Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor (2005)

It's been about a year since I stopped listening to Nevermore, and I decided to re-review one of their albums. Enemies of Reality was controversial for the production job by ex-Queensrÿche guitarist Kelly Gray. Producer Andy Sneap remixed the album, which helped a little but not a lot. Dreaming Neon Black and Dead Heart in a Dead World were once golden classics for me, and this album, This Godless Endeavor, still takes on the greatness, with unique song structures of heavy riffing and excellent vocals.

This Godless Endeavor keeps the band's steady fire going, as greatly as they've done in Dead Heart in a Dead World. Guitarist Jeff Loomis performs complex riffing in 7-string slaughter, and drummer Van Williams goes heavy on his metallic drumming. Second guitarist Steve Smyth joins in on the action and contributed a bit of songwriting.

"Born" already speeds up right away with powerful thrash and Warrel Dane's vocal aggression before the melodic chorus. A great kick-A opener! The excellent "Final Product" isn't too special, but it represents the band's formula quite well. The chorus for "My Acid Words" is quite a heartful break from the heaviness that covers the rest of the highlight. The powerful composition "Bittersweet Feast" is another highlight.

"Sentient 6" lyrically continues from the epic closer of the band's earlier album The Politics of Ecstasy, starting off as a desperate ballad before ending with a vengeance. Jeff Loomis continues his guitar grace in "Medicated Nation". Then "The Holocaust of Thought" is a nice instrumental.

"Sell My Heart for Stones" is another calm ballad, though not as vengeful as the other ballad-like track. "The Psalm of Lydia" is full of surprises, such as acoustic guitar briefly snuck into the wild progressive thrash. The challenging progressive soloing can be found in ''A Future Uncertain'', which lyrics and riffing recycled from a demo. The 9-minute title epic is so fantastic and dynamic. The vocals and guitars truly add to the art, starting from monumental riffing and vocal layers, staying epic until the end.

This Godless Endeavor continued the band's greatness streak from Dead Heart in a Dead World, with a compact direction to love. Sadly, with the band's split and Dane's passing, they can no longer continue that streak. While there are other bands out there with killer releases, the vocals reign upon the modern metal throne! RIP Warrel Dane

Favorites: "Born", "My Acid Words", "Bittersweet Feast", "Sentient 6", "The Psalm of Lydia", "This Godless Endeavor"