NEVERMORE - New Track From Guitarist JEFF LOOMIS

NEVERMORE - New Track From Guitarist JEFF LOOMIS' Forthcoming Solo Album Available For Streaming

NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis has posted the track 'Jato Unit' from his forthcoming instrumental solo album, zeror Order Phase, on his official MySpace page. Click here to check it out. The track features guitarist Ron Jarzombek (WATCHTOWER) trading solos with Loomis.

Zero Order Phase will be released on August 22nd in Europe and September 30 in North America through Century Media. The label's official press release is below:

"As a result of his invaluable contributions to NEVERMORE's trademark sound, JEFF LOOMIS has become one of modern metal's most recognizable guitarists and the source of many of the last decade's best riffs.

Taking the classic techniques he learned from listening to legends like JASON BECKER and YNGWIE MALMSTEEN as a teen and applying his own ingenuity, he has managed to carve his own niche and create an instantly recognizable style.

With the increased visibility, there has been a call by fans to record and release a solo album; an opportunity that has not presented itself with the busy schedule Nevermore has kept. Fortunately for those fans, the band has taken a well deserved break, leaving Loomis time to hit the studio himself to record ten blazing, instrumental metal tracks. The much anticipated offering, Zero Order Phase, will see a September 30th release.

Robert Lang Studios played host to Loomis' first solo venture earlier this year with producer Neil Kernon and drummer Mark Arrington joining the fray. Arrington had been with Nevermore in 1993-94 to play on half of the songs that ended up on the band's self-titled debut, and Kernon recorded the first three Nevermore albums.

So while there was a sense of familiarity, the reunion was refreshing and this spirit carried over into the songs themselves.

Also contributing to the album are Ron Jarzombek (WATCHTOWER), who splits solos with Loomis on 'Jato Unit', Pat O'Brien from CANNIBAL CORPSE on 'Rage Against Disaster', celebrated Jazz bassist and solo musician MICHAEL MANRING on 'Cashmere Shiv', and Kernon himself playing a fretless guitar solo on the same track.

Zero Order Phase tracklist:
'Shouting Fire At A Funeral',
'Opulent Maelstrom',
'Jato Unit',
'Azure Haze',
'Cashmere Shiv',
'Race Against Disaster',
'Sacristy',
'Devil Theory',
'Miles Of Machines',
'Departures'."

NEVERMORE Guitarist JEFF LOOMIS - "I Really Wanted To Make A Record That Had Different Kinds Of Musical Textures To It"

www.KomodoRock.com recently caught up with NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Lomis to discuss his new solo album, Zero Order Phase. The following is an excerpt from the interview.

Q: There is a bit of jazz style playing on this album. Are you a closet jazz fan, then?

Loomis: "Yeah, a little bit. I'm very open to many different kinds of music, from classical, jazz and fusion and stuff like that. I really wanted to make a record that had different kinds of musical textures to it; I didn't want it to sound just one way from beginning to end. This record definitely has a lot of hills and valleys to it, as far as the momentum goes, and I think it's a very diverse record to be honest with you. Out of the different musical textures going on, jazz just happens to be one of the small little things that fits in there on ‘Cashmere Shiv'."

Q: Why did you decide not to have any vocalists?

Loomis: "I guess maybe it's because I've been doing that for so long with Nevermore and stuff, and I guess Century Media was kind of pushing me towards having a couple of guest vocalists on the record. I really wanted to make an all instrumental record, just me and my guitar and drums, and it was a personal decision really. It didn't have anything to do with me hating vocalists or anything."

Q: Neil Kernon (QUEEN, KANSAS, JUDAS PRIEST) produced the first four Nevermore albums before you changed to Andy (Sneap). Why did you decide to bring Neil back to produce this project?

Loomis: "Neil and I have this great amazing working relationship with guitar playing. Not that Andy and I don't, it's just that I think that Neil works really well trying to pull things out of me that I normally wouldn't do in the studio. When we were together recording the first four Nevermore records, we were talking about if I ever did a solo record he would produce it, so this goes way back to years and years ago. I guess it was almost a promise to him that he would be the one that did the record (laughs)."

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