Nevermore's "The Obsidian Conspiracy"

There was a time, early on in high school, when I absolutely loved progressive-thrash group Nevermore--and my friends absolutely loved making fun of me for it. However, I stood by my admiration for them; they were my gateway to modern metal. What mostly drew my friends' ire was singer Warrel Dane's dramatic, baritone voice, meaning they looked completely past the complex song structures and Jeff Loomis' amazing lead guitar acrobatics. If you've always been interested in the awesome instrumental virtuosity often found in metal but have never been able to get past screaming vocalists, check these guys out.

Here's "Without Morals" from their upcoming release The Obsidian Conspiracy, the follow up to 2005's mindblowing "This Godless Endeavor." Loomis and company are in fine form, unleashing a thunderous yet nimble seven-string guitar stampede. In the verses between the melodic pre-choruses and choruses, Dane's vocals bear a strong resemblance to Alice in Chains' ominous harmonies. Despite a pretty noticeable lyrical mistep ("Your petulant seed is a dying breed" or some nonsense like that), he delivers a passionate performance. The whole thing peaks with yet another triumphant shred solo from Loomis.

"The Obsidian Conspiracy" drops June 8th. As "This Godless Endeavor" was one of the best straight-up metal albums of the decade, here's hoping that Nevermore can continue the consistency of their discography. Enjoy "Without Morals" (and the lolworthy album artwork) below.