nokia in L.A. With only four days between two shows on opposite coasts, it’s likely those are the only two they’ll be playing this time around, but I wouldn’t be surprised if another major market fly-in such as Chicago or Dallas popped up around the same time-frame.

Pardon me if this old news, but I haven’t seen it announced anywhere yet — the band doesn’t appear to have official web properties of any sort and they haven’t sent out an email blast or press release of any kind either. So this is big news! Sanctuary’s prime came before my time, but I have an immense respect for their legacy and love Warrel Dane as a vocalist. Too bad Jeff Loomis won’t be involved this time around.

-VN

Thanks: The Thrillcall live events widget at the bottom of our sidebar.

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.

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Ever since Jeff Loomis and Van Williams — a.k.a. “The Important Members” — split with Nevermore back in April, Nevermaniacs around the world have been wondering: “What the fucking fuck happened?” The band’s statement regarding the parting of ways was vague, blaming the decision simply on “internal struggles and ongoing issues within the band,” which answers absolutely zero questions about what actually went down.

Now Warrel Dane — who announced last week, via Twitter, that Nevermore will go on with Loomis and Williams (But WHY?!?!) — has given an interview to ProgPower USA, in which he attempts to explain a little more about what caused the rift. And it ain’t pretty: he declares Nevermore to be “the greatest band that alcohol ever ruined,” and says that “those guys [presumbaly Loomis and Williams] decided that they didn’t have as bad of an alcohol problem as I did.”

So, one might naturally deduce that the divorce was caused by Loomis and Williams drinking too much, right? I mean, there’s really no other way to interpret that statement.

Thing is, I can’t for the life of me figure out what the hell Dane is talking about.

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So unless you live under Gene Hoglan’s ass cheek, by now you have surely heard the devastating news – Nevermore has left Nevermore. I mean, there are still technically some members of Nevermore left in Nevermore, and no (okay, minimal) disrespect to those dudes, but GIVE US A FUCKING BREAK it’s not Nevermore without Jeff Loomis and Van Williams. The fact that the band would even try to continue with a new line-up means the remaining members are either delusional and think they can do it without Loomis and Williams, or cynical and think people won’t notice as long as the Nevermore brand is still in place. Either way it will take some kind of fucking miracle for anyone to care about this band again, at least until the inevitable reunion X number of years from now.

So. As we were sitting in LAX yesterday waiting to board our flight, watching some dude casually eat his boogers as though a) that were an okay thing to do and b) he wasn’t in the middle of a fucking airport surrounded by strangers, we started to joke around about who Nevermore could possibly hire to replace Loomis and Williams. There’s a few guys on this list whose presence might even make us sit up and pay attention to Nu-Nevermore. We’re not saying it would be good, we’re just saying we’d pay attention.

But it’s not likely that any of these people will actually end up in Nevermore, and we need to emphasize for the cheap seats that this is just us having fun and is not based in any actual fact or even vague rumors that we have heard.

And so –

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Saw this unsettling bit of news towards the end of the day yesterday via Metal Underground: Nevermore bassist Jim Sheppard underwent brain surgery yesterday to remove a benign brain tumor. Jim’s ongoing struggle with Crohn’s disease is fairly well-documented, but this is the first we’ve heard of a brain tumor. Just two weeks ago he was aboard the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise rocking the bass for Sanctuary (but not Nevermore, interestingly), not something you’d expect someone who knows they have a serious medical issue to do; seems like the kind of thing that was recently discovered and action needed to be taken immediately.

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Y’all remember Ben Robson, right? He’s the very lucky and talented dude who won our totally amazing Nevermore “Create Your Own Conspiracy” contest last year, and consequently got to perform his own version of the title track from The Obsidian Conspiracy with the band, live in concert.

Well, hey, last night, Ben e-mailed us the below music video he made for his song (apparently under the moniker “Robot Zombie Army”) “Faith,” which, before you even ask, I can tell you has nothing to do with either George Michael or Limp Bizkit. And since Ben’s dance moves are just so sexy, I’m only too happy to post said video here.

