Nevermore’s previous album Dreaming Neon Black punctured metal’s stale world with daring yet impossibly catchy songs only a year prior. The possibility that the band would write and record an album of equal or greater impact, especially after losing guitarist extraordinare Time Calvert (ex-Forbidden), seemed like a distant goal. Fortunately for Nevermore Dead Heart, in a Dead World is even more earth-shattering than its predecessor. Warrel Dane’s vocal performance is one of the very factors that makes Nevermore’s complicated metal equation work. Renowned for his articulate, strong and multi-voiced talents, Dane’s unparalleled ability sets the standard for metal vocalists everywhere. Opener “Narcosynthesis” starts off with uncharacteristic staccato guitar and drum rhythms (comparable to Meshuggah) that’s complemented with virtuoso-level guitar accents. In fact, even without a six string counterpart, guitarist Jeff Loomis is able to weave spell-binding neo-Thrash songs that not only sound amazing but also display a clever use of atmosphere, space and rhythm. “Inside Four Walls,” “The River Dragon Has Come” and “Engines of Hate” further display Loomis’ ability to magically capture aggression, foreboding and despair within the confines of a single song. On “Engines of Hate” Calvert’s departure is embossed in the song’s Twisted Into Form-flavored main riff and lead; the lofty mid-section sounds of the legendary Thrash band in its winding intensity. The disfigured and metallized cover of Simon And Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” sounds right at home with the rest of the album. If it wasn’t for citation within the album sleeve, it would be easy to mistake the song for a Nevermore original — a FAST Nevermore original! The title track interestingly enough (the start of a concept for the next album?) is the last song. Here Nevermore blend everything they’ve learned and gained from the previous albums and the result is nothing short of amazing. The song’s mid-paced tempo cuts its way through a multitude of showstopping guitar rhythms and excellently played drum tracks. Nevermore is on the verge of something very big — It’s just up to Century Media to get this record into people’s hands. You owe it to yourself to pick up Dead Heart, in a Dead World. Fantastic!

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