They started in the beginning of the 1990s, when the band Sanctuary was pressured by its recording label to change its musical style, switching from heavy metal to grunge, which was obtaining mainstream success at the time due to bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Two members of the band, vocalist Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard, didn't agree with the change and thus proceeded to create a project of their own. Nevermore.
By the end of 1994, the band assumed a stable line-up, which saw the additions of drummer Van Williams and former Sanctuary touring guitarist Jeff Loomis. In 1995 Nevermore released its first, self-titled, album through Century Media Records. This album received much attention and specialized review, as its release was followed by an European tour with Blind Guardian and a North American tour with Death, both internationally-renowned bands.
Second guitarist Pat O'Brien joined the band prior to the release of the "In Memory" EP, and also took part in the recording of the subsequent album "The Politics of Ecstasy", both from 1996. O'Brien left Nevermore to play in Cannibal Corpse, and guitarist Tim Calvert, who had previously contributed to Nevermore through songwriting, replaced O'Brien as on guitar.
Three years without releases followed, and in 1999 the album "Dreaming Neon Black" was released. Highly acclaimed, the album narrates the story of a man's slow decline into madness, subsequent to the death of the only woman he ever loved. The tracks of this albums are varied in style, ranging from slow and melodic to aggressive and progressive. Warrel Dane put much effort in interpretation, emitting varied emotions from his vocals. The album's lyrics are a partially true retelling of the events Dane underwent after the vanishing of his long-time girlfriend.
A long tour with several concerts followed, and Nevermore played together with bands such as Mercyful Fate, Arch Enemy, Iced Earth and Opeth. After the end of the tour, in 2000, guitarist Tim Calvert announced his departure from the band, subsequent to his marriage. Instead of finding a replacement, the band decided to continue as a quartet, only adding session guitarists for live appearances, such as Curran Murphy (who went on to play in Annihilator) and Jag Panzer's Chris Broderick.
Nevermore proceeded to record "Dead Heart in a Dead World", which was followed by tours with several bands, most notably with Savatage in 2001.
Their fifth album, "Enemies of Reality", remained in production for over a year, and was released in 2003. This album faced much criticism for its production and was re-released in 2005, after being remixed by Andy Sneap. On tour, the band was joined by second lead guitarist Steve Smyth, formerly of Vicious Rumors and Testament; Smyth was eventually added to the line-up on a permanent basis.
A sixth album, "This Godless Endeavor", was released in July of 2005. Nevermore then toured on Dave Mustaine's Gigantour during the summer of 2005. In 2006 they toured with Disturbed. They are also playing in direct support to In Flames on the second leg of their North American tour.
2006 held a bit of bad luck for Nevermore, as bassist Jim Sheppard underwent a procedure for Crohn's disease, which he has suffered from for over 15 years, and guitarist Steve Smyth was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, he ultimately underwent a kidney transplant operation (which was successful). Warrel Dane developed type 2 diabetes, and the band was forced to cancel their show in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on May 13, 2006, due to an unspecified illness afflicting Dane.
According to the Official Nevermore website, www.nevermore.tv, their show on September, 12 2006 at the Zeche club in Bochum, Germany was to be filmed for Nevermore's first full length DVD. This event was captured by 7 cameras and the live recording was produced by Andy Sneap. The double DVD set includes a Nevermore documentary, all of the bands promo videos and past recordings from their whole career to date. This DVD was expected to be released in early 2007, but was pushed back and eventually came out the following year (2008).
In August 2007, Steve Smyth stated that he will be parting ways with Nevermore. He is currently promoting his solo album that was recently released, The EssenEss Project.
2007 was a slow year for Nevermore as Warrel Dane, Van Williams and Jeff Loomis all worked on their own side projects for a good part of the year, only taking time off to do various festivals and a small tour.
Nevermore released "The Year of the Voyager" in 2008. It is a double DVD / CD of live material.
In late 2009 Nevermore entered the studio with Peter Wichers to record their seventh album The Obsidian Conpiracy. It was released May 31st in Europe and June 8th in America. They also completed their line-up with the addition of Hungarian Guitarist Attila Vörös. The Obsidian Conspiracy is also available in a limited edition box with a bonus disc titled Shed Like Loomis (featuring sheet music and guitar tabs and videos of Jeff Loomis playing guitar for two of the new songs), postcards featuring artwork and lyrics, and a digipak version of the album with two bonus cover tracks (The Tea Party's Temptation, and The Doors' Crystal Ship).
On April 21 2011, long time and founding members Jeff Loomis and Van Williams announced their departure from Nevermore citing personal and musical differences. In addition, on May 3, 2011, it was announced that Nevermore had cancelled their entire Australian tour. Fans assumed the band had broken up until July 2011, Warrel Dane announced that Nevermore is not dead, and right now his main focus is on Sanctuary. Warrel Dane also mentioned that it'll be hard to keep Nevermore legacy alive, since Jeff Loomis will be tough to replace. Both Jeff Loomis and Warrel Dane talked about the possibility of a reunion, the latter citing that the band split amicably. Dane went on to say in a later interview, that while he does want to do another Nevermore record, he wouldn't do it without Jeff Loomis.
