NEVERMORE have revealed their full reunion lineup: guitarist Jeff Loomis and drummer Van Williams are joined by new vocalist Berzan Onen, bassist Semir Ozerkan, and guitarist Jack Cattoi. The Seattle progressive metal veterans have signed with Reigning Phoenix Music and are working on a new album that Loomis described as "heavy, with all the NEVERMORE qualities you would expect" -- a statement that carries immense weight given the band's legacy as one of progressive and power metal's most technically accomplished acts through albums like "Dead Heart In A Dead World," "Enemies Of Reality," and "This Godless Endeavor."
Loomis said he knew Onen was the right person for the job as soon as he watched his audition video, noting that the vocalist "really stood out strong in so many ways upon a first listen. I could really feel the emotion and passion when I heard him sing for the first time." Filling the shoes of the late Warrel Dane is no small task -- Dane, who passed away on December 13, 2017 while recording a solo album in Sao Paulo, Brazil, possessed one of the most powerful and distinctive voices in all of metal. His dramatic range, operatic highs, and commanding baritone were central to NEVERMORE's identity, and finding a worthy successor was essential to the reunion's credibility.
Their first live date is set for April 1 in Istanbul, Turkey, with festival appearances at Wacken Open Air in August and Bloodstock in the U.K. confirmed for the summer. The band has stated they "are just as excited to finish writing and putting together the new NEVERMORE album," promising a body of work that honors the band's legacy while charting a new course forward. Loomis, who spent years touring as a guitarist for ARCH ENEMY, brings renewed creative energy to the project.
However, the reunion has not been without controversy. Founding bassist Jim Sheppard has publicly called the comeback "disrespectful," saying he was never contacted about the reunion despite having been a member from the band's inception and playing on every studio album. His exclusion remains a sore point for some longtime fans who feel that NEVERMORE without Sheppard lacks a crucial founding element.