NUCLEAR
ASSAULT
HANDLER
AWITH CARE
NEVERMORE,
B
lack Sabbath is pretty much the
favorite for all of us, but we like
everything from the Mentors to
Simon and Garfunkel," says bassist and co-
founder of Nevermore, Russell Bello.
"Personally, I like Alice Cooper, the Beatles,
Elvis Presley just off the top of my head."
I figured that investigating a New York-
based HM band aspiring "to be the heaviest
band in the world while reaching everyone
who is into skull-crushing metal" (a quote
from guitarist Kenny Edwards) would be good
for jaded belly laughs if nothing else. Re-
peated listenings to Nevermore's self-titled
Ep yielded a number of surprisingly positive
impressions: 1. These guys-especially
guitarists Kenny Edwards and Pete
Lacumba-are able players; 2. Any "metal"
band with the balls to rework the Doors'
"Break On Through" deserves some credit;
3. Their heady Black Sabbath influence.
A few weeks later, I hooked up with Bello
and vocalist/lyricist Mike Fusaro. The absent
members-drummer John Marino and
guitarists Edwards and Lacumba-round out
Nevermore's traditional five-piece line-up.
"We didn't really take the name from
Edgar Allan Poe," Ballo confided. "Kenny did
get the word from "The Raven," but other
than that it has nothing to do with the poem.
He just thought it sounded good.
"We played a lot of the CBGB hardcore
matinees, back around '84. Then we got rid
of our old singer, Matt, and got a new singer,
a new drummer, added another guitarist.
That's about it. The reason we gave the
Text by Steve Martin
Photos by Kristin Callahan
HANDLE WITH CARE
IN-EFFECT LP, CASSETTE, CD 3010
IN-EFFECT
NEW YOR
matinees up is because we wanted to appeal to a dif-
ferent crowd. We wanted to open at the Ritz in front
of 1,500 people instead of playing to the same 400 1
every Sunday. We weren't too sure what we were doing
back then. Now we have a definite direction and more
of a following"
"There are a lot more bands nowadays," adds
Fusaro. "Some of them are good, but a lot are just run
of the mill. There aren't many people doing anything
original lately"
With a well-received debut to their credit, Nevermore.
has collectively vowed to make good on their prom-
ise. Now that they have Rick Sales (Slayer, Danzig)
as manager and plan to move to an as of yet unnamed i
label, Nevermore's new material (described by Bello
as "a lot heavier, tougher and more mature") should
"reach everyone who is into skull-crushing metal."
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