Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis has confirmed that the band is working on what he believes will be the best album of their career. He discussed the progress of the new material following the band’s announcement earlier this year that they had signed a new record deal with Reigning Phoenix Music.
Loomis explained that the songwriting process got off to a slow start as the band prioritized touring before turning their attention to new music. He noted, however, that demos have now begun coming together.
“I’ve got a late start on [working on new music], actually, because we spent so much time getting the band together that it’s almost like — I don’t wanna say that Van and I got burnt out or anything, but it was… Van really wanted to get back on tour again,” Loomis said. “He was, like, ‘I wanna get back out and play again, man. I wanna play in front of people.’ So it’s kind of been backwards as we’ve approached this. But the demos are now starting to flow a little bit.”
He went on to describe how far along the material is and why having the full band together in person will make a difference once schedules allow it.
“I’ve got about six ideas going, some in the very infantile stages, some kind of complete,” Loomis continued. “I think with Berzan being able to now come over to the United States, starting in November, it’s gonna be huge because when you’re writing something, man, in today’s age, you can easily send demos back and forth via the Internet and stuff like that. But I ultimately love to work in person with people. You can really feel it and get more energy out of each other that way.”
Loomis also laid out the band’s timeline for completing the record, emphasizing their intention to make full use of the months ahead.
“So, I don’t know — in a sense, I’m just kind of waiting for that, I guess,” he said. “But we wanna really utilize the six months that we have completely to make the best album of our lives. And that’s coming up between October and March, basically. That’s what our plans are. We have kind of a structure worked out of what we’re gonna do, a plan.”
This latest update builds on a comeback that has been years in the making and has already reached several key milestones.
Loomis and drummer Van Williams first teased the band’s return in December 2024. They launched a search for a new lead singer and bass player, a move that followed the passing of original vocalist Warrell Dane in 2017 and the decision to move forward without founding bassist Jim Sheppard. That search eventually produced the lineup now driving the reunion: Berzan Önen on vocals, Semir Özerkan on bass, and Jack Cattoi alongside Loomis on guitar, with Williams remaining behind the kit.
The rebuilt band made its live comeback official on April 1, 2026. It performed its first concert since 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey, marking the debut of the new lineup after a decade and a half apart. The show set the stage for further live dates across Europe and Asia throughout the year, giving fans their first real look at how the reunited group would sound and perform together.
Signing with Reigning Phoenix Music gave the band the structure to move from rehearsal footage and teaser clips into a full-fledged return. That label partnership paired with the songwriting work Loomis has now described in detail. The new lineup has been framed as a way to build on Nevermore’s legacy while pushing the band in a fresh direction.
Loomis has said the new lineup “honors our legacy while forging a new path forward,” and promised the band will be “bigger and better” than before.
The live comeback is already behind them, and a clear album timeline is now in place. Nevermore’s next chapter appears to be taking shape on both the stage and in the studio simultaneously.
Source: Moshpit Passion
