Nevermore – The Obsidian Conspiracy

Oh no! Oh no! If you think this is not a proper introduction for an album review so did I think for my reaction after the first listening of Nevermore’s last effort! Unfortunately that was it. After finishing the second listening I couldn’t find a reason why to push play again. Let alone repeat.

Ok let’s start again. The songs are ok. The riffs are heavy. Every head will bang at their live performances. Warrel is…Warrel, one of the best voices out there. Loomis is one of the best guitar players/shredders out there. The rhythm session stands out like a fist. The lyrics seem predictably politically incorrect. So what’s your problem my schizoid self? Everything in there is heard many times before by the same band! And I really mean everything! After 5 years of waiting and anticipation one of the best modern metal bands managed to produce a sympathetic compilation of leftovers! And of course, I know that these leftovers are a million times better than most of today’s metal song production but we are talking about Nevermore here, goddamn it! Why should I prefer to put this “obsidian” thing in my cd tray and not close my eyes and travel through the opening sounds of a dark weird “ophidian” nightmare!
I have written many lines/hymns to their previous albums but I delete them again and again because I don’t want to focus on the bands past. I want to review “The Obsidian Conspiracy” as a completely separate chapter. Well you know something? Fuck it! Go listen to “The Politics of Ecstasy”, “Dreaming Neon Black”, “Dead Heart in a Dead World” or any of the previous albums. Even Warrel’s solo album is way better than this one. At least it had an identity of itself.

So after multiple listenings (it’s one of my favorite bands, I can’t quite so easily) I can hear it without problem and maybe enjoy it in some parts. But unfortunately, nothing changes from the aforementioned. I pray that this could take a place in the pantheon of my collection next to the other Nevermore masterpieces but as Warrel quotes… “nothing ever changes, when we pray…”