Jeff Loomis & Van Williams Leave Nevermore!

Temple of Blood wrote:

I'm very surprised although I guess I shouldn't be.

My thoughts exactly.

Didnt jeff quit the band already? I tough I read it before last month and that the band had a new guitar Player. I wHich they come back someday, because they are one of the best live

Not that I was aware of. Maybe you're thinking of the replacement bass player they hired for the tour. Jim Sheppard, the original bassist, was sitting out recovering from brain surgery.

I'm bummed because this is the one band that I really love that I never got to see live. Dang.

The end is near I fear!!!

No, Jeff hadn't left already. They got a new second guitarist to replace the spot left empty by Chris Broderick. A Hungarian guy, who's name escapes me. He'd played with them on their last tour as a touring member, I think it was only made official recently. Great guitarist, admittedly, but it's weird to think he's currently the main guitarist.

This is from awhile ago, obviously before Jeff announced his departure...

Quote :

On the topic of NEVERMORE's current second guitarist, Hungarian musician Attila Voros, Loomis said, "I think Attila is more of a permanent member of the band now, really, because he's just a perfect fit for the band; he plays all the songs very, very well, so we're very fortunate to have him as well."

He added, "When we lost Chris Broderick to MEGADETH, Attila had found out the news about that, so he started sending videos — these YouTube videos — to us that really showcased his overall playability of the instrument. And I mean, he knew every little nuance of all the NEVERMORE songs, so obviously he spent a lot of time going over all of the stuff. So we're very fortunate to have him, and I think the band has never sounded better; it's really sounding very powerful right now."

The dude's name is "Attila." How metal is that?

Fat Freddy wrote:

The dude's name is "Attila." How metal is that?

You gotta have some pretty high aspirations for your son when you name him Attila. He's not gonna be a figure skater with that name, for sure.

This is somewhat random - I never saw it coming because to me it seemed the guys in Nevermore got along fairly well but then again I guess their personal affairs are not as widely shared and as intimately known as those of other musicians in other bands.

It is nevertheless disappointing that Jeff Loomis left the band - for me this spells the end of Nevermore. Losing Jeff Loomis isn't like losing a lead guitarist in Megadeth, it is akin to Mustaine himself leaving the band.

I think it is fair to say that Nevemore is the unity of two talents - Dane and Loomis. The band cannot be without the other; Dane without Loomis and vice versa equates into a solo project for one or the other, and we have been graced with solo albums from both in the past.

At the very least we can say Nevermore gave us over 15 years of music since their debut self-titled release. Over 15 years of consistently strong albums is nothing to frown about, and while there is no measuring stick for a band's longevity - 15 years of touring and recording history seems to be about the average lifespan of most successful metal bands.

Desirable as it may be, not many make it to their 20th or 30th anniversary, at least not without any bumps in the road.

I seen this posted yesterday. What a shock. Jeff Loomis is just as important as Warrel Dane, but SO IS Van Williams! Van's drumming is incredible. The songs wouldn't be like they were to give Jeff Loomis all the credit you are giving him without him! I hope these 2 guys form a new band together!

Lurideath wrote:

I seen this posted yesterday. What a shock. Jeff Loomis is just as important as Warrel Dane, but SO IS Van Williams! Van's drumming is incredible. The songs wouldn't be like they were to give Jeff Loomis all the credit you are giving him without him! I hope these 2 guys form a new band together!

I agree. Van Williams deserves allot of the credit in this band as well. Losing Jeff is huge, but losing 2 original key members can be devestating to a band. As it stands now, it's little more than another Warrel Dane solo project. If he keeps the bandname in tact, it's going to be nothing more than hired hands that do what he tells them.

ugh......that sucks.

So I assume Jeff isn't involved in Sanctuary anymore either?

EDIT: apparently he's out of that too.

Pull the plug!!!!

I hope the both of them start up another band together because it's such a waste.
Jeff Loomis is one of the best guitarist in metal at the min and Van Williams is a powerhouse of a drummer.
I would be excellent if they did another band together again.

They should get together with Steve Digiorgio and an awesome singer like Tim Aymar or Chuck Billy to put something stinkingly heavy out

\m/

The internal problems in Nevermore have been there for quite some time. I remember reading an interview with Jeff after the latest albums where he addressed it as being better, but not great. They barely made it through the recording sessions becasue of it. So it's really not a surprise, but still a shame.

What exactly are the internal problems, anyway (other than assorted, unfortunate health issues)? Just a clash of personalities? I got to meet Nevermore once a few years ago and they all seemed like stand up blokes. Of course, that was a completely different context.

He never went in depths regarding what the problems were. My guess is clash of personalities due to alcohol and other substance abuse.

I read that Warrel and Jeff were clashing over the direction of the band. Warrel wanted it to me more goth-inspired, like his solo album, whereas Jeff wanted it to remain metal. Rumor is that he held back on his guitar work on the last Nevermore album to appease Warrel and wasn't thrilled with the end result.

This is all speculation, of course. Until any of the members actually address it, we'll never really know.

Warrel's solo album was good. I finally heard that the other day. Almost a pop metal style but it has some really strong moments.

I tend to not be impressed by Loomis's riffs but NEVERMORE have quite a few excellent songs overall so he must not have been too bad.

After a while people just get sick of each other and want to do something different. Who can blame them?

I enjoyed Dane's solo album quite a lot, but something about it seemed a bit indecisive. It was like he wasn't sure whether he wanted to go all out goth or sound a bit Nevermore-esque. The result was sort of like a watered down Nevermore. Still, rather good.

Quote :

The result was sort of like a watered down Nevermore.

That's the exact impression i got too.

Nevermore has been stagnant for a long time. It was probably for the best Jeff and Van left...

Warrel can try whatever it is he wanted to do with Nevermore and Jeff and Van will hopefully start a new band.

Smindas wrote:

I enjoyed Dane's solo album quite a lot, but something about it seemed a bit indecisive. It was like he wasn't sure whether he wanted to go all out goth or sound a bit Nevermore-esque. The result was sort of like a watered down Nevermore. Still, rather good.

My sentiments exactly. Not a bad album at all. In alot of places, it reminded me of some of the mellower songs in Nevermore's catalog. If you put Warrel's disc in a cd changer with Nevermore's stuff and hit shuffle, you probably wouldn't notice much difference.

I think it'd have been more interesting if Dane went with the slightly more goth stuff a bit more on Praises. The Sisters of Mercy cover was well done and 'Brother' was by far the best track on the album.

Bump. Thought this was an interesting response by Warrell to Jeff & Van's departure...

Quote :

When asked about NEVERMORE's recent split with guitarist Jeff Loomis and drummer Van Williams, Dane said, "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 sh*t 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."

Harsh words for poor Van Williams. Drummers get no respect.