Nevermore is formally set to storm the stage once more, and the place they’ve chosen for his or her return is Wacken Open Air 2026 (at the very least that is the primary present they’ve introduced).
Proper now, Nevermore‘s actual lineup remains to be beneath wraps, however the band has confirmed that the core will embrace guitarist Jeff Loomis and drummer Van Williams. They’ve additionally locked in a brand-new bassist and vocalist — each of whom stay a thriller for the second.
In April 2011, Nevermore canceled their North American tour with Symphony X, and shortly after, founding members Jeff Loomis and Van Williams left the band as a result of private and musical variations. The group additionally canceled their deliberate Australian tour that Might. Though then-Nevermore vocalist Warrel Dane acknowledged in July 2011 that Nevermore had not damaged up and centered on his work with Sanctuary, he acknowledged it will be tough to proceed with out Loomis, emphasizing he wouldn’t make one other Nevermore report with out him.
Each Dane and Loomis expressed {that a} reunion was potential and that the cut up was amicable. Tragically, Dane died of a coronary heart assault on December 13, 2017, at 56 years outdated.
Nevermore‘s return isn’t any informal determination. Loomis defined in a current interview with Steel Magnitude that a part of his motivation for leaving Arch Enemy, a band he had been with for the previous decade, was to deliver Nevermore again to life.
“Yeah, there’s some unbelievable stuff developing. I’ve had an incredible final 10 years with the band Arch Enemy… I left the band a few 12 months in the past as a result of I needed to form of be behind the motive force’s wheel of my very own music once more. So I am reforming my outdated band referred to as Nevermore. And that was a really massive a part of my life for a very long time.”
Reforming a band like Nevermore is not so simple as making just a few calls to outdated buddies. The dying of Dane left an enormous void, not solely within the lineup but additionally within the band’s id. Loomis and Williams knew that selecting the best replacements for each vocalist and bassist can be essential. That is why they opened up a world search earlier this 12 months, inviting musicians from around the globe to audition. The response was overwhelming – greater than 650 submissions poured in from proficient gamers desirous to be a part of the resurrection.
“The ultimate tally is in—we have acquired over 650 submissions from bass gamers and singers around the globe!” the band wrote in a public replace. “We wish to lengthen an enormous thanks to everybody who put within the effort and time to be a part of this course of. Your ardour and dedication imply loads to us… Keep tuned—extra updates to come back!”
After months of reviewing auditions, Loomis revealed that the lineup is ready, saying, “The wait is over! We’re past excited to announce that after an unbelievable audition course of, we have assembled a lineup that honors our legacy whereas forging a brand new path ahead… We will not wait to share what’s subsequent!”
In fact, this reunion hasn’t been with out its controversies. Jim Sheppard, Nevermore‘s co-founder and unique bassist, initially criticized the transfer, calling it “utterly disrespectful.” His essential frustration gave the impression to be that nobody had reached out to him earlier than making the choice to deliver the band again.
“I am disenchanted nobody reached out to me in regards to the identify Nevermore, a reputation meaning blood, sweat, and tears,” Sheppard stated. Nonetheless, he finally supplied a tempered present of help, including, “With that stated, I want them one of the best.”
Regardless of the drama, momentum for Nevermore‘s return is unstoppable. Loomis has made it clear that 2025 would be the 12 months the band absolutely reactivates with this new lineup, and Wacken 2026 would be the huge, high-profile debut of that reborn model (except they announce one other present that comes earlier than it). For followers, meaning months of hypothesis, teasers, and even perhaps a single or two earlier than the massive present.
Loomis and Williams know the expectations are sky-high, and from the way in which they have been speaking, they’re greater than prepared to satisfy them. “We’re gonna come again, and we’re gonna revamp the band, and it is gonna be larger and higher than it ever was,” Loomis promised.
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