Replacing a singer is difficult. Replacing a dead one, whose phrasing and vibrato were half of what the band meant to people, is something else entirely. NEVERMORE spent years on the problem and now sound entirely settled on the answer.
Speaking to Sinusoidal Music alongside new frontman Berzan Önen, drummer Van Williams laid out how the reconstituted lineup came together — and how quickly the decisive audition landed.
"His came in, like, the first week or something, and I'm, like, 'Holy shit, Jeff, this is the dude,'" Williams said, referring to guitarist Jeff Loomis. Roughly 500 to 600 further submissions arrived after that. None of them moved the needle. What sold Williams was not raw range but conviction: "He's not faking this. He's not learning the songs tomorrow. He knows the songs. He's the guy."
Warrel Dane died in December 2017 in São Paulo, Brazil, of a heart attack while working on a solo album. Williams does not pretend the succession was comfortable, but he is unequivocal about where it landed. "I think Warrel would be proud of the guy we chose to replace Warrel," he said. "It's not an easy thing to do, for sure."
He also asked the audience to extend some trust. "The people that follow us and have believed in the band for this long — there were some doubters," he said, before adding that "Jeff knows what's great for the band. I feel I kind of know what's great for the band, and together we found guys that we feel are gonna elevate and make this band continue in a stronger path." The band, he said, had "to find a new path" and "try stuff, just because everybody grows."
The proof of concept came on April 1, 2026, in Istanbul — Önen's hometown, and NEVERMORE's first show in fifteen years. "It was insane," the singer said. "Playing in my hometown with my dream band NEVERMORE, it doesn't get much better than this. The reception was amazing. We sold out the show, and we then sold out, like, 200 more."
The current lineup is Önen on vocals, Loomis and Jack Cattoi on guitars, Semir Özerkan on bass and Williams on drums. The band has signed with Reigning Phoenix Music and is working towards its first album since 2010's "The Obsidian Conspiracy" — Williams said recently that around six ideas are already in demo form.
Source: blabbermouth.net