Ben tells he’s currently recording an album, and hopes to complete it by mid-March, so he can self-release it. There will be a better-produced version of this song on the album, but in the meantime, you can download the current recording here.

We hope you have enjoyed this latest update from the only man ever to threaten Warrel Dane’s job!

-AR

This morning I walked by the Axl Annex of the Mansion to the smell of piss, shit and vomit emanating from his quarters. My knock on the door was returned by a grunt, which is at least improved from last night when Axl was so sick he couldn’t even stay out to catch Nevermore completely own New York’s Gramercy Theater. You know the guy’s gotta be in bad condition if he’s skipping Nevermore; I know he’d been looking forward to that show for a while. And it’s really too bad, because Nevermore were absolutely phenomenal.

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Since Axl and I are very patriotic types (couldn’t you tell?) we’ve decide to close the Mansion a bit early this holiday weekend so we can get to the flag-waving festivities as soon as possible.

Kidding! We’re closing early so we can get hiiiiigh and then go see FAITH NO FUCKING MORE! Neither one of us having seen FNM before (although I had a chance to in 1997 and, for some reason, didn’t), we’ve literally been waiting for this moment for most of our lives. We will not be schmoozing with the industry types at a bar in the back, nor will we be politely bobbing our heads on the periphery somewhere… we’ll be right up fucking front, rocking the fuck out as hard as possible (old fashioned push-pit? I hope). To that end, I’m pretty sure we won’t even be drinking tonight; me because I want to remember this night perfectly, and Axl because he doesn’t wanna have to go pee-pee during the show. The man is smart, I tell you.

Here’s what happened this week in the world of metal:

• Van Halen announced plans for a DLR-fronted album in early 2011. Axl is — shockingly — skeptical.
• As part of “Be Nice Day” at the MS Mansion, we said nothing mean about new videos from Hellyeah and Papa Roach.
• We looked at new releases by Bonded by Blood (as part of “Be Nice Day”!), Ceremony and The Ghost Inside, Mastodon, Chambers, and Nattsol.
• We premiered a new track by NJ progressive post-hardcore mind-fuckers East of the Wall.
• We spoke with Warrel Dane of Nevermore and Sanctuary, and Jon Fine about Taco Riffs.
• We sat in on the meeting in which Disturbed brainstormed the artwork for their new album.
• Glenn Danzig is a crappy driver, but Vince Neil is an even crappier one.

Since July 4th falls on a Sunday this year, the gates of the Mansion will be shuttered on Monday, July 5th — like most U.S. businesses — so we can extend the partying by an extra day. See you Tuesday, Suckers.

-VN

Few people could be unsure that they’ve ever heard the voice of singer Warrel Dane. A conjurer of dread, anxiety, and doom, Dane doesn’t so much sing as signal an assault, like a bayonet on the musket of his band Nevermore, if you will. In simpler terms, his voice is hard to forget. So it’s fitting that Dane shares a hometown with Queensryche’s Geoff Tate, another skilled operatic vocalist who teamed with a distractingly awesome guitarist. In Dane’s case, it’s seven-stringer Jeff Loomis, now established beyond all doubt as a uber-skilled guitar freak. And though five years has elapsed since the last Nevermore record, Dane and Loomis have kept high profile via a pair of essential solo albums. But it’s now again Nevermore time, and on seventh album The Obsidian Conspiracy, we find a less frenetic and more seasoned Nevermore, one more dependent on composition than tireless riffing. Equally as exciting is Dane’s recent reactivation of Sanctuary, the beloved proto-Nevermore thrash quintet whose two records were produced respectively by future-pop punk guru Howard Benson (Hoobastank, My Chemical Romance) and a presumably wasted Dave Mustaine.

Dane talked to MetalSucks about the exciting new Sanctuary song he’s working on, his planned resumption of voice training, awful McDonald’s food, and my super A&R work on his next side project.

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Nah, not really. We hung out with Jeff Loomis a couple of weeks ago, and he seemed like a very straight-shooter.

