By Tate Bengtson

I continue to be amazed by every new album that Nevermore releases, particularly Dreaming Neon Black and the current album discussed in this review. Dead Heart In A Dead World mixes the heaviness of Nevermore's sophomore outing, The Politics of Ecstacy, with the rich textures, striking heaviness, and subtle insanity of Dreaming Neon Black, and then adds its own distinctive vibe onto the top. While many consider Nevermore (along with Iced Earth) to be at the forefront of the American power metal movement, I would argue that Nevermore shouldn't even be classified as power metal, let alone a leader of the genre. Nevermore, particularly over the course of the last two or three albums, has evolved into an entity that defies categorization. Warrel Dane's vocal display is particularly deranged and psychotic on Dead Heart..., and the instrumentation seems to be more fluid and balanced, allowing room for the guitars to breathe while the rhythm team constructs a rock-solid backbone that is accentuated by drummer Van Williams' bang-on drumming and energetic fills (check out "We Disintegrate" for a prime example). A few of the tunes even incorporate a slower, psychedelic vibe into the music, particularly "Evolution 169" and "The Heart Collector" which, when combined with Dane's vocal performance, forges a surreal psychosis that is unique unto Nevermore. As amazing as Dreaming Neon Black was, Dead Heart... somehow manages to top that effort, and pushes Nevermore to the next level with an album that easily stands as one of my top picks of 2000.

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