JEFF LOOMIS Says New NEVERMORE Singer BERZAN ÖNEN Was 'The Perfect Choice': 'We Didn't Want' A WARREL DANE 'Clone'

In an interview with Brazil's Heavy Talk, guitarist Jeff Loomis spoke about the new lineup of NEVERMORE, which made its live debut on April 1 at IF Performance Hall Beşiktaş in Istanbul, Turkey. Joining Loomis and drummer Van Williams in NEVERMORE's current incarnation are the band's latest additions, Jack Cattoi on guitar, Semir Özerkan on bass, and new vocalist Berzan Önen.

Regarding how the new NEVERMORE lineup came together, Jeff said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, to make a long story short, Van and I started talking about the possibilities of reforming NEVERMORE, I would say about two years ago, something like that. I guess the original idea came up just in natural discussion, because I had just finished my 10 years with ARCH ENEMY, basically. And the discussion came up, is it even possible to reform NEVERMORE? Because, as you know, there's other bands out there that have done similar things, like ALICE IN CHAINS and — what's another band? — STONE TEMPLE PILOTS would be another one."

Jeff continued: "We kind of did things the old-school way. We basically just held an audition. And it's crazy because we ended up getting over 700 submissions from people. And that may not seem like a lot, but going through each individual one, it took a lot of time. It took two or three months to give everyone the attention that it deserved. And with looking through all those submissions, we found Berzan. And we were, like, 'Okay, here's a gentleman that can really sing like Warrel, but he's kind of got his own thing at the same time, his own style.' Because we weren't really looking for a [late NEVERMORE singer] Warrel Dane clone. We were looking for somebody that could carry the songs, but then do something on their own as well. So, realistically, he was really the perfect choice right off the bat. And Jack, the guitar player, he was the first one that we found, because he basically works at Seymour Duncan guitar pickups in Santa Barbara, California. And I was doing some work down there, some video work for them. And he just started playing my guitar one day. He's, like, playing my guitar. And then I was, like, 'Who is this kid?' And that's how Jack kind of came into the picture. I met him at Seymour Duncan guitar pickups. And this is how the whole band kind of came together, with these auditions. And it just kind of came together kind of quick, in a way. And after it was all said and done, we basically took the time in January, when we did this [introduction] video with [Swedish guitarist and YouTuber] Ola Englund, to rehearse and to kind of get to know one another and to see if it's even possible to make this whole thing work. And it was. We ended up getting through 25 songs in rehearsal, and we ended up playing our first live show just five, six days ago in Istanbul. So it's all coming together, man. It's crazy how it took so long — like, two years. And now finally we're here, and we have the confidence now knowing that we got this first show in the bag, and now we're coming to South America to do the same thing."

Elaborating on what he and Van were looking for in a new NEVERMORE singer, Jeff said:"We definitely wanted somebody that could carry the songs, like I said, the old NEVERMORE songs, which Berzan can do extremely well. I mean, he has that certain tone in his voice that's very reminiscent to Warrel's, but he also, like I said, has his own thing. He also has different vocal styles that he can sing. He can sing in a death metal style. He can sing in almost like an ethnic, chant thing that he does. So he's got all these little cool things that he can do on the side as well, just to add to when we do another record or when we write again. So, yeah, that's basically kind of what I was saying from the get-go, is that we didn't want somebody that was a clone, but we wanted somebody that could carry the songs but add their own personal touch as well. And that's exactly what we got from Berzan."

As for the possibility of the new lineup of NEVERMORE releasing fresh music in the not-too-distant future, after it was recently announced that the band has signed a deal with Reigning Phoenix Music, Loomis said: "We're hoping the first quarter of '27 we'll have an album out. But, yeah, much of the songwriting has already been started. We're gonna be collectively getting together in May and June and July to work on new music as well. But, yeah, then shortly after that we have another tour that starts in the summer where we're gonna be doing some select dates with SAVATAGE and also we are going to be supporting JUDAS PRIEST right after that. So, yeah, we have a very busy rest of the year. It's gonna be on the road and in the studio both collectively. So we have a lot planned. New music is definitely one of them."

