Nevermore - The Obsidian Conspiracy

\r\nWell, this is pretty weird. Usually, this band creates very intense and dark feelings through the lyrics of their songs, which are full of emotion and deep messages, and the lunatic musical paths that they follow. This time, after listening to the album, I had mixed  feelings. Obviously, NEVERMORE are not recommended for relaxing, as their songs are food for thought most of the times. Plus, they are pessimistic. However, the vibes coming from The Obsidian Conspiracy are so bizarre.
\r\nConspiracy stories, part one. The sound of the guitars is now clear and the songs can “breathe”. They are less aggressive. There are melodies and riffs; there is a very strong feeling that affects the listener too. The guitar parts are heavy and massive. Loomis avoids any experimentation, so the compositions are based on his well known style of playing. The backbone of all the above is the driving rhythm section by Sheppard and Williams, which is a great chapter in the history NEVERMORE.
\r\nPart two. Warrel ’s performance. It’s like listening to him singing during the golden age of “POLITICS OF ECSTASY”, “DREAMING NEON BLACK” and “DEAD HEART IN A DEAD WORLD”. Expressive, as always, with nice changes, rough and aggressive when it gets “straight to your face”, full in lyricism and emotion when needed.
\r\nPart three. Listening to the lyrics makes you create beautiful pictures in your head, which sometimes may become almost surreal. The hooking vocal lines help a lot in that.
\r\nPart four. The Obsidian Conspiracy album is very close to the style of the previously mentioned ones. Everything is so right; the mixing, the production, (Peter Wichers on the production, Andy Sneap in the mixing), the ideas, the whole attitude of the album. There are nice musical themes and structures. There are songs which can appeal to new fans. Not because they are catchy or something, but because they seem to be more approachable for the wide audience. In a way, it’s the delicate side of NEVERMORE.
\r\nPart five. “Before you slip into unconsciousness, I’d like to have another kiss..” . What a peculiar feeling. Listening to Sentient 6 singing Lizard King’s lyrics is so hypnotizing. Concerning the song “Temptation”, well it’s just compulsive.
\r\nPart six. NEVERMORE remains inspired, multidimensional and unique. After all, being on the top list of all these fans round the globe for so many years can not be a coincidence.
\r\nTravis Smith, who, in my opinion, is an exceptional artist, is responsible for the artwork once more. The masks are back; the concept pretty much refers to the past as well.
\r\nIn conclusion: There’s no progress in the album music wise as actually NEVERMORE return to the style that established them as a band in the past. I don’t think that it’s necessarily bad neither do I believe that the band recycles its own ideas. On the contrary, I consider it as a clever choice since this is the style that most of us love in NEVERMORE.  The most essential part, afterall, is that the Obsidian Conspiracy contains songs soon to become the next “anthems” for the band. This is something that was missing from the two last releases.  \r\n

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\r\nNicoleta Sarantou
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\r\nAlbum line up:
\r\nWarrel Dane (vocals)
\r\nJeff Loomis (guitars)
\r\nJim Sheppard (bass)
\r\nVan Williams (drums) \r\n

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