nevereven - "The Progress of Disaster" Review - ROCKSPOSURE.....Be Heard

Album Review
- "The Progress of Disaster"

Article By Chris Brach

A clever band name, a sweet logo, or a well titled EP can often be the lone spark that starts a great musical endeavor. But what if you had all three?  Then you’d be entering  the territory of New York’s nevereven.  A crafty palindrome for a name, a gothic two headed dragon to protect it, with the necessary guitars to back it up; Nevereven is the full package.

Frank Pascali (Guitar), Damian Peters (Bass), Gary Pickard (Vocals/Guitar), and Dave Previ (Drums) leave little doubt of what’s in store as they give their formal musical introductions on track one of their new EP “The Progress of Disaster”.  After hearing the first few riffs of the album, it's clear that Nevereven's goal is to restore some edge to the NYC rock scene; These 5 songs are evidence that they aren’t wasting any time doing so.  “The World of Tomorrow” opens the EP with a gaggle of noise and interference until a heavy bass line and guitar break through the confusion.  As nevereven longs for the simplicity of yesterday, “The World of Tomorrow” blasts through your speakers with force.  Frank Pascali flat out shreds on this track, he gets the honor of closing out the opener just before the sound of noise and interference returns.

In what becomes a fantastic trend as you move through “The Progress of Disaster”, Damian Peter’s bass line dominates “Remainder”.  The mix of the tracks on the EP is excellent and draws the thump of the bass out immensely.  Stealing some of the pounding bass’ attention is the scream of Pickard’s vocals.  Pickard pushes “Remainder” to the next level as he brings it in for a landing when he lets out an epic scream at an octave few singers could hit.  It’s got a bit of scratchiness to it (As any good rock scream should), but it’s steady, on key, and pure rock and roll.  “Give” further builds on his vocal abilities as he works his full range with the assistance of some well placed harmonies.  This tune has classic rock running through its veins, with a touch of modern rock through the aforementioned bass mix.

Dave Previ pounds the door open on “Winterkill” immediately followed by Pascali’s forceful guitar riff barging through when he does.  Nevereven brings “The Progress of Disaster” to a close with “Orpheus”, a song that beckons the sound of early Incubus (particularly through the chorus).  “Orpheus” rocks hard through the choruses, then slams to an abrupt stop as Pickard sings “Looking back I'll never stop”.

Nevereven’s goal is to wipe the glam out of rock and return it to its grimy, aggressive roots with an attitude that only the Big Apple could produce.  “The Progress of Disaster” is a full onslaught in that direction.  If you’ve been looking for some ‘new’ old school riffs to fill the gaps in your classic rock or metal catalog, look no further than the waves nevereven is making.

"The Progress of Disaster" is available now