JEFF LOOMIS on NEVERMORE vocalist and bassist search: “we have over 350 submissions already”
27-01-2025
At this weekend’s NAMM convention in Anaheim, California, Jeff Loomis spoke to Seymour Duncan about the return of his longtime band NEVERMORE. Bassist Jim Sheppard isn’t involved with the reunion, which was initially teased on December 27, 2024 via a one-minute video containing various NEVERMORE-related imagery and silhouettes of Loomis and drummer Van Williams along with the text “Resurrecting The Dream”. The teaser ended with the NEVERMORE logo along with the line “A New Chapter Rises” and the year “2025”.
Loomis said: “Not many people may know yet, but NEVERMORE is coming back in 2025. It’s been a long time, but Van Williams and me have decided to bring the band back and find a new bass player and a new vocalist. We already have the new second guitar player, but we are in search of a new bass player and a new vocalist. So that’s what we are doing right now.”
He continued: “We have over 350 submissions already. It’s a lot to look through. We’re taking our time with it. We wanna make sure we’re doing it right, and get somebody to honor (late NEVERMORE singer) Warrel Dane‘s name, but still somebody that can sing like him, but still give a little bit of their own self, or their own self-worth.”
On December 31, 2024, Loomis and Williams announced that they were holding open auditions for the new NEVERMORE vocalist and bassist. They also defended the NEVERMORE reunion from criticism from Sheppard, who co-founded the band in 1991 with singer Dane. Dane died in December 2017 at the age of 56.
NEVERMORE effectively split up in 2011 when Loomis and Williams announced their departure from the band due to personal differences with Dane and Sheppard. Warrel later described NEVERMORE in an interview as “the greatest band that alcohol ever ruined.”
Dane died in São Paulo, Brazil while recording his posthumously released solo studio album, “Shadow Work”. The musician reportedly had a heart attack during the night and could not be revived.
For his part, Jeff defended the decision to reactivate NEVERMORE with new musicians, writing: “No one can replace Warrel Dane. Bottom line. With his interesting melodies and charisma onstage, he was a force that was a huge part of the band both lyrically and spiritually. With that being said, we aren’t looking for a Warrel Dane clone. We are looking for someone that can carry the older NEVERMORE tunes in his vocal style, and someone who can add something new and refreshing to the next chapter of the band. Obviously, this won’t be the easiest thing to do.”
Jeff Loomis “amicably” left ARCH ENEMY in December 2023 and was replaced by Joey Concepcion.
Jeff, who was the main songwriter in NEVERMORE, joined ARCH ENEMY in late 2014, but was not involved in the writing for the latter act’s last two albums, 2017’s “Will To Power” and 2022’s “Deceivers”.
In December 2019, Sheppard launched a project called THE DEAD HEART COLLECTIVE, featuring music and lyrics inspired by Dane. At the time, Sheppard sent his synopsis of THE DEAD HEART COLLECTIVE to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which he explained his decision to start a new project as a vehicle for Warrel to “channel songs and paintings” through him.
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