Review by Xephyr for Nevermore - Dead Heart in a Dead World (2000)

A Succinct, Hefty Blend

Despite being a prominent name in the Progressive Metal scene throughout the 2000's, I never found I had the time for Nevermore after The Godless Endeavor failed to impress me. There's a chance I was having a rough day, so I wanted to give the band another shot to fully decide whether Nevermore was for me or not and I ended up settling on Dead Heart in a Dead World, which manages to mix Progressive Metal ideas atop a rawer Heavy Metal and Thrash base much more successfully than anything else I've heard from them. Seasoned Metal listeners can pick out a plethora of influences and similarities within Nevermore's sound, but the combination of it all turns out to be very unique and, honestly, dark and heavier than I imagined. Progressive Metal is a very broad genre and probably has the widest range of heft for any Metal subgenre. Considering Caligula's Horse and Meshuggah can both be categorized as Progressive Metal, I'm always on the edge of my seat when I click play on a new album to see what the approach will be, and renowned guitarist Jeff Loomis wastes no time on the opening track "Narcosynthesis" showcasing some seriously pummeling and Djent-y chug riffing. I somehow always seem to forget Loomis had his rise to fame in Nevermore, which is especially embarrassing considering I've spun his solo record Plains of Oblivion quite a bit as well as pointed and shouted as I've seen him show up as a guest guitarist on many other modern Metal albums. I had some big hopes that Dead Heart in a Dead World would be able to pin the band in my memory and general rotation a bit more. 

The Progressive Metal distinction always seems to get a bit muddled except for the extremely classic examples of the subgenre, and Dead Heart in a Dead World is no exception given its snappy and straightforward songwriting and use of slower ballads to break up the album. Nevermore are able to rotate around their Heavy, Power, and Groove Metal influences to great effect to keep the listener engaged yet remain tight and sensible with how each song progresses. Loomis is able to take generally simplistic riff writing, yet make the transitions buttery smooth and satisfying, like the switch-up on "Evolution 169" despite the return to the chorus at the end sounding a little weak. I think it takes a bit for Loomis to really loosen up the 7-string as the first two tracks are entirely centered around chugging grooves, but "Inside Four Walls" showcases some nasty leads and solos that are properly built on the backing chugs. The vocal melodies sound a tad strange to me on the chorus, as if something isn't quite resolving the way it should, but vocalist Warrel Dane delivers a great performance nonetheless. I want to say that Dane was the reason The Godless Endeavor never landed for me, so I'm glad to say that I enjoy him much, much more on Dead Heart in a Dead World. Much like any other vocalist that has a very outspoken or theatrical style, it can be hit or miss depending on the person, album, or even on the day, but I think that Dane's performance is pretty fantastic throughout. His voice is reminiscent blend of many, many other Metal singers to my ears ranging from the more over the top Power Metal acts to more a more classic Heavy Metal delivery; even a bit of Ozzy on "Evolution 169" and "The Heart Collector". His theatrical delivery is able to separate him from the pack though, and I especially can't believe that the screamed Power Metal vocals on "We Disintegrate" weren't done by a guest vocalist. 

Dead Heart in a Dead World has a consistent and satisfying theme as it is more evil and dark sounding than a lot of other Progressive Metal out there. It keeps a rawer and larger sound thanks to the production supplying ample space between the guitar and bass in the very front of the mix, giving the riffs a bit more body and punch even on the more complex guitar melodies. "The River Dragon Has Come" is the highlight of the album for me since it showcases Nevermore's adept songwriting through the best riff progression and guitar solos on the album, as well as Dane's strongest chorus work. "The Heart Collector" is the obvious standout ballad, making "Insignificant" feel a bit redundant, but I still can't say that Dane's vocals are able to carry these stripped down songs for me. The second half of Dead Heart in a Dead World is fairly weak for me overall, although the closer ends everything off on a suitably aggressive and dark note. It becomes a little too much of the same despite all the songs being above average quality. The cover of "The Sound of Silence" is a complete reimagination of the song to the point where it's almost unrecognizable, so while I always seem to question the inclusion of covers in albums I can't be too upset at this one since they really, really go for it in terms of heaviness. 

The good news is that Dead Heart in a Dead World has definitely put Nevermore on the map for me, although I don't think it's a true classic. I've always seem Loomis' name everywhere so, thankfully, I can stop utterly forgetting where he originally came from. Nevermore's heavier take on an eclectic blend of Groove, Power, and Heavy Metal is still able to stand out today thank to solid songwriting and a powerful vocal performance, but this album loses way too much steam for me in the second half. Its five to six minute song structure leaves a bit to be desired in terms of Progressive complexity considering Nevermore already shows they can write some fantastic transitions that could be expanded on, but approachable Progressive Metal that stays tight and focused rat her than meandering every which way still has a ton of merit given how well it's played here. I'll be interested to see how my initial opinions on The Godless Endeavor change after getting a bit more acclimated to Nevermore's sound.