Last lineup of members:
Warrel Dane - vocals
Jim Sheppard - bass
Attila Vörös - touring guitarist
Former members:
Mark Arrington - drums, percussion (1991–1994)
Adam Gardner - alternative percussion (live, 1992–1993)
Pat O'Brien - rhythm guitars (1994–1996)
Tim Calvert - rhythm guitars (1997–2000)
James MacDonough - bass (live, 2006)
Curran Murphy - rhythm guitars (live, 2002–2004)
Steve Smyth - rhythm guitars (2004–2007)
Chris Broderick - rhythm guitars (live, 2003, 2006, 2007)
Jeff Loomis - lead, rhythm and acoustic guitar (1991–2011)
Van Williams - drums (1995–2011)
Inside Four Walls
Nevermore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The governement's always right
They tell us what to be they tell us what to believe
They're wrong my friend is gone
Inside four walls,
Inside four walls
The day they took away my friend
Injustice made it's mark
All the political whores only come out after dark
If anyone knows the way
Build me a bridge so I won't fall astray
Inside four walls,inside four walls my friend
They took away your freedom
And the pigs still preach their lies
The system falls apart
The pigs still laugh feeding off our broken lives
Can anyone tell me why
Some violent criminals do far less time?
Inside four walls,inside four walls my friend
They took away your freedom
And the pigs still preach their lies
Inside four walls,inside four walls my friend
They took away your freedom
And the pigs still preach their lies
Inside four walls,inside four walls my friend
They took away your freedom
But they'll never take your mind
The song "Inside Four Walls" by Nevermore is a powerful commentary on the injustice of government and the corruption within the system. The lyrics talk about living a life inside four walls, where the government controls everything, and there is no freedom to think or act independently. The singer tells us that even if they haven't done anything wrong, the government considers them guilty and has the power to take away their freedom. The song also talks about the loss of a friend who was a victim of injustice, and the pain and suffering that has been caused due to the greed of politicians and authorities.
There is a sense of anger and frustration throughout the song, and the lyrics are sung with a powerful intensity that conveys the message of how unfair the world can be. The singer is asking for help in building a bridge so that they don't fall astray, which can be interpreted as a cry for help to find a way out of the oppressive system.
The repeated phrase "inside four walls" represents the suffocating feeling of being trapped and unable to leave. The government is portrayed as corrupt and controlling, and the pigs preaching their lies symbolize the dishonesty and propaganda that is used to control the masses.
Line by Line Meaning
Inside four walls I live my life,doesn't matter what I've done
I am confined to living life within four walls regardless of my actions
The governement's always right
The government claims to always have the right answers
They tell us what to be they tell us what to believe
The government tries to manipulate our thoughts and beliefs
They're wrong my friend is gone
Despite their claims of being right, my friend was still taken away
Injustice made it's mark
The system has left its mark of injustice
All the political whores only come out after dark
Politicians are opportunistic and only care about their own interests
If anyone knows the way
If there is someone who truly knows the right path
Build me a bridge so I won't fall astray
Help me stay on the right track and not fall into despair
They took away your freedom
My friend's freedom was taken away
And the pigs still preach their lies
The authorities continue to deceive and manipulate
The system falls apart
The flawed system is breaking down
The pigs still laugh feeding off our broken lives
The authorities continue to enjoy their power while the people suffer
Can anyone tell me why
Is there anyone who can explain the unfairness of the system?
Some violent criminals do far less time?
Why do some worse offenders get less punishment?
They took away your freedom
My friend's freedom was taken away
But they'll never take your mind
Even though they have taken everything else, they cannot take away a person's thoughts and beliefs
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eric Y
Sounds kind of cheesy to say, but I'm really really grateful I know about this record. Year 2000? This whole record is WAY AHEAD of it's time. The songwriting and production is on a very high level. The stars were aligned when they wrote and recorded this masterpiece.
Vincent David Underhill
Agreed Eric. The metal band that was MEANT to be. The band that rose from the ashes of the eighties to be one of the most talented voices in late 90s early 2k metal!!
Corgblam
Came out 19 years ago, but is now more relevant than ever.
Vincent David Underhill
“It’s a cold fact that in the United States of America…”. Hell yeah agreed my friend.
NJMarie
absolutely!
Yavuz Artx
This song was made me a Nevermore listener.Absolutly masterpiece song from a masterpiece album.
Γιωργος Φιρά'ι'
Me too before 16 years 🤘
Desdenova ( The Original )
I love how they transitioned into a short message about the corruption of the system's injustice towards drug use vs violent crimes. This is akin to what Queensryche did on the songs Empire and Spreading the Disease
Desdenova ( The Original )
@Rbnh98 yup Van moved from NY in 92, Jeff from Appleton Wiss and Steve from the Bay Area all to join Warrel (R.I.P) in Seattle and the rest is musical bliss .. great band ( so was early-mid QR)
Rbnh98
They are from same city, Seattle. Nevermore basically is Queensryche with heavier and better guitar player, which changes everything.