On December 27, guitarist Jeff Loomis and drummer Van Williams took to social media teasing a return of Nevermore in 2025. The duo issued teasers with phrases “Resurrecting The Dream” and “A New Chapter Rises”. See Williams' post here.
Nevermore split in 2011 when Loomis and Williams departed the band due to problems with singer Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard. Dane and Sheppard would focus their efforts on Sanctuary after Loomis and Williams left. Dane died of a heart attack in 2017 while working on solo material in São Paulo, Brazil.
Founding Nevermore bassist Jim Sheppard's wife, Priscila Sheppard, shared the following statement via her Facebook page on December 29:
"Since I have been receiving a few messages from James fans regarding a post Van Williams made on social media, I feel I need to respond to you with an update.
James has never been contacted about Van's plans with Jeff using the Nevermore name. I am sorry you think James is involved. We do not know about their plans, and it is completely disrespectful of them to use the name NEVERMORE without consulting Jim Sheppard, as he is one of the founders of the band. We are waiting for clarification on this alleged project and will proceed from there, whether or not clarification comes from them. No further comment for now. Thank you."
On January 4th, Sheppard issued the following statement on the situation:
"In my heart, Nevermore will always be Warrel, Jeff and I living in a one-room apartment, slaves to an eight-track recording machine, non-stop songwriting insanity. We were driven, we were hungry... To quote Dave Mustaine, 'We were ready to 'smile, eat shit and ask for more!'
True, I've been retired. I enjoy my new life in Alaska following bears with my wife Priscila, a wildlife photographer.
My opinion of (the comeback) press release, Van came across self-promoting and Jeff felt very sincere; he truly wants to capture a little piece of the magic we held. I'm disappointed no one reached out to me concerning the name Nevermore, a name that means blood, sweat and tears. With that said, I wish them the best."
Nevermore’s last album is 2010’s The Obsidian Conspiracy, released through Century Media Records. Stay tuned for updates.
Loomis and Williams recently shared an open letter via social media, opening up audition for a vocalist and bassist. It can be read via the link below in full. They have since issued the following audtion update:
"Thank you to everyone submitting auditions so far. Due to the large amount of people submitting auditions some have overlooked our format that we need them to be sent. We ask that you strictly follow the rules to make it easier for us to go over each audition with ease. We don’t have the capacity to review older performances, personal YouTube page links of you performing unrelated material unless they are added along with the ones we are asking for.
To be considered, please ensure your submission meets the requirements provided. You can find the instrumental tracks below to work with for your audition. Some of you have removed voc or bass already and that is great and submitted the 2 songs as we asked. You can include additional clips as long as you include the main clips to the songs we are looking for. We haven’t decided when the submission window will close yet so get them in as soon as you can before we begin PHASE 2! We are very excited and have already seen some very promising videos! We appreciate your understanding and look forward to your auditions!"
Go to the official Nevermore website here to find the instrumental tracks required for the audition.
