Warrel Dane (born Warrel George Baker; March 7, 1961 – December 13, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead singer for the heavy metal bands

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

and

Nevermore Nevermore was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1991. The band has been inactive since 2011, due to personal issues between the band members. In April 2015, lead singer Warrel Dane confirmed that Nevermore had n ...

. He was a natural

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

; though he was known for his high-pitched vocals with Serpent's Knight and on the first two Sanctuary albums, later in his career, Dane became more notable for his distinctively deep, dramatic voice.

Career

Dane was trained for five years as an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

singer and utilized a very broad vocal range, spanning from notes as low as the G below low C, or G1, to notes as high as the B below

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880& ...

C, or B5. While his high

head voice Head voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regard to this term. Head voice can be used in re ...

style vocals were much more prominent in the older

albums, there were instances where he utilized it in

as well. Sanctuary's 2014 comeback album ''

The Year the Sun Died ''The Year the Sun Died'' is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Sanctuary, released on October 6, 2014, in Europe, and eight days later in North America. It is Sanctuary's first studio album in 24 years, since 1990's '' Into the ...

'' includes these higher passages on three songs. Dane provided the voice of Candynose Twinskins in the musical comedy ''

Metalocalypse ''Metalocalypse'' is an American adult animated television series, created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, which premiered on August 6, 2006, followed by a musical one-hour special, '' Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem'', on October 27, 2 ...

'' on

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

. Dane's first ever solo record, ''

Praises to the War Machine ''Praises to the War Machine'' is the debut solo release/album by heavy metal vocalist Warrel Dane from Nevermore, released on April 25, 2008. The album was produced by Peter Wichers, who was tapped by Dane to work on the album while Wichers wa ...

'', was released May 13, 2008, on

Century Media Records Century Media Records is a heavy metal record label with offices in the United States, Germany and London. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US$17 million. Background Century Media was founded by Robert Kampf and Ol ...

. He was working on a second album at the time of his death which was going to be different than the first solo effort: "Some of it is just brutally heavy", Dane said. In March 2016, the title was revealed to be ''

Shadow Work In economics, shadow work refers to a special kind of unpaid labor. It includes assembling of goods that come "in pieces", self-checkout at super markets, and self-service at gas stations. Jobs that are necessary for completing a purchase that ...

''. The recording session was originally planned for October 2016.

Influences

Dane's musical influences were

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harr ...

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ach ...

Simon & Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

, while

Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and ...

Rob Halford Robert John Arthur Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English heavy metal singer. He is the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. He has ...

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...

and

Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who has been the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1993 and 1999–present. He is known for his wide-ranging operatic vocal style and energetic stag ...

were his main vocal inspirations.

Death

On December 13, 2017, it was reported that Dane had died of a heart attack in São Paulo, Brazil, at the age of 56. It was there that he was working on his second solo album, ''

''. The guitarist of Dane's solo band, Johnny Moraes, stated that, "He died in the night. He had a heart attack. He was in the apartment where he stayed during the recording of the album when it happened. I gave him cardiac massage and we called the Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU), who came very fast, but when they arrived, he was already dead." Moraes stated that Dane was already facing a lot of problems with his health due to a history of alcohol abuse and type 2 diabetes.

Legacy

On January 14, 2018, one month after Dane's death, Brazilian movie director Daney Carvalho released his debut short film ''O Ano em que o Sol Morreu'' (a reference to the title of the Sanctuary album ''

''), a drama and a tribute to Dane, on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

. The movie was originally released in May 2016 as part of a Brazilian festival, but the director chose to make it publicly available after Dane's death. Dane himself met with Carvalho that year, when the independent director interviewed him for a local Brazilian TV program during college. According to Carvalho, Dane was given a private screening of the movie after he finished post-production and thought it was "great" and "terrifying".

Discography

Serpent's Knight

* ''Released from the Crypt'' (1983) * ''Silent Knight... of Myth and Destiny'' (2010) (disc one vocals)

Sanctuary

* ''

Refuge Denied ''Refuge Denied'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Sanctuary, released in 1988. Background After having recorded their first demo, guitarist Lenny Rutledge managed to establish contact with singer and guitarist Dave Musta ...

'' (1988) * '' Into the Mirror Black'' (1990) * ''

Into the Mirror Live ''Into The Mirror Live / Black Reflections'' is a live promotional EP of the band Sanctuary recorded on May 12, 1990 at The Country Club in Reseda, California, during their '' Into the Mirror Black'' tour. Approximately 1000 CD copies of this we ...

'' (1991) * ''

'' (2014) * ''

Inception ''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who also produced the film with Emma Thomas, his wife. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infi ...

'' (2017)

Behemoth

*''

The Apostasy ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (2007, guest vocals)

Lady Catman

*''Eyes Wide Open'' (2018, guest vocals)

Solo

*''

'' (2008) *''

'' (2018)

Shaded Enmity

*''And Life Was Great....'' (2013)

Nevermore

*''

'' (1995) *'' In Memory'' (EP, 1996) *'' The Politics of Ecstasy'' (1996) *'' Dreaming Neon Black'' (1999) *''

Dead Heart in a Dead World ''Dead Heart in a Dead World'' is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Nevermore, released in October 2000. In a style comparable to a darker, heavier Queensrÿche, its songs range topics such as criticism of drug possession penalt ...

'' (2000) *''

Enemies of Reality ''Enemies of Reality'' is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Nevermore, released in 2003 by Century Media. Due to the mixed reception of the album's production by Kelly Gray, it was remixed and remastered by Andy Sneap in 2005. O ...

'' (2003, remixed/remastered in 2005) *''

This Godless Endeavor ''This Godless Endeavor'' is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Nevermore, released on July 26, 2005. The album was produced by Andy Sneap and is distributed by Century Media Records. Overview Guitarist Jeff Loomis revealed in ...

'' (2005) *''

The Year of the Voyager ''The Year of the Voyager'' is a double DVD/CD released by Nevermore. It was released in Europe on October 20, 2008 and in North America on November 25, 2008 via Century Media. The set covers the '' This Godless Endeavor'' touring cycle, starting ...

'' (2008) *''

The Obsidian Conspiracy ''The Obsidian Conspiracy'' is the seventh and final studio album by American heavy metal band Nevermore. It was released on June 8, 2010 in North America by Century Media and at the end of May in Europe. The band's previous album, '' This Godle ...

'' (2010)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dane, Warrel 1961 births 2017 deaths American male singers American heavy metal singers Century Media Records artists American people of Russian descent Musicians from Seattle Nevermore members