Topic: Jéssica Marinho
Interview: Vitor Melo
Nevermore, one of the leading metal bands of the 1990s, is back on stage after a fifteen-year hiatus. With a new lineup, the American quintet returns to Brazil for the first time since 2006 as one of the main attractions of Bangers Open Air 2026 – tickets on sale at Clube do Ingresso.
In an interview with Wikimetal, guitarist and founding member Jeff Loomis spoke about the process of choosing the new members, what the band's comeback show's legacy Warrel Dane , and more. He also commented on the group's future plans and what we can expect from their performance at the festival. Read the full interview.
Wikimetal: After so many years of hiatus, what made you feel that this was the right time to bring Nevermore back?
Jeff Loomis: Well, I was commenting to the other interviewers that, basically, after my time with Arch Enemy, where I spent a good ten years, I really started talking to Van Williams, the drummer from Nevermore, about the possibility of reforming the band. And the question that kept coming up was whether that would even be possible. Because, as you know, Warrel had a very distinct vocal style, right? How the hell do you find someone who can really handle his vocal style? So, to make a long story short, we simply followed the old method and held one of those traditional auditions looking for a new vocalist and a new bassist, and we ended up receiving over seven hundred applications.
It's a lot. We literally spent about two months analyzing each one of them and we found this gentleman named Berzan Önen, from Istanbul. And we were like, “My God, this guy can really sing like Warrel.” He has the same essence in his vocals and can hit the notes correctly. But at the same time, he has his own style too, because we weren't looking for an exact clone of Warrel Dane. We wanted someone who could sing the old songs, but who could also do something of their own, in their own way. So we thought, that's it, this guy can do it. Basically, we called him and got to know him a little better. The same thing happened with the bassist,Semir [Özerkan], who is also Turkish, but lives in the United States.
With Jack [Cattoi], the guitarist, it was a little different. I met him when I was in California making videos for the guitar pickup brand Seymour Duncan, which is where he works; I was there recording, I handed him my guitar to hold and he started playing Nevermore stuff. And I was like, “Oh my God, you’re a really good guitarist, what have you been up to?” So I asked him that and Jack was the first to actually join the new Nevermore lineup.
Having said all that, we collectively got together as a band in January to rehearse twenty-five songs. And this is the video you saw with [YouTuber] Ola Englund that was just released. Basically, we discovered that we could do this as a band. And here we are, six days after the first show we just did in Istanbul, which was simply phenomenal. It was more than packed. The audience sang along to every song. And it was really one of those situations where we thought, “okay, the first one is done, now we can do this as a band.” And here we are, on our way to South America now.
WM: Speaking of Warrel, his absence is inevitably felt by fans. How do you balance honoring his legacy with the need to move on?
JL: When the band broke up around 2010, our internal relationship wasn't the healthiest, you know? Van and I were going one way, and Warrel and Jim [Sheppard, bassist] were going another. It was like a tug-of-war, a struggle for control; it was awful. It wasn't a nice place to be. That said, a lot of people are asking about Jim with things like, "Why didn't you invite him back to the lineup?" Well, the short answer to that is that Van and I haven't really spoken to him in the last ten years, you know? He's living somewhere in Alaska with his wife.
Basically, Van and I just wanted to start from scratch, while also honoring the legacy of Nevermore, of Warrel Dane, and playing those songs for people who want to hear them again. And of course, we're going to write new tracks too, which should happen very soon. We really wanted to come back as a solid band to play the songs, write new material, but also honor his legacy, his songs, and be able to play them again for people who are big fans of the band.
WM: Warrel Dane's death happened in São Paulo and had an even more intense impact on fans and the entire local scene. Now, the band is returning to São Paulo, how are you processing all of this, both personally and musically?
JL: It's difficult. You know, death isn't an easy situation. And there were a lot of things I wanted to say before he passed away. But, unfortunately, Warrel Dane's time on this earth was short, you know? It's really sad. What do you say in the face of something like that? It's just premature, of course. And I wish I could have him back, you know, to spend time with him and talk. But the best we can do now is simply honor his legacy, his lyrics, and move on, you know? And write more songs and stay positive. That's what we want to do.
WM: Looking at Nevermore's entire trajectory, what does this return mean to you on a personal level? Is there anything you would do differently this time?
