Ex-NEVERMORE Drummer: WARREL DANE's Comments Verify That I Made The Right Decision In Leaving

Former NEVERMORE drummer Van Williams has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding his departure from the band:

"I'd just like to say for the record, playing in NEVERMORE consumed a huge part of my life from the time we got signed together back in '94 up until just a few months ago. During this time, the band has shared a lot of blood, sweat, tears and beers together, good times, bad times, and made some pretty cool music along the way, in my opinion, and I am proud to have been part of that with Warrel [Dane, vocals], Jeff [Loomis, guitar], Jim [Sheppard, bass] and all the great guitar players we've had in between.

"About Warrel's comment [in a recent interview] ('I mean, I could give a shit about our drummer we never got along anyway'),It's unfortunate to hear that after all we've been through, but a statement like that really just verifies that I made the right decision in leaving. And so I move on, I wish all luck in your future endeavors... and yes, even 'the singer.' :)

"With that being said, you know what they say: 'It's onward and upwards!' ...or sideways..."

Greece's Rock Overdose recently conducted an interview with SANCTUARY/NEVERMORE frontman Warrel Dane. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

When asked about NEVERMORE's recent split with Jeff Loomis and Van Williams, Dane told Greece's Rock Overdose, "Well, I didn't separate from Jeff; Jeff separated from me that was his choice. And he, I think, wants to focus more on being a guitar hero and doing solo records. And this whole thing, this split with Jeff. I mean, I could give a shit about our drummer we never got along anyway but Jeff was one of my best friends. And it's like going through a very painful divorce. I'm still very upset about the way it happened, because I didn't know that they were quitting the band until I saw on Blabbermouth. And that's not the way you treat your friends. We could have talked. And that was really, really shitty. I still talk to Jeff sometimes, but he's in his own world right now, so good luck to him. I love him he's like my brother, but There's not a whole lot I can say about that."

Regarding NEVERMORE's future, Warrel said, "NEVERMORE is still a band. We're still going to use Attila [Vrs], the guitar player that was playing with NEVERMORE when all this happened. And I think we have a new drummer I'm still deciding. The guitar players that are submitting their YouTube videos to me for auditions, some of them are just fucking phenomenal. And I'm kind of humbled by all this, because I didn't realize that they are so many talented kids out there. Replacing Jeff is hard, so it's gonna be a slow process. And I will not replace Jeff until find the perfect guitar player someone that can write songs and someone that can play solos. Sometimes there is somebody that can really compose good music and sometimes there's another one that can really shred on the guitar, so there has to be a balance. I'm gonna approach this carefully, because I don't want to stain the legacy of the band. NEVERMORE was my baby and has always been my passion for years. I'm still hurt over the way things fell apart, but you pick yourself up and just focus on what you're doing in the moment. But NEVERMORE is still a band; there was just two people that quit."

Loomis and Williams announced their departure from NEVERMORE in April. In a joint statement, the two musicians blamed their decision to quit on "internal struggles and ongoing issues within the band."

Loomis and Williams had been with NEVERMORE since the band's self-titled first album, which came out in 1995.

NEVERMORE tapped Dagna Barrera to play bass on the band's recent "Power Of Metal" European tour with SYMPHONY X, PSYCHOTIC WALTZ, MERCENARY and THAUROROD after the group's regular bassist, Jim Sheppard, underwent surgery on February 16 to remove a benign brain tumor.

Dagna previously played bass in NEVERMORE singer Warrel Dane's solo project and is also a member of the Seattle-based progressive rock band ONE UNDONE.

NEVERMORE's latest album, "The Obsidian Conspiracy", sold around 4,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 134 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 1 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.