Nevermore
In Memory

THE REVIEW

Can a single, damned 5-song EP be so peculiar for a band that it sets their stylistic path to the point of being considered one of the musical pinnacles of those years? As you may have gathered from my rhetorical question (and the overlapped asterisks), the answer is obviously yes. 1996. In the same year that Venice's La Fenice theater was destroyed by a tragic fire, Juventus won their second Champions League on penalties, and Take That decided 'reluctantly' to quit their Gayband activity on Robbie Williams' birthday, "In Memory" was born, and a part of metal would never be the same.

Without wanting to fall into exaggerated enthusiasm, I've always considered these five songs (perhaps the only exception being the cover medley "Silent Hedges/Double Dare" by the English gothic rockers Bauhaus, still personal and delightful) as essential for anyone who loves a certain way of understanding Power in its most markedly progressive sense. From the first riff of 'Optimist Or Pessimist' the band's clear intent is to make their sound darker and more hypnotic without losing anything in terms of sonic violence, reaching objectively unexpected milestones (at least until then) that would set the bar for a myriad of bands formed in later years. This is clearly apparent in 'Matricide' with its succession of aggressive passages and delicate atmospheres while Warrel Dane assumes the role of an actor with a performance worthy of the best Kirk Douglas in shouting his pain at the absurdities mankind commits against our first mother: the Earth. Despite criticism at the time for their sound being labeled too modern (but it is well known, for some  metal is only Manowar and their warriors), these guys developed a certain talent for the perfect fusion of instrumental complexity and catchy songwriting accompanied by lyrics that to call evocative would diminish their value (the magnificent title-track fully embodies what I'm stating).

It's worth noting that at the guitars were the promising Jeff Loomis (clearly for the time, now he is simply one of the most respectable axemen in existence) in great shape and Pat O'Brien (soon to be with Cannibal Corpse), behind the drums a magnificent Van Williams, and on bass the co-founder Jim Sheppard (his touch always unmistakable). I wanted to add a few words for the last song 'The Sorrowed Man': how many bands can afford to conclude a Heavy Metal work in general with a ballad? I believe very few, and this demonstrates even more the greatness of a band that, I want to remind, was semi-unknown on the eve of this EP.

The Nevermore, as you know, in the years to come released masterpieces that are indispensable in the discographies of each one of us. But I would like to encourage anyone reading these lines to make this "In Memory" their own without any hesitation to understand where these geniuses started and, above all, to demonstrate how sometimes 5 songs can be worth more than an entire discography.