With a string of solid albums dating back to their debut in
1995,
Nevermore firmly established themselves as one of the
premier modern American metal bands.
In a genre overrun with staleness and unoriginality, Nevermore
continued to deliver quality music, mixing just the right
amounts of power, melody, crunch and aggression to great effect.
The roots of the band go back to an earlier band
(Sanctuary),
a similarly-styled technical power metal outfit that themselves
released two albums before internal problems forced their breakup.
Vocalist Warrell Dane was Nevermore's trump card,
as he was one of the best
in the business, with a clear yet forceful voice that never
wanders out of control.
Nevermore really released a sub-standard album, and have
maintained their reputation as a premier metal act.
Tensions between the band members put the band on hold for some time
following their last album in 2010, and eventually those
tensions forced a split, with Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard in one
camp and guitarist Jeff Loomis and drummer Van Williams in another.
By 2017 Loomis and Williams were officially out of the band
and found new work, with Dane and Sheppard reviving Sanctuary for a time.
Dane's passing in late 2017 put an end to that, and seemingly the band
as well, but finally in early 2025 Loomis and Williams
decided to revive the Nevermore name and continue on with new membership.
