NEVERMORE Frontman Talks About Upcoming Album

Cerebral Metalhead conducted an interview with NEVERMORE frontman Warrel Dane at the end of August 2009. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Cerebral Metalhead: What does it feel like to be back in the studio with NEVERMORE for the first time in — what must be almost five years now?

Warrel: This feels like the family's back together. We've been together a long time, and people are gonna be pleased with what they hear. I don't want to overstate anything, really, but obviously, I'm in a very good mood, because I'm very excited about these songs. We're in a beautiful place, and we're creating something that I think is going to surprise people. Maybe not shock people. But definitely, if somebody's disappointed with it, I'll be shocked.

Cerebral Metalhead: So then I'm hearing there must be some kind of change of direction.

Warrel: No no no, not really.

Cerebral Metalhead: So what kind of surprises are you talking about?

Warrel: I think there's no change in direction, but it's more of a progression of where we have been going over the years. It's finally come to a place where…it's just brutal dude. I mean last night I was listening back with Peter (Wichers, producer) to some of the tracks Jeff (Loomis, NEVERMORE guitarist) was doing, and I'm like, "Oh my god. This riff is so fucking brutal!" and he's like "What are you gonna sing over this?" and I said "…something really melodic?" And I'm like "NOBODY DOES THAT!!!"

Cerebral Metalhead: You know it's funny, I was reading some of the interviews with Jeff, just the little blurbs on Blabbermouth, where Jeff says it's a more wide-open album musically, and that will let you be more vocally free. Can you talk more about that? What does he mean by that?

Warrel: You know what the funny part about that is? After I read that, or after I heard that he said that, I had a talk with him. I'm like, "Dude, this is some of the most vicious, complicated, brutal stuff you've ever written." "Oh, but the choruses are big!"

Cerebral Metalhead: So there's a little bit of that brutal-verse, big-chorus switching dynamic.

Warrel: That's where that came from. I think.

Cerebral Metalhead: Since the last album, there've been a lot of setbacks with various illnesses, band members dropping out…but obviously you've rebounded, you guys are back together, both you and Jeff put out solo albums last year. Did any of that turmoil feed into what you're writing for this album?

Warrel: I don't feel that was really turmoil for us. I think that (recording a solo record) was something that we both had to do to get something out of our system. Jeff has always wanted to do an instrumental record, and I have always encouraged him to do that, because I knew when he did one that it was going to be amazing. I'm so proud of what he did with "Zero Order Phase". And at the same time, I always wanted to do something that was a little more rock-based. And you know, we were lucky enough that we both got to do what we wanted to do. And we got that out of the way, everything's…

Cerebral Metalhead: Hunky dory?

Warrel: Well, yeah, I guess, that's kind of a funny thing to say, but it's true.

Cerebral Metalhead: I guess I meant more the medical things that a few of you went through in 2006. I know with your diabetes, there was a complication or two that resulted in some show cancellations?

Warrel: That's all managed now, I'm doing very well. It's a difficult thing to go through, but I'm lucky enough that it was caught early on I guess. But you know, the booze — this is my favorite quote right now, "Satan lives in a bottle, you can find him at every 7-11." I basically drank myself into Type 2 Diabetes.

Cerebral Metalhead: I understand it ran in your family as well? Or a predisposition to it?

Warrel: It does, yes. And my sister recently just this past month was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes as well.

Cerebral Metalhead: I'm sorry to hear that.

Warrel: So I probably woulda got it anyway, but I just…kickstarted it.

Cerebral Metalhead: You might as well get it over with.

Warrel: Yeah well, I think I'm a better person for the whole experience of going through that. Trying to be sober is a day-to-day thing. I used to mock people that went to AA, and these bumper stickers, "One day at a time." But seriously, it's true, that's all you can do. And I'm not a perfect person, and I never will be, and I'm okay with that. So I relapse sometimes, but now, I am much, much better than I was when I was a fat, bloated fucking idiot that could barely fucking sing on stage. I look at some of those old videos and I'm like, "Oh my god. And we still have fans?" I don't want to preach to people and say "alcohol is bad," but you know, everybody has to make their own decisions.

Read the entire interview from Cerebral Metalhead.