2026 Anniversary Series 082: Nevermore – The Politics of Ecstasy

Scribed by Sandre the Giant Released: 13th July 1996 Who sounds like Nevermore then? Even today, Seattle’s power prog titans have few imitators and for good reason; born of power metal legends Sanctuary but with a lot more weight to them, their debut self titled record in 1995 had turned some heads towards the Pacific Northwest. Probably because it wasn’t grunge and it wasn’t hip, but their follow up just a year later, ‘The Politics of Ecstasy’, was to really put them onto the map. Named for the book by Timothy Leary, it explored a vast array of topics that most metal in this era wouldn’t have had a clue what to do with, let alone with the band’s pure musical skills in proggy, heavy powerful groove. Thirty years on though, in the wake of such a discography of classics, how does ‘The Politics of Ecstasy’ maintain a legacy? When you have a band like Nevermore writing music inspired by a psychedelics-promoting psychologist, you know you’re going to be in for a good time in 2026, but in…