JL: Well, I think a lot of people knew back in the day that Nevermore was known as a party band. I'm doing a lot of things differently these days. I don't party anymore and I don't drink anymore. I've been sober since 2013, you know? So music is my only passion. And being able to come back and do it properly, tour properly and do things the right way means everything to me. Having this second chance to do this again is phenomenal. And that's what I'm doing. I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to do things the right way.
WM: Do you follow the public's comments and reactions on social media about the band's return, or do you prefer to stay away from that kind of pressure?
JL: I take a quick look at them, you know what I mean? Just to see what the general vibe is, and to be honest with you, 98.9% of everything I've read has been extremely positive. Of course, you're going to have those 2% out there who aren't happy about it, that's just how it is. A lot of people out there love and appreciate Warrel Dane, but at the same time, there are other people willing to accept that we're trying to move forward and do something cool, you know?
But does that affect how I feel or think? No. I mean, I've been doing this my whole life. Since my early twenties, and I'm fifty-four now; so when I see the odd negative comment, like, what's new? There's always going to be people out there spouting that kind of thing, so I really don't care. And ultimately, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, right?
WM: And last week, as you mentioned, the band returned to the stage for the first time in eleven years to perform in Turkey. I'd like to know how you felt about that
JL: It was phenomenal. The show was sold out and the audience basically sang along to every song. It was simply killer, you know? We felt like we had a lot of support that night and were very well received. It was truly a great show. Something that will definitely go down in history. It's one of the best shows we've ever done, for sure.
WM: Are there any plans for new material? Has the band started any songwriting process or is the focus entirely on live performances?
JL: Everything is happening at the same time. The way we did it was kind of backwards. You know, a lot of bands release a single first, we came back as a reformed band and started booking shows. But the songs are being worked on collectively now as a band and we'll probably release a new album sometime early next year. So we're working on everything. Shows and new music. We're going on tour to open some Savatage this summer [in Europe] and we'll also do the same with Judas Priest. So, for sure, a lot of good things are on the way.
WM: And in the 90s, Nevermore surprised the music scene by mixing thrash, prog, and power metal and using seven-string guitars in such a unique way. Now that kind of sound has become the standard for many bands today. How do you see the metal scene today? Because, in a way, Nevermore helped create that path.
JL: That's a great question. How do I see metal today? You know, things have evolved a lot, haven't they? Like, a lot of people can just compose an entire album in their own basement. Back in the day, it almost seemed like an album was treated with more importance, like the producer would show up, go to your rehearsals and start putting ideas together and stuff, and everyone would discuss the songs a lot with each other. But now everything is done kind of in each person's home, on their own. And things are very different nowadays. Is it for the better? I don't know.
With Nevermore, we're going to keep it old-school. We're not using any AI or anything like that to compose. Everything is very organic. I like to start the song with a simple bass and drum base, just that, and then build the riff on top of that, you know? I'm very old-school when it comes to songwriting. I like to keep things that way. I think it keeps everything fresh, and that's how we'll continue to do things as a band.
WM: Your former band, Arch Enemy, will also be performing at Bangers Open Air, headlining the first day. Was your departure in 2022 already related to Nevermore's reunion plans? Is there a chance you'll see your former bandmates there?
JL: I don't know. I know they play on a different day than us. I think the day before. As everyone knows, I left the band amicably. I'm very good friends with all those guys and [former vocalist] Alissa [White-Gluz]; but I don't think I was thinking about Nevermore at the end of my time with Arch Enemy, but it was right after. After I left the band for good, that's when Van and I started talking and the ideas about the band really started to flow. As for meeting up with the Arch Enemy guys, we're still great friends, and we spend a lot of time together. Ten years is a long time to be in a band and tour together. I have many great memories from there and we still talk all the time.
WM: Brazilian fans are known worldwide for their enthusiastic reception at concerts. What are your expectations for the show at Bangers Open Air?
JL: I hope they go completely crazy. I have great memories of playing in South America in the early 2000s, and the crowd went absolutely wild, so I hope it's a great repeat of that. And let's see if you can top the Istanbul audience. Let's see if that's going to happen (laughs).
READ ALSO: Who is Berzan Önen and how did he become the vocalist of Nevermore?
