New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Riding high on the success of their debut album, Ascension, PALADIN have announced that they will release a three-track tribute to Nevermore. To create their own distinctive sound, the young Atlanta-based four piece have drawn from a number of influences including 1980's thrash and 1990's melodic death metal - with Nevermore firmly in the epicentre. An inspiration to many bands who followed in their footsteps, Nevermore split in 2011, and hopes for a reunion ended when vocalist Warrel Dane died in 2017.
Of the choice of songs on the EP, PALADIN guitarist/vocalist, Taylor Washington comments:
"River Dragon was an obvious choice since it's probably their most recognizable song. I wanted to do something from This Godless Endeavor since it's still my favorite Nevermore album, and Final Product was kind of the default choice since it doesn't have any super ridiculous hard parts in it. We also wanted to do an older song, one that wasn't played on a 7 string. The name is a mouthful, but I've always been partial to 42147 because it's filled with great riffs and the subject matter is interesting."
A chance meeting with Nevermore drummer, Van Williams, gave PALADIN the impetus to pursue the idea of recording the songs, which will be released on 13 December - the anniversary of Dane's death. The band's connection to Nevermore goes back several years as Taylor explains:
"I remember picking up This Godless Endeavor from a liquidation sale at a music store back in high school. From the first listen it immediately resonated with me and I knew it would become one of my favorite albums and Nevermore one of my favorite bands. When Prosthetic proposed the idea of doing a Nevermore tribute EP to commemorate Warrel Dane's death, I honestly hesitated. Jeff Loomis is an absolute monster on guitar and Warrel had one of the most distinct and dynamic voices to grace the metal world. The task of having to do justice to those two and Nevermore as a whole was a daunting one, but I couldn't say no. I decided to sing the songs the way I would rather than try to sound like Warrel since that would feel disingenuous to me."
The cover art for the Anamnesis EP has been created by
Travis Smith, a longtime artistic collaborator of both Nevermore and Warrel Dane. The track list for the release is as follows:
The River Dragon has Come
Final Product
4147
The Anamnesis EP will be released digitally via Prosthetic Records on December 13, 2019.
Having signed to Prosthetic Records, PALADIN released Ascension in May of this year to widespread critical acclaim and a rapturous reception from a growing legion of fans around the world. The album made dents in the Billboard charts landing in the Current Hard Rock and Top New Artist album charts at #35 and #40 respectively. PALADIN hit the road with Druids, and later Allegaeon, as well as taking in a bucket list stop at Prog Power USA festival in September.
