Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor (2005)

You've got to hand it to Nevermore, they keep managing to pump out consistent, hard albums with intricate structures and an overall epic feel. "This Godless Endeavor" is no different, even with the inclusion of former Testament guitarist Steve Smyth who manages to put his own signature on many of the tracks featured here. Opening track "Born" is brilliant, as is the lead single "Final Product", as well as "Medicated Nation", "The Holocaust of Thought", and the brilliant "Psalm of Lydia" which finds singer Warrel Dane soaring high with his unique vocals. The closing title track ends the album on a more solemn note, but the album's powerful tone never gets lost throughout it's whole running time.

Don't pay any attention to the negative reviews (especially to the below "Cincinatti Bengals #1 Fan", who blasts Nevermore in favor of the "real men" in Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Atreyu, heh heh), "This Godless Endeavor" is a strikingly powerful and mature metal album that is one of the best releases of 2005, and it's a great starting point for new fans to the band.

Tracks
1 Born Nevermore
2 Final Product
3 My Acid Words
4 Bittersweet Feast
5 Sentient 6
6 Medicated Nation
7 The Holocaust Of Thought
8 Sell My Heart For Stones
9 The Psalm Of Lydia
10 A Future Uncertain
11 This Godless Endeavor