But “Without Morals” is the title of a track off of Nevermore’s kick-ass new offering, The Obsidian Conspiracy. And they’re now streaming the track right here. And… I don’t even know what to say about it. The album is so killer, I kinda think you just need to hear for yourself. So go hear it for yourself. And pay attention to Warrel Dane’s awesome lyrics: “Your petulant seed is a dying breed.” Now that’s poetry, folks.

Century Media releases The Obsidian Conspiracy on June 8, which is looking to be a very good day for music.

-AR

We might’ve suspected that Nevermore’s Warrel Dane had been experiencing wistful fondness for his former band, Sanctuary. The hint came back in December, when Dane devoted a healthy chunk of a solo set in Seattle to revisiting the shriek-metal quintet’s catalogue; I crinkled an eyebrow and wondered why Dane would distract from his then-recent solo record and Nevermore’s forthcoming album The Obsidian Conspiracy with talk of the under-loved, little-missed Sanctuary. Weird timing, right?

Seven months later, it’s the eve of The Obsidian Conspiracy‘s release and Dane unloads an even more distracting announcement: After 20 years, Sanctuary is back together! And recording an album!! Holy fuckballs!!!

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Since an instrumental version of the title track of  Nevermore’s upcoming album The Obsidian Conspiracy leaked a couple weeks back, we decided we’d have some fun with it. So we’re hosting a contest: record your own vocals with your own lyrics, using the leaked instrumental version as a backing track, and upload the results to YouTube (no video element is necessary, though it’s encouraged). The winner will be selected by Axl and Vince and flown to a Nevermore show, all expenses paid, to perform their version of the song live with the band. Holy shit, really? Yup.

The rules:

• Download the instrumental backing track here (.zip)
• Write your own lyrics and record your own version of the song.
• Post your version as a video response to the above YouTube contest video (also available here)
• Contest is open to residents of the U.S., Canada and anywhere in Europe.
• Contestants must be 21 years of age or older. 18 years of age or older!
• Grand prize winner will be flown to a Nevermore show, date and location TBA, to perform the song live with the band.
• Five runners up will receive a Century Media / Nevermore prize pack.
• Entries will be closed at 11:59pm EDT on April 30th, 2010 and winners announced shortly thereafter on MetalSucks.

The Obsidian Conspiracy doesn’t come out until June 8th in North America and May 31st in Europe.

Now… go! Make Warrel Dane proud.

Hard to believe it’s been almost a year since Dallas Coyle and God Forbid parted ways, but there ya have it. And a lot of God Forbid fans – including this one – were wondering who was gonna take Dallas’ spot in the band. Former Himsa guitarist Matt Wicklund has been doing live shows with the group since last summer’s Mayhem Fest, and the rumors have been swirling that he was taking the job pretty much ever since -  a couple of readers e-mailed us to say that Wicklund was introduced as “our new guitar player” on-stage, and earlier this month he tweeted that he was “Getting ready to go to rehearsal!”, although rehearsal for what was left kinda-sorta vague.

Well, the rumors are no longer rumors: Wicklund is, in fact, the new full-time guitarist for God Forbid. A statement from Doc Coyle reads as follows:

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Nevermore’s last record came out in 2005, but since then singer Warrel Dane has been privy to some fantastical pairings: On a guest turn late in Behemoth’s The Apostasy, Dane’s anguished wail was like pineapple slices added to Nergal & crew’s deep-dish pizza. Then, for production duties on his solo outing, Dane drafted Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers. And while solo albums are usually met with apprehension or outright denial — is anyone onboard to buy the mythical Steven Tyler record? — Praises To The War Machine was somewhat of an unheralded gem. At very least, it gave us a glimpse of the parallel dimension where Dane fronts a brooding, pessimistic Soilwork. Next up, Dane and Nevermore are set to release The Obsidian Conspiracy, which teams Wichers (producing) with one of the architects of the modern metal sound, Andy Sneap (mixing). If that doesn’t set your bottom all a-tingle, let me know and I’ll come jolt you with the Metal Sucks staff taser. Obviously, you need it.

