Former NEVERMORE Drummer On Possible Reunion: 'I Wouldn't Rule The Thought Out'

Former NEVERMORE drummer Van Williams has echoed comments made by the band's ex-guitarist, Jeff Loomis, regarding a possible reunion of the group's classic lineup, saying "time heals all wounds."

In a recent interview with Rock. Nothing But…, Loomis stated about his current solo career and his departure from NEVERMORE, "A lot of good things came from NEVEMORE, and I wouldn't be here playing music today if wasn't for NEVERMORE. But I think every book has its ending, and when one chapter closes, another one opens up. So it's kind of an end of an era for me, regarding NEVERMORE. I'm starting off fresh doing my own thing now, so really I'm just playing the music that I'm writing for my project. Kind of putting NEVERMORE aside. 18 years in a band is a long time my friend. [laughs] It had to have its ending. I kind of just wanted to start a new musical direction with my life. I'm not saying that NEVERMORE will never get back together or do some sort of reunion, or a festival kind of thing in the near future, but at this given moment in time, it's just kind of set aside. We'll see what happens in the future."

Asked about Loomis' comments by a fan on Facebook, Williams replied, "Jeff and I speak all the time, so those comments are no surprise to me and I would have to agree with him to a degree. Bands split up and mend over time, so I wouldn't rule the thought out. They say time heals all wounds, and it has for most bands. It's not like anyone spit on anyone or anything, so we do have that going for us. [I'm] just not sure of his definition of 'near [future],' though. [The reunited] SANCTUARY [which features in its ranks NEVERMORE frontman Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard] is doing their thing, Jeff is doing his and I'm stoked to be working on ASHES OF ARES [with former ICED EARTH singer Matt Barlow], PURE SWEET HELL and a couple other musical appearances to later be announced. I guess time will tell either way, I'm just enjoying life for the now."

In an August 2011 interview with Greece's Rock Overdose, Dane stated about NEVERMORE's split with Loomis and Williams, "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 [Vörös], 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."