This, Nevermore's debut, didn't show near as much polish as their later releases would, but there are still a lot of redeeming qualities which will please fans of the band. Most of the things that would make Nevermore an amazing band down the road are present here; they just aren't as refined with the exception of the lyrics, which are among Warrel Dane's best.

Certain songs on this debut get a little repetitive: What Tomorrow Knows, Garden Of Gray, and Godmoney all repeat the main riff found in each song quite a bit. It's not horrible, just compared to their later work these songs aren't as structured. But take note, these are not bad songs. Dane's lyrics and vocals are so amazing that he carries the songs and you honestly forget that you've heard this riff and drum pattern repeated a hundred times, as you are taken in by Nevermore's dark atmosphere. Therefore, even the supposed bad songs are worth your time on here (Garden Of Gray is still one of my favorite Nevermore songs, ever). On C.B.F. and Sea Of Possibilities we hear the Nevermore that would be improved upon and present mostly on The Politics Of Ecstasy and Dreaming Neon Black, which is a hybrid of choppy Thrash riffs mixed with traditional heavy metal, or US Power Metal... whatever description you would prefer. The riffs from Jeff Loomis are very rhythm heavy, which compliments the quality work from Van Williams on drums and Jim Sheppard on bass quite well- these guys make a very good rhythm section. C.B.F. and Sea Of Possibilities are also more complex and of course, feature the great lyrics and vocals again. The Sanity Assassin is the highlight of the CD in my opinion. This is one of my personal favorite Nevermore songs; think of it as this CD's The Passenger, Dreaming Neon Black, or The Heart Collector. The Sanity Assassin is generally slow and dark with some of the best lyrics to be found on the CD (which like most of Nevermore's work, seem to be written from real-life experiences). Overall though, the musicianship isn't as impressive as their later releases would demonstrate (however, Sea Of Possibilities features some great guitar work, and some of Loomis’ best leads can be heard right here). A different session drummer is used on What Tomorrow Knows, Garden Of Gray, and Godmoney and while he is a good drummer, he doesn't have the same style as Van Williams and adds very little character to the songs.

My only real complaints about Nevermore’s debut are the shortness of the CD in regards the number of songs, not the overall CD length (only 8 songs) and the occasional repetition. However, this was a promising debut from one of Metal's best bands, and also the CD that would be most similar to Dane and Sheppard’s work in Sanctuary. So if you're a Nevermore fan, this is definitely worth a purchase, however, if you're not a Nevermore fan and would like to become one, get their other releases first.