But anyway, on the approach of The Obsidian Conspiracy‘s release and undoubtedly a long round of touring, Dane has announced his first-ever solo show. It appears to be a one-off thing and since Dane promises a set comprised of songs from his entire canon, this show will match him with his most formidable foil yet: songs by his former band, Sanctuary! Sure, Sanctuary is basically proto-Nevermore, but oddly no Nevermore record resonates as deeply as the pure thrash of the Dave Mustaine-produced Refuge Denied.

– ADF

Watching Peter Wichers play with Soilwork last month at New York’s Highline Ballroom was like witnessing a homecoming of sorts. Sure, it wasn’t the very first show back for Wichers, a founding member and key songwriter who recently returned to the group after a four-year hiatus, who had already been playing with the band for weeks on tour with Darkane, Warbringer and Swallow the Sun. Still, it just felt so right. Without Wichers, Soilwork was like a lumbering beast doing its best Soilwork impersonation… but it wasn’t quite Soilwork. Sworn to a Great Divide was a decent album, but “decent” was exactly as far as it went. Before the show I caught up with Wichers to ask him about the circumstances leading to his return to the band, balancing life on the road and life with a family, what it’s like to play someone else’s material in your band, his production work on the Nuclear Blast Allstars project and Warrel Dane solo record, and what the future holds for Soilwork. Our chat, after the fold.

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A press release arrived last night after the gates of the MetalSucks Mansion had been shuttered announcing pretty much the best news ever: founding guitarist Peter Wichers has rejoined Soilwork. Wichers had departed to pursue a career in producing, working on such records as the Nuclear Blast all-star Out of the Dark compilation and Warrel Dane of Nevermore’s solo record Praises to the War Machine.

This news is particularly refreshing because without Wichers, Soilwork had been lumbering along as an imitation of its former self. Wichers was always the primary writer and creative force behind Soilwork until his departure in late 2005, so his return should come as welcome news to any fans who thought 2007′s Sworn to a Great Divide was lackluster effort (presently company excluded — I thought Sworn was a passable if even decent effort, but that it lacked that special touch). To make matters worse, second guitarist Ola Frenning quit earlier this year, removing any guitar links to the band’s glory days. With Wichers’ return, his replacement Daniel Antonsson has been let go and drummer Dirk Vervueren’s bandmate in Scarve, Sylvain Coudret, has been tapped for second guitar.

This great news comes just in time for the band’s massive North American headline tour with Darkane, Warbringer and Swallow the Sun! YES! Full list of tour dates after the jump.

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How many of you snoozed on Praises to the War Machine, the excellent solo CD released this past Spring by Nevermore crooner Warrel Dane? The Peter Wichers (ex-Soilwork)-produced effort, while not necessarily living up to the best of Nevermore, was a damn fine disc. As perhaps the album’s slowest number, “Brother” wouldn’t have been my choice for a video to represent the whole album — but it does capture the ethos of the disc pretty well while indulging in some of the finest metal cliches known to man (Warrel sitting in a leather arm chair surrounded by candles in a dark room = unequivocally METAL). Interestingly (and Dane deserves major props for this), the movie footage cut into this video is real stuff from his childhood, relating to the [depressing] subject matter of the song.

-VN

Praises to the War Machine, the first solo effort from Nevermore / Sanctuary vocalist Warrel Dane, is one of the releases yet to come out this Spring that I’m most looking forward to. The effort was recorded and mixed by ex-Soilwork axeman Peter Wichers who also plays guitar and bass on the album; Soilwork drummer Dirk Verbeuren plays drums on the record as well. Praises to the War Machine is now available for streaming in its entirety on Warrel Dane’s MySpace. Also, check out the handy-dandy widget, below!

The result? Praises to the War Machine sounds something like Soilmore or Neverwork, not that this is a bad thing at all. The production and guitar tone are Wichers’ trademark, but Dane’s vocals add a dynamic to the music that’s distinctly Nevermore. If you’re a fan of either, you’ll likely dig this release. If you’re unfamiliar with Nevermore, you a) are a nincompoop, b) should check out several of their songs here. And I’m guessing most of you know Soilwork pretty well.

Praises to the War Machine drops April 28th in Europe and May 13th in the U.S. on Century Media.

-VN