Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solo outing from Nevermore's front man., 17 May 2008
I am sure some of you that delve into the pit of extreme progressive metal would have at some stage come across the band Nevermore. Then the name Warrel Dane would have crossed your lips at some point in time, as he is of course the exceptional vocal talent behind the band Nevermore. An interesting man, brilliant musician/songwriter with a unique voice and a visionary on a never ending quest to create captivating and thought provoking music. `Praise to the War Machine' is the debut release from Dane, who has gathered a group of well-schooled musicians to share his passion and to record this album with him. Peter Wichers (ex- Soilwork) fame who is currently based in the United States, has not only produced and recorded the album, but has lent his hand at playing lead/rhythm guitar in addition to bass guitar on a few selective tracks. Dirk Verbeuren, ex Soilwork stick man, handles the drums and has a very creative and varying style to his playing. Despite being the main songwriter and central focus for Nevermore, I cannot help but feel that the restrictive chains have been lifted and that Dane has more poetic freedom to create the music he wants to do instead of working with other musicians on a collective basis.
To add some variation and depth to the music, guest musicians have been utilised. In particular, Jeff Loomis (current Nevermore guitarist) and journeyman guitarist James Murphy have both added a guitar solo to a track each. What is appealing about this album is there is total mixture of music, from the laid back almost groove laden, to the semi-ballad and then to the more up-front metal anthems. From a music perspective, Dane has wittingly steered clear of the Nevermore sound-tag, stamping this album with its own unique personality. Of course, Dane does have a very distinctive voice that is easily recognisable among the vast myriad of metal vocalists and this is the only characteristic factor to the Nevermore sound. Dane has experimented far more diversely with different vocal styles and techniques, always having the ability to sound immense no matter what he attempts to do. Once again, Dane pays homage to the music of Simon and Garfunkel by covering one of their tracks titled, `Patterns'. Admittingly, I have never heard the original before, but this is a very emotively charged song that has been well executed vocally and musically.
Several years ago, Nevermore did another rendition of an old Simon and Garfunkel track `The sound of Silence' taken from the `Dead heart in a Dead World' release. In all honesty, this song is a classic in its original form and I felt Nevermore did not pay reverence to the track wholeheartedly and the end result was it sounded nothing like the original. The second cover version on this album is a Sisters of Mercy track, `Lucretia my Reflection', from the 1980's and Dane incorporates a real Gothic sense to the song by singing in a baritone register in places. I assume the reason for the inclusion of this track was so that Dane could use different vocal registers and explore his voice more widely. I have to say that I prefer this version to the Sisters of Mercy version, for the mere fact that it has a modern day production and the richness of Dane's voice is stunning. Standout tracks have to be `This old Man' with an awesome riff, emotive vocals and evocative lyrics written wholly from the heart. `Equilibrium' this song is fast paced and in all likelihood the closest to Nevermore in some ways, mainly due to the heaviness of the track. The strangely titled' The day the rats went to War' with James Murphy helping out on guitar and Dane's different and unique vocals is a good winner in my book.
`Brother', is a semi ballad and incorporates a softer side to Dane's vocals - with the lyrics taking on a meaningful role dealing with human emotion in families. Graphic artist/designer Travis Smith is a favourite artist of mine and you do not have to look too far to find some of his album cover artwork that he has done for other artists. With this, his artwork (digipack) is some of the best he has ever done, aesthetically pleasing to the eye with Warrel Dane's name embossed on the front cover with silver foil. Brilliant idea! Overall, I cannot fault `Praise to the War Machine' as the music is enthralling, the production is razor sharp, the level of musicianship in exemplary and it is going to be hard to rival this and there are some amazing new releases about to hit the shelves in the music retailers very soon - so we will see. `Praise to the War Machine' will appeal to Nevermore and Warrel Dane fans like myself, but also to mainstream metal fans that might just want something different with plenty of variation to the music. What are you waiting for, order a copy now as this is a stunning album that is a must have!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good solo project !!!, 10 May 2008
I have been a fan of Warrel's work for a while now from his early days with Sanctuary & more recently with Nevermore.
I have been listening to Praises To The War Machine for several weeks now & this album has really grown on me, I remember first hearing it on his myspace site and feeling not very impressed, probably because it is differant from Nevermore.
After a few listenings you start to realise what a good album this is. Like Nevermore the subject matter is quite dark & sometimes very personel, like on the song Brother.
Give it good few plays & try not to compare it with Nevermore too much and i think you will enjoy this album too.
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