Died On This Date (December 13, 2017) Warrel Dane / Lead Singer of Sanctuary & Nevermore
themusicsover Warrel Dane (Born Warrel Baker)
March 7, 1961 – December 13, 2017
Acclaimed American Metal singer, Warrel Dane, who fronted both Sanctuary and Nevermore, died of a heart attack while working on a solo album in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He was 56. Born in Seattle, Washington, Dane trained as an opera singer before ultimately finding his way to Metal. His first band of note, Sanctuary, signed with Epic Records in 1987. Their debut album, Refuge Denied, was notable for being produced by Dave Mustaine, who was just growing into his own with Megadeth. It was released in 1988. Although the band’s follow up, Into The Black, received some exposure via a video on MTV, it was the early ’90s, and they fell victim to the newfound popularity of grunge. Rather than give in to label wishes for them to shift their sound toward grunge, Dane left the band in 1992 and formed Nevermore which leaned more progressive than Sanctuary’s thrash sound. Nevermore signed with Century Media who went on to release their seven studio albums over the next 15 years. In 2011, the band went on hiatus while Sanctuary reunited and released their most successful album to date, 2014’s The Year the Sun Died. They went on to release two more studio albums before Dane’s passing.
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