Subtlety, thy name is the new Nevermore platter. While the Seattle outfit has always interwoven dynamic changes with the skill of a Persian rug artisan, this latest batch of ten songs (45:01, The Tea Party’s ‘Temptation’ and The Doors ‘Crystal Ship’ are available solely on the expanded first edition) offers shorter, more emotive durations.

Ironic, since the first thing heard is Jeff Loomis’ shredding guitar, to open ‘The Termination Proclamation’, a track which heralds the return of Nevermore in a recognizable form, similar to a "This Godless World" outtake. Yet, Loomis seemingly shelves the six-string, at least in terms of solos/spotlights, until ‘Without Morals’ (six songs later) and only to be reprised on the closing title cut. Elsewhere, Warrel Dane adds to his vocal repertoire (toying with sinister, near death intonations) as the disc crawls through shades of light and dark first visited on "Dreaming Neon Black", but without those elaborate explorations, as no song eclipses six minutes, half finish before 4:30! ‘The Blue Marble And The New Soul’ begins with whispered vocals atop lone, sporadic guitar notes, before bringing in acoustic guitar, piano and jazz-style brushes on drums. ‘She Comes In Colors’ also employs acoustic guitar, but unlike the former, it picks up to more conventional intensity (Dane briefly opting for modulated voice). A gritty, modern staccato beat characterizes ‘Moonrise (Through Mirrors Of Death)’, while ‘And The Maiden Spoke’ is a ghost tale, with bits of spoken delivery.

Like Rick Rubin’s trademark, the Andy Sneap production virtually sews on track atop another, without any perceptible silence separating each. A varied musical offering, which is good, since (if track record continues) it will be at least 2013 before there’s any new music. Enjoy!

Reviewed By: Jack Mangan
Rating: 8/ 10

"The Obisidian Conspiracy" was released with a great deal of hardcore fan anticipation. There are a handful of minor disappointments (like the album cover), but overall, this is really from a consistently strong technical 21st century progressive thrash band.

It's a fairly interesting release, considering the band's trajectory, following 2005's "This Godless Endeavor" and 2008 solo albums from lead guitar genius Jeff Loomis and lead vocalist Warrel Dane. The primary "Obsidian" album doesn't venture into unfamiliar territory, even borrows frequently from riffs of Nevermore's past, making it almost sound like "This Godless Endeavor 2". As enjoyable as this album is, it seems a continuation of their previous release, rather than an escalation to the next level. It's high points are many, but not quite as high as the best moments from "Godless". I'm concerned that the band may have hit a plateau. The standout tracks for me are the opening 1-2 punch in ‘Termination Proclamation’, plus ‘Your Poison Throne’, ‘And the Maiden Spoke’, and ‘The Day You Built the Wall’.

There is some variety to be found in the special edition's two bonus tracks: One is a competent cover of the ‘The Crystal Ship’ by the Doors, another is a good, well-constructed, insanely-infectiously-catchy metal pop tune called ‘Temptation’, which - - aside from the 1-minute opening of excellent Loomis Middle-Eastern-style noodling - - would fit seamlessly into rotation on crap-hard-rock non-metal radio, between Nickelback tunes and Bud Light ads. Kudos to Nevermore for mixing it up on the bonus material, but please don't let them bring either of these paths into their main focus.

They've always seemed to follow a Bono/Edge model, with guitarist and singer captaining the ship, and with the rhythm section mostly at work in the boiler room. Loomis is one of the best guitarists in the business; his rhythm passages are often as complex and exciting as the leads he's playing over them. Great guitar tone, fantastic prog/neo-classical/classic thrash approach - - I could go on all day. Warrel Dane, on the other hand, seems to polarize audiences. His over-the-top dramatic lyrical and vocal flair can sometimes get hammier than pre-ironic William Shatner, which can sometimes be off-putting. If you can overlook or enjoy his approach, however, then you should be able to appreciate his positives. He's one of the few guys in his genre who's a pure singer, with no faux-Cookie Monster or Cobra Commander roles - - almost like a next generation prog-thrash version of Bruce Dickinson. His voice is perfect for this music, and his vocal melodies are always correct, sometimes truly inspired.

So just to be clear: I like this album. I like this band. Did I mention that I like Jeff Loomis's guitar work? "The Obsidian Conspiracy" is an excellent and worthy addition to Nevermore's rich catalog, full of good songs and wonderful moments. Metal fans of all stripes should enjoy it thoroughly.