Friday, May 17: Nevermore, “Medicated Nation”
This Godless Endeavor overcorrected on the streamlined but muddy Enemies of Reality by pushing all of Nevermore’s unique qualities (the technicality and forcefulness of the musicianship, the drama and intensity of Warrel Dane’s vocals, and the band’s unrelenting heaviness) straight to the redline. It wasn’t their best record, but it was arguably their most record, the one that, for better and worse, put absolutely everything on the table, thanks in no small part to Andy Sneap’s suffocating production. To that end, even a more brisk and less epic number like “Medicated Nation” bordered on overwrought, since Dane was so melodramatic in his bellowing and Jeff Loomis was so pulverizing in his riffing and Van Williams was so intense in his drumming. It was more than a bit much, but that didn’t prevent the song from working on its own terms: this was still progressive technical power metal of the highest order, and there was no disputing the quality of the writing and playing, which was staggering. Dane may have crossed over to hysteria on more than one occasion, but he was a singular voice on the scene, and Loomis and Williams were easily among the best at what they did (not to discount Steve Smyth or Jim Sheppard, neither of whom were slouches by any stretch, it was just that their talents and contributions weren’t as immediately apparent). In essence, there weren’t many tunes that had the technicality, drama, heaviness and singularity of “Medicated Nation”, and even at a little over 4 minutes, showcased everything that made Nevermore what they were.
