INTERVIEW: Nevermore
BY Dennis Otto
Hi Jeff! How are you?
I´m great, thank you!
In 2008 you came up with the big live-performance “The Year Of The Voyager”. Why had you given yourself so much time to release your first live-album/DVD?
I guess the time was just right. The fans were complaining as well because they wanted one so bad. We decided to film it in Germany because that is really where we first started touring as a band and we just thought it was the right thing to do.
At last Warrel and you have released solo-albums in a very short time interval. What have these albums given to you both that NEVERMORE had not given to you after all the years making music together in this band and SANCTUARY?
The cool thing about solo records is you really have all this freedom to just go off whenever you want. We also have this freedom in NEVERMORE, but to some extent you have to have respect for the other musicians and their ideas as well. For me, my solo record shows another creative side of my guitar playing. I was able to really tell a story with all those instrumentals in a way I couldn't with NEVERMORE. I was showing another side of myself as a guitarist and a composer. I had a blast doing my solo stuff and I am already working on a new one for an early Winter release.
Unless I am very much mistaken, “The Obsidian Conspiracy” is the first NEVERMORE-album that features just a single guitar-player after Chris Broderick has left you a few years ago. Do you already have a new second man to support you, especially on stage?
Yes we do. We are currently working with a Hungarian guitar player by the name of Attila Voros. He is only 24 years old and is a very talented player!
What is “The Obsidian Conspiracy” about? Please tell us some details about the concept. What are songs like “And The Maiden Spoke”, “The Blue Marble And The New Soul”, “The Day You Built The Wall” or “She Comes In Colors” about? Is there a straight storyline existing?
This is really more of a question for Warrel. The whole CD really runs high and low on dark emotions ranging from capital punishment to abortion. Everything else is something that Warrel wants the fans to find out for themselves after reading the lyrics. To me it's just an extremely diverse record.......many people think it's a concept record but it is not.
Looking back, you have played fantastic and fancy cover-versions – like “Love Bites”, “The Sound Of Silence” or “Patterns” and “Lucretia My Reflection” from Warrel´s solo-album. This time it´s “The Crystal Ship” from THE DOORS and “Temptation” from THE TEA PARTY. Why are these songs only available on the limited editions of the CD and the vinyl? And why have you selected especially these songs?
This was a record company decision so I don't really know why it turned out like that. These are just bands that we are fans of and thought would make a good choice for a couple of cover tunes. I really like THE TEA PARTY because of all the cool middle eastern sounding scales that they do. Warrel and I have been a fan of THE DOORS for years now and we thought that "The Crystal Ship" was the obvious choice for us.
The cover-artwork of your new album seems to feature this “little-girl-thing” like on “This Godless Endeavor” which had been a homage to the old guy on “Into The Mirror Black”. It seems that you like to have strange kinds of characters on your album-covers. Who has had the idea this time? Has it come from Travis Smith or from you? And what does it mean exactly?
I think it was partially Travis and part Warrel..... just an eerie thing really that adds to the darkness of the whole CD. We are really into the visual thing that creates something with deep emotions.......that's all I can really say.
Do you have some special final words for your fans in Germany?
Yes! We love our German fans and can't wait to see you all soon on tour!
