Search - Nevermore :: Dreaming Neon Black

"She is gone, and the void speaks to me."

Barry Dejasu | Rehoboth, Massachusetts | 02/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As usual, my review was too long, and I had to cut it down...ask me for the whole thing if you want. Here is the gist of it.As many know, this album focuses upon the loss of a loved one and one man's burning desires driving him to ultimate insanity and death. HOWEVER, this is NOT a concept album - not in the normal sense, anyway. Many do not know this, but it was based on a true story in Warrel Dane's life. About ten years prior to the album's release, Dane had been seeing a girl who one day upped and left, to join some kind of cult, and...that was all; he never saw or heard from her again. That was bad enough in and of itself, but fast forward to ten years later: Nevermore is working on a new album, maybe just getting the music ready, when Dane begins to have recurring dreams...dreams that his long-missing girlfriend is at the bottom of a lake, screaming his name. That image drove him to write the lyrics to DREAMING NEON BLACK, and create the ultimately dark theme that drives the album. The twelve songs on here focus upon one man's thoughts, feelings, and reactions to the loss of a loved one, and it is through the songs that one can determine that this loved one disappeared one day to some cult. As time wears on, however, the man is haunted by her, not necessarily as a ghost, but just by thinking about her. These songs explain his anger, his fear, his depression, all of which bloom from her haunting image - and he begins to go insane, blaming the loss on everything from organized religion to himself. So as I said, this is not a concept album with a single plot that has a beginning, middle, and end, but rather a sort of grand finale of the thoughts and reactions of a man driven to the point of eccentric madness.Okay, end of spiel, and onto album. From the intro track, "Ophidian," we hear a weird flurry of sounds, including a spooky voice saying something about "...darkness...we've been waiting for you." There are strange noises, including a faintly discernable panting of someone breathing from a respirator, and the beep of a cardiac machine as someone's breath slows down, stops...and a steady "beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep..." spills out before the ultra-powerful track "Beyond Within" kicks in. This track is especially noteworthy for its acoustic-layered bridge, just before a dazzling solo from Jeff Loomis. Warrel Dane's vocals are at their top-notch level of intense fury on "Beyond Within," as well as on "The Death of Passion," "I Am the Dog," and the great "Deconstruction." Speaking of "I Am the Dog," the solos in this song simply RIP.Warrel Dane's shining moments of pure emotion are on the power ballads "Dreaming Neon Black" and "The Lotus Eaters." The latter song is so emotional, especially in the choruses when Dane bellows out in a terrific croon, "Please God...why can't you hear us?" One of my favorite bass moments is in the first and last parts of the bridge to "The Death of Passion" - one listen to Sheppard's thrumming and you are blown away. Just about any track is a fantastic showcase for drummer Van Williams, who is insanely intense and complex, yet with a great sense of colorful diversity. Speaking of which, one of my favorite performances from Williams is on my absolute favorites of the heavier tracks: "The Fault of the Flesh." His double-bass and snare is simply chaotic; as well just listen to that main guitar riff and try to get it out of your head!As many have before, I must make a wholly separate paragraph for the title track. Starting off with a wonderful acoustic verse, a sudden punch of heaviness - yet not breaking the mood of the song, but rather increasing it - bursts up to heighten the emotion. Guest vocalist Christine Rhoades lends her beautiful, gentle vocals to this song, and her duet with Dane is simply fantastic. Her echoing wail in the bridge is very evocative of a ghostly image, especially of someone far beneath the still waters of a lake... Very well-done song, and quite possibly one of the best songs ever.The final part of this album I must rant about is the linear notes. Beautifully eerie artwork by the great album artist Travis Smith, depicting various images of a woman (often in her wedding gown) in various locations just heightens the emotional story here. Also, the little snippets of narratives between songs explains the story even further. I never really talk about album artwork, but here it is a must, as it is done not only very well, but to complement the album's fantastic sound.So there it is...DREAMING NEON BLACK, one of the best albums I've ever heard, from a band that very well may become one of my favorites in time. Endless emotion, and brooding heaviness, make this album simply PERFECT. A five-star rating is just not enough to do this album justice; go out with an open mind and heart, and listen to this album, and you will agree with me."

