NEVERMORE singer Warrel Dane spoke with Etan from Cerebral Metalhead recently about a number of topics including the band's forthcoming album, The Obsidian Conspiracy. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Cerebral Metalhead: The name of the album, The Obsidian Conspiracy, just sounds black and paranoid to me. So what’s behind it?

Dane: "I’m not sure I can yet. It’s still evolving. The way I approach songwriting and recording, is everything evolves up until the moment it comes out of my mouth. And is permanent on tape – well there’s no tape anymore. But it’s evolving. And it’s something very, very intense. I don’t know how else to say it, actually. But when I’m done recording all this stuff, and we’re done writing – because we’re still working on music, lyrics, everything on a day-to-day basis, and it’s changing, and morphing, and becoming something different, even sometimes within minutes. And that’s so exciting to me. I mean that’s probably why I sound like I’m high on something. But I’m not. I’m high on life right now. And that can be the best drug ever. 'There is no stronger drug than reality.' I said that once (on the Enemies of Reality album) and I meant it."

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?

Dane: "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.

Dane: "No no no, not really."

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

Dane: "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: I hear you have two cover songs on the album. How did you choose those two?

Dane: "Well Jeff chose one, he’s a big DOORS fan, and I chose one because I’m a huge fan of the TEA PARTY, a Canadian band that’s now defunct. The Doors song was not my original choice. I really wanted to do this song called 'Waiting For the Sun'. When I listen to songs, of course since I’m a lyricist, I gravitate towards cover songs (for which) I admire the lyrics. Jeff being a guitarist, he goes for the guitar stuff that he thinks is really cool. And that’s how we came on the Doors thing. 'Crystal Ship' originally he had taken the approach of making it a little heavy. And I tried to work with it and I said 'Jeff, I don’t think this is working. I think maybe what we should try is an all-acoustic approach to the song.' And when we did it, he was like 'Dude, you’re totally right.' And he was like doing five layered guitar parts over this – when people hear it – it doesn’t sound like the Doors anymore. I think that’s what people expect when we do cover songs. ‘Cuz we’ve been known to deconstruct and recreate more than one song."

Read the entire interview here.

Nevermore are currently putting the finishing touches to The Obsidian Conspiracy, due out in early 2010 via Century Media Records.

Nevermore rented a cabin on a lake in North Carolina close to Asheville this summer with Peter Wichers from SOILWORK producing. Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ARCH ENEMY, EXODUS) will be handling the mixing of the album in the UK.

Song titles set to appear on the album include: 'Emptiness Unobstructed', 'And The Maiden Spoke', 'Without Morals', 'Termination Proclamation', 'The Obsidian Conspiracy', 'The Blue Marble and the New Soul', 'She Comes In Colors', 'The Day You Built The Wall, 'Poison Throne' AND 'Beautiful Mistake'.

The band are recording two cover songs for this session: 'The Crystal Ship' by THE DOORS and 'Transmission' by THE TEA PARTY.

Nevermore have confirmed the following European live dates next year:

May

13 - Dessau, Germany - Metalfest Open Air Germany
14 - Mining, Austria - Metalfest Open Air
15 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Metalfest Open Air
21 - Budapest, Hungary - Metalfest Open Air
22 - Pilsen, Czech Republic - Metalfest Open Air
23 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany Rock Hard Festival