Dead Heart In A Dead World [ECD] - Nevermore

...something.

So, Dead Heat in a Dead World it was. Let me start by saying what I was expecting – I knew they were a thrash band so I was expecting traditional nineties thrash – very fast and furious and astonishingly heavy.

It wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The album as a whole is not that fast, although the thrashy rhythms are still in place. The best word I can use to describe the album is ‘dark’ ...
...Finally the title track itself, Dead Heart in a Dead World, is a sombre note on which to close a sombre album. Dark, heavy but with a definite melodic undertow which pulls you into a song without simply relying on crushing heaviness. The chaotic riffing which punctuates this song is very impressive, and very disorientating.

Overall, I was very impressed with what was, in essence, an impulse buy. Warrell Dane is an absolutely amazing ... more

Nevermore are a band I’ve been hearing a lot about on my little metallic underground grapevine lately – statements like “best band of the last decade” have been flung around until I finally decided to buy something.

So, Dead Heat in a Dead World it was. Let me start by saying what I was expecting – I knew they were a thrash band so I was expecting traditional nineties thrash – very fast and furious and astonishingly heavy.

It wasn’t quite what I was expecting. The album as a whole is not that fast, although the thrashy rhythms are still in place. The best word I can use to describe the album is ‘dark’ – very dark indeed. It’s a bit like old Metallica with hints of doom bands like My Dying Bride, which makes for a very interesting combination.

Unfortunately, the one weakness here is the opening track, Narcosynthesis. The staccato, stop start riffing is somewhat poorly done, and the vocals don’t even hint at the godliness still to come on the rest of the album.

However, Nevermore quickly redeem themselves with the fast and furious thrasher We Disintegrate. Warrell Dane’s vocals are truly epic, and certainly not the usual thrash fare, and give the song, indeed the album, an introspective feel. This is also aided by the brief usage of acoustic guitars throughout this track. Warrell also hits the high notes brilliantly, which adds an aggressive screech to his repertoire.

Inside Four Walls is both aggressive and depressing, and has brilliantly written lyrics. Evolution 169 is another strong track, thoroughly metallic, and displaying to good effect the grinding guitar tone which Nevermore have perfected. It’s quite slow in many places, and is a great contrast to the faster tracks.

The next two tracks are the strongest on the album. From the opening notes of the acoustic guitar on The River Dragon Has Come I was totally gripped by just what this band can do. Savage riffing combined with vocals so heartfelt and powerful it was difficult I was listening to a thrash metal band. The Heart Collector is a masterpiece – a slow droning riff crawls through the song, supported by some beautiful lead guitar work from Jeff Loomis. The vocals begin during a quiet interlude, and Warrell’s voice brilliantly builds to a crescendo as the guitars rise to true heavyweight status. The singing during the chorus is some of the best I’ve ever heard, and combined with some truly sinister lyrics, creates an atmosphere equivalent to films like Seven – dark, grimy and thoroughly unpleasant. And when you can do that by playing guitars, bass and drums, then I’m impressed to say the least.

Engines of Hate is fast, aggressive, and has a really excellent riff, but the most memorable thing about it is the lead guitar work, which shreds quite beautifully, adding a wild, uncontrolled element to an aggressive track. Then we have one of the most amazing things I’ve ever heard – Sound of Silence, by Simon and Garfunkel is transformed by the Nevermore touch into a bruising, headbanging thrasher of the true old school order, but without losing any of the feeling of the original. Covers like this are a great addition to any album, when a band really takes a song and transforms it, while keeping the essence the same.

Insignificant comes close to a ballad at points, but the sudden bursts of heavy guitars will shock you when they intersperse beautiful singing and acoustic guitar picking. Believe in Nothing is, as you can guess from the title a dark and somewhat depressing track utilising the formula you notice on the rest of the album – melodic vocals and acoustic guitars building into a crescendo of thrash metal to leave your neck sore. The epic feel is sustained throughout by some excellent lead guitar work, reminiscent of someone like Steve Vai.

Finally the title track itself, Dead Heart in a Dead World, is a sombre note on which to close a sombre album. Dark, heavy but with a definite melodic undertow which pulls you into a song without simply relying on crushing heaviness. The chaotic riffing which punctuates this song is very impressive, and very disorientating.

Overall, I was very impressed with what was, in essence, an impulse buy. Warrell Dane is an absolutely amazing vocalist and he’s a got a very good band behind him, especially in the person of guitarist Jeff Loomis, who creates some interesting song structures to compliment the excellent music. If you’re a fan of thrash metal, I would urge you to buy this album, and discover a band who do something totally different with the genre but keep the aggression and heaviness which is its essence.
 

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