NEVERMORE — The Year of the Voyager (review)

NEVERMORE — The Year of the Voyager album cover

Live album · 2008 · Thrash Metal

4/5 · 2013-12-14
UMUR

"The Year of the Voyager" is a double disc, 2 hours long live album release by US power/thrash metal act Nevermore. The album was released through Century Media Records in October 2008. "The Year of the Voyager" is available in a limited-edition 2DVD+2CD version, a standard 2DVD version, a standard 2CD version and limited 3LP version. The album features a full live show recorded October 11, 2006 at The Zeche Club in Bochum, Germany. It´s the same show that is featured on the DVD (plus some extra material from a couple of other shows from the tour supporting "This Godless Endeavor (2005)".

There´s no questioning that this was exactly the right moment to record a Nevermore live album. Commercially and artistically they were at their peak and for the first time in years they had a stable second guitarist in Steve Smyth (that relationship would soon end too though). The band are a very well playing and tight unit and to top it off lead vocalist Warrel Dane delivers a strong, attitude filled and commanding performance. That man has the pipes and the skills to use them. Not all vocalists can deliver on stage, but Warrel Dane is on fire...

Musically we´re treated to US power/thrash metal of the highest caliber. Nevermore were always in a league of their own and listening to this concert which includes tracks from all their studio albums up until then, it once again becomes clear why that is. It´s a combination of high quality songwriting, a distinct sounding lead vocalist, a virtuoso lead guitarist (on this album two) and a tight and great playing rythm section.

It can always be argued if the setlist includes the right tracks, but personally I think the 19 tracks on "The Year of the Voyager" do a good job of representing Nevermore and their discography up until then. We´re both presented to (at the time) new tracks like "Final Product", "My Acid Words", "Born", "Sentient 6" and the almost 10 minutes long "This Godless Endeavor", as well as older "classics" like the "What Tomorrow Knows / Garden of Grey" medley, "Matricide" and "Next in Line", but the intermediate albums are also all well represented on "The Year of the Voyager". Highlights include "The Politics of Ecstasy", "Inside Four Walls" and "The Learning", but almost any track off the album could have been mentioned in the same breath. The only track that I think is a bit questionable is "Dreaming Neon Black". In the studio version it´s of course a fantastic track, but it´s also layered with multible guitars, and it´s like something is missing from the live version, as the band can´t fully replicate the rather complex studio arrangement. It´s a minor issue though and overall the track works fine, but I did notice this as a slight negative.

The sound production is very well sounding and everything is audible in the mix. So all in all "The Year of the Voyager" is a very worthwhile live album by Nevermore. There are also enough audience participation (singing, clapping, shouting) and communication between Warrel Dane and the audience between the tracks, to make "The Year of the Voyager" sound like a "real" live recording. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.