Metal with integrity

03/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a music columnist, I have learned to look at things from an objective point of view, and I can honestly say that there isn't anything bad to say about this album and Nevermore in general. Dreaming Neon Black has the potential to be to the new millennium what Operation Mindcrime or Master of Puppets was to the 80s. Combining virtuoso musicianship, aggression, beauty, progression, and intelligence, Nevermore displays a maturity and integrity that puts them in the same league with musically articulate bands such as Fates Warning, Dream Theater, and Queensryche, with twice the aggression. Dreaming Neon Black not only gets the adrenaline going, but moves the emotions as well. Fans of the band will be happy to know that new guitarist Tim Calvert (ex-Forbidden) has not altered the sound at all, and in fact adds to it with sweeping technicality and dense, strange chord structures that compliments Jeff Loomis's original style. Van Williams has cut back a little on the perpetual double-kicks, but his drumming is precise and imaginitive. He could give Mike Portnoy a run for his money. The vocals are more along the lines of 'In Memory' as opposed to the restraint displayed on 'Politics..', and that's part of the reason why this album works so well. Warrel Dane sings with power and emotion, in the tradition of Tate, Alder, and LaBrie, and is responsible for all of the lyrics,which are, to say the least, brilliant. This guy is no dummy. 'Dreaming..' is an altogether darker affair than their previous works, and at times combines Bauhuas-like influences with metallic stacatto-picking. It's a concept album about the mental decline of a character confronted with personal loss, but would work just as well if the themes had varied. There isn't one bad song on here, and some of the ones that stick in my mind are the title track, 'The Fault of the Flesh', 'The Lotus Eaters'(and if the chorus doesn't bring a tear to your eye, check your pulse),Poison Godmachine, and 'No More Will'. For fical fans comparing 'Dreaming..' with 'Politics..', trust me, it gets better with each listen. It doesn't seem to want to leave my CD player. Given the proper exposure, Nevermore could probably take off in a major way, but of course here in the U.S., they'll have to rely on word of mouth due to the industry's notion that Americans only buy rap and R&B, and that's too bad because'Dreaming'..is one of the best pieces of work to come down the pike in a long time. If this album is hard to find, for God's sakes order it. You'll thank yourself."

#1 of 1999

Jason P. Sorens | Tonawanda, NY United States | 08/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is my pick for best release of last year. I doubted that Nevermore could top their masterful achievement in "Politics of Ecstasy," but without a doubt they did it here.Nevermore's genius lies in combining an extremely _heavy_ guitar style (this may be the heaviest non-death metal album ever made) with a degree of technicality that keeps every riff sounding fresh and new without losing the listener in a maze. The riffs are straightforward enough to engage mind and body completely but different and odd enough to sound quite different from anything else one can think of.One mustn't ignore Warrel Dane's voice either. The man is rather a maniac, but his insane wail suits the music well.Some listeners have noted a possible problem with the mastering on this disc. In going for the heaviest sound possible, they may have overloaded the frequencies a bit, so that on some speaker systems (and when put to tape) the CD can give off a throbbing sound not unlike the bass distortion that, unfortunately, most bands give off in a live setting. On a good stereo system this should not be a problem at all, and the problem may also vary across different manufactured discs.Top songs here include: "The Death of Passion," "I Am the Dog," "The Fault of the Flesh," and "Poison Godmachine." When I say that these are the top songs on this album, they are also among the top metal songs of the year. The titles give some indication of the absolute insanity and chaos of this album.In short, Nevermore is absolutely essential for ANY self-respecting metal fan (and I don't say that about many CDs), and should be the first stop for any non-metal fan curious about what classy, uncompromising metal is like nowadays."