''Dreaming Neon Black'' is the third studio album released by American heavy metal band

Nevermore Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had n ...

, and was released through

Century Media A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

in 1999. Unlike its predecessor, '' The Politics of Ecstasy'', ''Dreaming Neon Black'' contains many slower, emotional songs. ''Dreaming Neon Black'' is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

; according to Nevermore's lead singer,

Warrel Dane Warrel Dane (born Warrel George Baker; March 7, 1961 – December 13, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead singer for the heavy metal bands Sanctuary and Nevermore. He was a natural baritone; though he was known for his high-pitched ...

, "it's a very simple story about a man who slowly goes insane after losing a woman that he was very close to. Progressive levels of insanity are expressed in the songs, he goes through phases of denial and self-blame, blaming

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

, then denouncing God. The ending is a little...tragic, a little depressing. Shakesperian. Everybody dies, it's all happy." The story is based on a personal experience of Dane's. One of his former girlfriends, Patricia Candace Walsh, ceased contact with him when she joined a religious group and was never heard from again, and he began having

nightmares A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...

of her crying out to him as she drowned. In actuality, Walsh and her husband Douglas Zyskowski were murdered by

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

Robert Ben Rhoades in January 1990 while hitchhiking to a religious workshop in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, although Dane was initially unaware of this. The spoken word samples from the intro "Ophidian" and its 10-second reprise at the end of "Forever" are from the

Clive Barker Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English novelist, playwright, author, film director, and visual artist who came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories, the ''Books of Blood'', which established him as a leading h ...

movie ''

Lord of Illusions ''Lord of Illusions'' is a 1995 American neo-noir supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, based on his own short story "The Last Illusion" published in 1985 in the anthology '' Books of Blood'' Volume 6. The same story introd ...

''.

Track listing

Note: The song ''Forever'' has a run time of 2:35, followed by six minutes and 35 seconds of silence. This silence is followed a 10-second section from the opening track ''Ophidian''.

Credits

;Nevermore *

– vocals *

Jim Sheppard James Patrick Sheppard (born May 8, 1961) is an American musician. He was the bassist and founding member of the progressive metal band, Nevermore, and its predecessor, Sanctuary.Mustica, Giorgio.An Interview with Jeff Loomis: Cooling The Burn ...

– bass *

Jeff Loomis Jeff Loomis (born September 14, 1971) is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore during its existence from 1991 to 2011, as well as brief tenures in its precursor, Sanctuary (band) ...

– guitars *

Tim Calvert Timothy K. Calvert (November 7, 1965 – April 30, 2018) was an American metal guitarist. He was known for his dark, moody style of songwriting created through his frequent usage of dissonant passages and diminished chords. He was associated wi ...

– guitars *

Van Williams Van Zandt Jarvis Williams (February 27, 1934 – November 28, 2016) was an American actor best known for his leading role as Kenny Madison in both Warner Bros. television detective series '' Bourbon Street Beat'' (1959–1960) and its sequel ...

– drums ;Additional personnel * Christine Rhoades – additional vocals ;Production *

Neil Kernon Neil Kernon is an English musician, record producer, mixer and recording engineer from London. He is a Grammy Award winner and has worked on over 100 Gold and Platinum records. Biography Born to a musical family, Kernon's formal musical trai ...

– production, mixing, mastering * Justin Leeah – additional engineering * Bobby Torres – additional engineering * Raymon Breton – mastering * Travis Smith – illustrations, design, photography * Karen Mason-Blair – band photography * Louis Rusconi – additional photography www.Rusconi.com * Brad Gilson Jr. - additional photography

References

{{Authority control 1999 albums Nevermore albums Century Media Records albums Concept albums Albums produced by Neil Kernon Albums with cover art by Travis Smith (artist)