Who:	Nevermore Evergrey Division Apothys
What:	Progressive Metal
Where:	Jaxx's Venue Springfield, Virginia

Even being categorized as "progressive metal" doesn't convey the fact that Nevermore is a very unique style of metal. With a front man like Warrel Dane and a guitar legend like Jeff Loomis, there's no problem believing Nevermore is considered to be a one of the greatest progressive bands in history. While Nevermore was ultimately an acquired taste for me, I grew to love this band as much as I love Iced Earth, Megadeth, or Dream Theater. Although the crowd was incredibly rough and at times violent, the concert was one of the best I have ever been to. The opening bands deserve a round of applause for their talent and mouth watering equipment.

Apothys is, as they define themselves, "melodic hybrid metal", a combination of death, black, melodic, and progressive metal. While I'm not a fan of Peavys as stage amps, the bassist did his job well, as did the whole band. After the show, I met the band and have to say, they're a bunch of cool guys to hang out with. They gave us a free demo cd and happily signed it for me.

Having met the drummer of Division on the Megadeth Forums, I was eager to hear them play. Needless to say, they did not disappoint. These guys played a style similar to Blind Guardian, Dream Theater, Demons & Wizards, and the like (which was right up my alley!). Between the stage antics and music I had a great time watching these guys.

Evergrey, a fairly popular band, was a new experience for me. But these guys, just like Division, were an enjoyable show to watch. Plus, all the band members sported cowboy boots of gator, ostrich, and stingray skin. Maybe it's a Swedish metal band thing, but just like at the Opeth show, a couple got engaged on stage during Evergrey's set.


Nevermore was the epitome of a great concert experience. With excellent stage energy and presentation (clear mix, in-tune vocals, and mind-boggling solos), Nevermore takes the cake as best live performance as far as my concerts are concerned. Being the front row (for most of the set), I had the chance to gauke and drool over the playing of Jeff Loomis. If you ever see one metal band perform, I'd definitely recommend it to be Nevermore; it doesn't get better than that!

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MEETING THE BAND:

• After the show, I had the pleasure of meeting several of the members from all four bands. Since I can't properly explain how excited I was to actually meet this man I'll put like this:

• But my most memorable experience was meeting Jeff Loomis (as I've said) Guitar Legend and Metal God. He was the perfect gentleman, humble, approachable, and down to earth. For an art project, I drew a portrait of Loomis. In hopes of meeting Loomis, I prinited two copies, one for him to sign and the other to hang on his frig (these can be seen in the picture below or click the link for full size). I have to say, it was huge relief to hear him say the portrait was amazing. I'm really happy that he liked it. Jeff Loomis Portrait - DeviantArt
  

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