Nevermore guitarist Jeff Loomis and drummer Van Williams addressed the decision to leave founding bassist Jim Sheppard out of the band’s reformed lineup.
The discussion centered on the reasons the pair chose not to include Sheppard, citing a desire to move forward without lingering tension from the band’s past.
“It’s just we haven’t spoken to Jim in, like, so long,” Loomis said. “We decided just to move on from the negativity. We wanted people on our same level of thinking and people on our same page. And when you go on stage with people that are thinking like you, like, positive, it makes for such a bigger force as a band. And there was a lot of negativity going on at that time.”
Williams then elaborated on his personal relationship with Loomis over the years and how it differed from the band’s connection with Sheppard.
“Fortunately, Jeff and I kept in touch since the band broke up,” Williams said. “We were always really good pals on the road, and we all were, actually, at one point, and then the separation happened, it seemed. But when the split-up happened, we stayed in touch throughout this long period of time when he was in Arch Enemy, and I was doing my things or whatever, and we just supported each other, and even personal things.”
He continued, explaining why reconnecting with Sheppard wasn’t seen as a viable option.
“We both went through things, and we just stayed positive with those things,” Williams said. “Unfortunately, Jim was part of something that we weren’t really in contact with because of a lot of that negative space back then, and that we could tell it’s not gonna change. People have to change for themselves. And I can’t blame it all on one person or anything like that, but it just… We knew we couldn’t go back backwards ’cause that would be backwards, and not knowing where he’s been in this space for the amount of time, but knowing the individuals, that it’s still not gonna be a good thing.”
Williams also clarified that the decision was made with the appropriate approval. He noted that it was not intended as a slight against Sheppard.
“We needed fresh energy, and we made sure we had permission to continue with that fresh energy before anything,” Williams said. “So we didn’t owe anyone a call or anything. It’s just that’s the way it was ’cause the higher-ups told us we were okay to go ahead, and that’s what we did. Nothing against the guy — not at all — but it’s just for us to start fresh in a new mindset, we had to go this direction personally.”
These comments arrive against the backdrop of a lineup that has already taken shape and hit the stage without Sheppard in the fold.
Nevermore’s reunion, which had been teased since December 2024, ultimately came together around Loomis and Williams as the band’s two returning original members. Rather than reaching back to former players like Sheppard, the pair opted to build out the roster with new faces: vocalist Berzan Önen, bassist Semir Özerkan and guitarist Jack Cattoi.
That freshly assembled version of Nevermore made its live debut in Istanbul on April 1, 2026, marking the band’s first performance since splitting up in 2011. The show carried extra weight for another reason. It also represented the group’s first outing following the death of original vocalist Warrel Dane in December 2017 — a loss that had left Nevermore’s future in doubt for years.
The decision to move forward without Sheppard fits into a broader pattern the band has followed throughout its comeback — prioritizing new chemistry over reassembling the classic roster piece by piece. Loomis and Williams have framed the addition of Önen, Özerkan and Cattoi as a deliberate reset rather than a simple reunion, one meant to give the band a different energy heading into its next chapter.
Nevermore appears committed to the direction it charted without its founding bassist, with the new lineup already established and touring underway. Loomis and Williams continue to speak openly about the choices that shaped the band’s return.
