The Obsidian Conspiracy
Encyclopedia
The Obsidian Conspiracy is the seventh album by American heavy metal band Nevermore
. The album was released on June 8, 2010 in North America by Century Media and was released at the end of May in Europe. The band's previous album, This Godless Endeavor
was released in 2005, making the five year gap the longest between two consecutive Nevermore albums. The album was met with generally positive reviews. The Obsidian Conspiracy was the band's first album to chart in Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States Billboard 200. This is the last album to feature long-time members Jeff Loomis and Van Williams on their respective instruments.
Warrel Dane
commented on the writing process: "These songs are full of newfound rage, lyrically and musically. Jeff Loomis has come up with some amazing new riffs that will no doubt please old and new fans alike. Also, I think the combination of Peter and Andy(production & mixing) will result in something very, very special." Dane expressed his opinion about the song "And the Maiden spoke": " [It] is going to blow your minds; it's twisted, progressive lunatic fringe riffing with vicious hooklines."
Jeff Loomis
commented on the writing of the album: "I think that with the new Nevermore, it still sounds like the band, but I think I'm giving Warrel a little bit more room this time around for more vocals rather than all the notey, kind of complex stuff and all that, so this time around it's just a little bit more wide open musically for him to really be able to do whatever he wants vocally this time around. So we'll see what happens. It's gonna be an interesting album for us, for sure."
Jeff Loomis
has also stated in a recent interview that Peter Wichers had a major part in the songwriting, encouraging Loomis to "cut out the fat, and make the songs catchier and hookier", thus creating a simplistic and stripped down sound that differs from the original 7-8 minute complex tracks which Loomis originally wanted to record.
Production
Nevermore
Nevermore is an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive, and neo-classical metal into their songs, and also makes use of acoustic guitars and a wide range of vocal styles.-Early years...
. The album was released on June 8, 2010 in North America by Century Media and was released at the end of May in Europe. The band's previous album, This Godless Endeavor
This Godless Endeavor
-Credits:The Band:*Warrel Dane - lead vocals*Jeff Loomis - guitar*Steve Smyth - guitar*Jim Sheppard - bass*Van Williams - drumsGuest Musician:*James Murphy - Special guest lead guitar on "The Holocaust of Thought"Production:...
was released in 2005, making the five year gap the longest between two consecutive Nevermore albums. The album was met with generally positive reviews. The Obsidian Conspiracy was the band's first album to chart in Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States Billboard 200. This is the last album to feature long-time members Jeff Loomis and Van Williams on their respective instruments.
Writing and recording
Nevermore, having written 13 new songs, entered Wichers studio, North Carolina, in August 2009, to record the album. Van Williams completed recording the drumming on the album as 17 August, in Seattle. The whole recording process was finished in October.Warrel Dane
Warrel Dane
Warrel Dane is the lead singer of the progressive metal band Nevermore. He is also the singer of the metal band Sanctuary, who have recently reformed...
commented on the writing process: "These songs are full of newfound rage, lyrically and musically. Jeff Loomis has come up with some amazing new riffs that will no doubt please old and new fans alike. Also, I think the combination of Peter and Andy(production & mixing) will result in something very, very special." Dane expressed his opinion about the song "And the Maiden spoke": " [It] is going to blow your minds; it's twisted, progressive lunatic fringe riffing with vicious hooklines."
Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore.-Early days:...
commented on the writing of the album: "I think that with the new Nevermore, it still sounds like the band, but I think I'm giving Warrel a little bit more room this time around for more vocals rather than all the notey, kind of complex stuff and all that, so this time around it's just a little bit more wide open musically for him to really be able to do whatever he wants vocally this time around. So we'll see what happens. It's gonna be an interesting album for us, for sure."
Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis
Jeff Loomis is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore.-Early days:...
has also stated in a recent interview that Peter Wichers had a major part in the songwriting, encouraging Loomis to "cut out the fat, and make the songs catchier and hookier", thus creating a simplistic and stripped down sound that differs from the original 7-8 minute complex tracks which Loomis originally wanted to record.
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
May 28, 2010 |
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
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| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
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| Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
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| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
May 31, 2010 |
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
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| Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
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| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
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| Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
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| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
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| Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
June 1, 2010 |
| Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
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| Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
June 2, 2010 |
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
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| Brazil Brazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... |
June 6, 2010 |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
June 8, 2010 |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
July 21, 2010 |
Track listing
Chart positions
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 34 |
| Belgian Albums Chart | 87 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 69 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 35 |
| French Albums Chart | 108 |
| German Albums Chart | 13 |
| Greek Albums Chart Greek Albums Chart International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
3 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
27 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 41 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 40 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
132 |
| US Rock Albums | 41 |
| US Independent Albums | 18 |
| US Hard Rock Albums | 13 |
| US Tastemakers | 19 |
Credits
Nevermore- Warrel DaneWarrel DaneWarrel Dane is the lead singer of the progressive metal band Nevermore. He is also the singer of the metal band Sanctuary, who have recently reformed...
- lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the... - Jeff LoomisJeff LoomisJeff Loomis is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore.-Early days:...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Jim SheppardJim SheppardJim Sheppard is an American musician.He is the bassist and founding member of the progressive metal band, Nevermore, and its predecessor, SanctuaryHe and singer Warrel Dane are certified chefs, and formerly owned a restaurant in Seattle....
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Van WilliamsVan Williams (musician)Van Williams is the former drummer of Nevermore. Van Williams hails from New York where he began his music career in various bands, later relocating to Seattle, Washington in 1993...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Production
- Peter WichersPeter WichersPeter Wichers is best known as one of the founding members of Swedish melodic death metal band, Soilwork. From 1995 until late 2005, when he announced his departure from the band, he was known as the lead guitarist and also a songwriter, especially on their Stabbing the Drama album...
- production, engineering - Andy SneapAndy SneapAndy "Undie" Sneap is an English record producer, recording engineer, mixer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is best known for producing and mixing many acclaimed heavy metal albums.-Musician:...
- mixing, mastering - Travis SmithTravis Smith (artist)Travis Smith is an American graphic artist best known for designing heavy metal album art. He has been called "renowned" by Alternative Press and "unquestionably one of the most talented graphic artists in metal today" by Chronicles of Chaos...
- cover art