Earlier this month, Loomis told Brazil's Headbangers News about the new NEVERMORE lineup:  "It definitely took — it took some doing. It took a while to get everything finetuned to the way we liked it, to make sure that it was even going to be possible. And that happened with finding the right people to complete the job. And we had to audition quite a few people to make sure that we found the right people that could actually do it. So, we're very, very fortunate that we have Mr. Berzan Önen on vocals, Mr. Semir Özerkan on bass, and Mr. Jack Cattoi on guitar. So these are the three new members. And, of course, it's still me and Van — me on guitar and Van on drums. And, yes, we just had our first show just a few days ago in Istanbul. And it went really, really well. The crowd was phenomenal. They sang along to all the songs and really just made us feel welcome. And now we're coming down to South America to do some more shows. So we're really, really excited."

Addressing the fact that NEVERMORE's current lineup doesn't include singer Warrel Dane, who died in 2017, Jeff said: "The initial talks, back when Van and I first started talking about [putting NEVERMORE back together], was, can it be done? And I think so. If you can find the right people that can perform the songs in the correct way, it can be done. We weren't looking for a Warrel Dane clone either. We were looking for somebody that could still sing the songs, but also had his own personal style. So that's what we were looking for from the very beginning, and that's what I believe we found. And we're very happy."

Asked how the involvement of three new musicians will affect NEVERMORE's overall sound going forward, Loomis said: "The core of the NEVERMORE sound is not ever really going to go away. And I think that the core, you could say that that would be me and Van, where we're writing in the style of NEVERMORE and it's still holding its own weight there. But I think when it comes down to longevity in bands, you'll always notice that everybody contributes. Like a band like RUSH, for instance — everybody's contributing something in that band. And we don't wanna have NEVERMORE just be the Van-and-Jeff show. We wanna have the other guys contribute as well. We wanna have Berzan contribute lyrics. We want him to contribute lyric melodies. We want Jack and Semir to contribute riffs. So, will that change the core sound of NEVERMORE? I don't really think so. I think it's just gonna add to the dynamic and make it cooler, 'cause there's gonna be other little elements of cool musical passages that are gonna be available now to use. And I think it's just gonna be that much more interesting for the listener. It'll still have the same core elements as it did back in the day, but it'll be new and interesting with a new vibe, so to speak. And that's kind of what we're looking for for the new NEVERMORE."

Forged in the aftermath of SANCTUARY, NEVERMORE carved out a sound defined by precision musicianship, fearless songwriting, and emotional intensity. From their self-titled debut in 1995 through landmark releases such as "Dead Heart In A Dead World" and "This Godless Endeavor", NEVERMORE built a global following and a reputation as one of modern metal's most distinctive voices.

Following the band's disbandment, Jeff released the acclaimed solo albums "Zero Order Phase" and "Plains Of Oblivion", co-founded CONQUERING DYSTOPIA and spent nearly a decade as a member of ARCH ENEMY, contributing to releases, including "Will To Power" and "Deceivers". Van remained active through projects such as ASHES OF ARES and GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS. Dane continued creating until his passing in 2017, leaving behind a body of work that continues to inspire musicians and fans worldwide.

Dane died in in December 2017 in São Paulo, Brazil while recording his posthumously released solo studio album, "Shadow Work". The musician reportedly had a heart attack during the night and could not be revived.

According to guitarist Johnny Moraes, who played in Warrel's solo band, Dane had a history of addiction and other health issues. "His health was already very weak because of his diabetes and his problems with alcoholism," he said.

The instrumental parts for Dane's follow-up to 2008's "Praises To The War Machine" solo album were almost completed and he had begun laying down his vocals shortly before his death.

Photo credit: Ola Englund