How much control do you have over your life?
How much control does your life have over you?
These are the questions we ask as we dive into the debut LP, „Burdens of the Earth“ of majestic death-metallers Neverus.
„It’s effectively an anthology“, says songwriter Jack Streat. „The link between all these songs is conceptual; there are no recurring characters. But there is a link, and it’s what draws the whole album together: the question of how much influence we have over our lives, our surroundings, nature, each other… and inversely, how much control those things have over us“
The songs go from broad to personal, from fantastical to down-to-earth. We cover hive-mind justice, the nature of faith, Streat’s self-doubt during his emigration from the UK to The Netherlands, and even the events leading up to Christopher Nolan’s 2014 „Interstellar“. Each song is accompanied by its own stunning art, depicted as a glimpse of the events through a window frame – and as a result the album is as much a visual spectacle as it is a musical one.
As established by their previous releases, Never are a fast-paced, vicious whirlwind of melody and energy, drawing upon their influences to create tight and flowing arrangements. Listeners will find nods to Wintersun, ether Realm, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Children of Bodom, Blind Guardian, and many others, with the band tying everything together in their own distinctive signature. There’s a huge amount to take in, but every element has its time to shine.
Burdens of the Earth was mixed by Jack Streat; drums were recorded and engineered by Tommie Bonajo at Tomster Studios; and the album was mastered by Julien Huyssens of Nomad Studio.
Buckle up.
