Warrel Dane - Praises to the War Machine Review

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 05.14.2008

Nevermore frontman Warrel Dane has come out with his first solo album, enlisting the help of former Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers. Can Praises to the War Machine leave an impact on Nevermore fans and metal heads alike?

The Band

Warrel Dane- Vocals
Peter Wichers- Guitar, Bass
Matt Wicklund- Guitar, Bass
Dirk Verbeuren- Drums


The Track Listing

1. When We Pray-3:38
2. Messenger-3:58
3. Obey-3:14
4. Lucretia My Reflection-4:38
5. Let You Down-3:53
6. August-3:48
7. Your Chosen Misery-4:09
8. The Day The Rats Went To War-3:37
9. Brother-3:23
10. Patterns-4:00
11. This Old Man-3:43
12. Equilibrium-3:52





The Review

When a musician decides to create a solo album, one of two things usually happens. Either the album is very similar to the band that they are a part of (Bruce Dickinson) or it is a radical departure from what their old band (Phil Collins). Warrel Dane, lead singer of Seattle metal band Nevermore, is stepping out for the first time on his own, releasing his first solo album Praises to the War Machine. Dane enlisted former Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers to help with producing, writing, and creating the 12 songs on display. Praises to the War Machine actually fits right into the middle of the two circumstances I described earlier in the paragraph. The album is mostly different from anything Nevermore has ever created, yet there are hints of that metal sound sprinkled in throughout the album’s 45 minutes.

Nevermore fans may be turned off by the shorter songs and the more mainstream sound. Make no mistake; this is a metal album, but it relies more on catchy riffs and solid songwriting than technical ability and progressive song structures. “When We Pray” is a prime example, with the song having a decent solo, but being memorable because of Dane’s vocals. I love Nevermore, but the band has a tendency to put Dane’s vocals to the background at times and focus on all the other immensely talented band members. So it’s nice to hear Dane driving the song forward, instead of everybody else.

There are several other hard hitting songs, my favorite being the ones with the guest guitarists on it. These songs are as close to Nevermore-sounding as the album gets. “Messenger” has Jeff Loomis pulling out a restraint, yet satisfying, solo, making sure not to outdo Dane on his own album. “The Day The Rats Went To War” has James Murphy providing a guest solo that helps to make the song one of the heaviest on the album. “August” is a mid-paced romper that, all of a sudden, changes tempo and speeds ahead to an exciting conclusion. Closer “Equilibrium” is the fastest track on the album, with pounding double bass drums and riffing that would make Loomis proud.

Dane also experiments with a few slower tracks, utilizing his vast vocal range to add the right touch of emotional impact without making the song sound cheesy. “Let You Down” has subtle keyboard work in the background with acoustic guitars playing quietly in the verses leading to a powerful chorus. “This Old Man” is similar to the previous song, with nice lead guitar work from Wichers and Wicklund. It is with “Your Chosen Misery” that Dane shows a different side of himself. The song is largely acoustic, with Dane showing self-control to make sure not to go over the top, and impressing with his soft spoken tone.

Praises to the War Machine also has two cover tracks that Dane does a commendable job on. Dane covers Sisters of Mercy’s “Lucretia My Reflection” and Paul Simon’s “Patterns.” Dane does a decent job on the Simon cover, but nails the Sisters of Mercy’s one out of the park. He sings in this deep growl that is about as evil sounding as I have ever heard Dane sound and he sticks faithfully to the cover, just adding a metal edge to it.

The lyrics are the most personal that Dane has gotten since Dreaming Neon Black, criticizing religion, government, and family situations. “Brother” is an emotional look at Dane’s viewpoint of his brother who died of cancer. It is both a critical and retrospective look at his brother.


“If I could erase, one moment of pain, I'd throw away everything, even fame.
If I could play god, do you know what I'd do?
I'd swim to your blood and cure the cancer in you.”

“Brother you were never there for me
When the children needed peace
You disgraced our families

Brother you were never there for me
When my father died, I thought that you would take my hand.”


Praises to the War Machine is Warrel Dane at his most vulnerable and passionate. His vocal range is out of this world and Wichers definitely brings a lot to the table, with a good production job and helping with the songwriting. Nevermore fans will be surprised by it and some won’t like it. However, if you have an open mind and you don’t mind the occasional acoustic song, you will enjoy Praises to the War Machine. The album isn’t perfect (some of the heavier songs are a bit generic-sounding), but it is a good debut album that shows that Dane can go out on his own and write an album that suits his wide vocal range.

The 411: Praises to the War Machine has some of the best vocal work of Warrel Dane's career. The songs were created with his vocals in mind and everything else took a backseat. Dane put a lot of effort into these songs and it shows. It's not a perfect album, but its a damn good one, and will please most Nevermore fans (as long as you don't expect another This Godless Endeavor or Enemies of Reality) and metal fans looking for something new to listen to.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]