Warrel Dane

Biography

Warrel Dane (; born Warrel George Baker; March 7, 1961 – December 13, 2017) was an American musician and the lead singer for the heavy metal bands Sanctuary and Nevermore. He was a natural baritone; though he was initially known for his high-pitched vocals with Serpent's Knight and on the first two Sanctuary albums. Later in his career, Dane became more recognized for his distinctively deep, dramatic voice.

Career

Despite his later reputation as a vocalist, Dane initially performed as both a guitarist and singer in his first band, Warhed. He initially played guitar, and after failing to secure a singer, he took on the duty of singing as well. Warhed performed covers of Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and others.
Dane began taking vocal lessons at the age of twelve because he believed that he could not sing. He trained as an opera singer for five years in the Cornish Institute of Arts in Seattle. He talked multiple times about an Irish teacher who he considered rather unorthodox, but very good and kind. Dane developed a broad vocal range, some say that it spanned from notes as low as G♯ below low C, or G♯1, to notes as high as the B♭ below soprano C, or B♭5. While his high head voice vocals were more prominent in the Sanctuary albums, he occasionally employed them in his work with Nevermore as well. Sanctuary's 2014 comeback album, The Year the Sun Died, features these higher passages on three songs.
He later became the vocalist of the Seattle metal band Serpent's Knight. Around 1985, Dane joined Sanctuary. Lenny Rutledge and Sean Blosl were looking for a singer and had heard about Dane, who had recently left Serpent's Knight. Knowing that he liked dark/mystical music, they wrote a piece they called "Wally's Song", specifically with him in mind. Dane liked it and joined the band. Once Dane joined, Sanctuary abandoned playing covers and concentrated on original material.
Dane's early work with Sanctuary was characterised by extensive use of his upper register. During the writing of Into the Mirror Black, however, the band concluded that constant high-register singing no longer suited its material; Dane described the resulting change as a natural development and said that he had found his own distinctive vocal style.
After Sanctuary disbanded and Jeff Loomis relocated from Appleton, Dane, Jim Sheppard and Loomis shared a small flat/house on Queen Anne in Seattle. Sheppard worked long shifts whilst Dane and Loomis remained at home writing music. Loomis and Dane didn't have a strict separation of concerns while writing songs; Dane described himself as having more considerable musical input than people generally assumed. For example, he said that on "Believe in Nothing" he wrote the chorus and guitar solo, whilst Loomis supplied other sections. He also described writing melody/lyrics before guitar parts in some cases, such as "Garden of Grey". Dane regarded the Nevermore sound as substantially the product of himself and Loomis working together. In 2010 he said it would be difficult for listeners not to compare either man's solo work to Nevermore because, in his view, the Nevermore sound came from both of them.
The first Nevermore album was recorded as two sets of demos. Originally the band wanted to re-record their songs after signing to Century Media, but were persuaded that they were already sufficiently strong, and so the tracks were simply modified instead for release.
During much of Nevermore's history, its members had to have a second job. Dane worked as a chef. Only after around 10 years Nevermore eventually became financially sustainable and following the Century Media contractual renegotiation around Enemies of Reality/This Godless Endeavor, the band finally reached the point where the musicians could live from their music without the financial struggles of the previous decade.
Dane's first solo album, Praises to the War Machine×Praises to the War Machine26 April 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1When We Pray3:38A2Messenger3:59A3Obey3:144ALucretia My Reflection4:38A5Let You Down3:54A6August3:48B1Your Chosen Misery4:10B2The Day the Rats Went to War3:37B3Brother3:24B4Patterns4:01B5This Old Man3:43B6Equilibrium3:53Disc 21When We Pray3:382Messenger3:593Obey3:144Lucretia My Reflection4:385Let You Down3:546August3:487Your Chosen Misery4:108The Day the Rats Went to War3:379Brother3:2410Patterns4:0111This Old Man3:4312Equilibrium3:53, was released on May 13, 2008, by Century Media Records.
In 2014 Dane revealed that Century Media had proposed making his second solo album a covers record, possibly entirely of 1990s alternative music. While he had begun selecting songs, the concept was ultimately abandoned, and his second solo project became Shadow Work.
By 2016, Dane was spending increasing periods in Brazil, where he was developing his second solo album with local musicians. He described his Brazilian solo work as his immediate priority, while Sanctuary sent him new material electronically. At the time of his death, he was working on a second album, which he stated would differ from his first solo effort: "Some of it is just brutally heavy", Dane said. In March 2016, the title of the album was revealed to be Shadow Work×Shadow Work26 October 2018 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Ethereal Blessing1:112Madame Satan4:373Disconnection System5:594As Fast as the Others4:415Shadow Work4:126The Hanging Garden5:517Rain5:408Mother Is the Word for God9:31. The recording session was initially scheduled for October 2016.
Dane provided the voice of Candynose Twinskins in the musical comedy Metalocalypse on Adult Swim.

Music

Dane's chief musical influences included Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Jefferson Airplane, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, and The Doors, while his primary vocal inspirations were Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford, George Strait, and Bruce Dickinson. Dane performed covers as guitarist and vocalist in Warhed. He said King Diamond was his "absolute idol" when he was young; he travelled from Seattle to Portland to see Mercyful Fate and met King at an in-store appearance.
In an interview published in Dragon Breath Fanzine, Dane specifically identified Rob Halford as his greatest vocal influence.
Warrel Dane also enjoyed Gothic Rock. He often openly expressed a deep admiration for classic goth and post-punk pioneers like Bauhaus, Peter Murphy, and The Sisters of Mercy. In 2008 in an interview to the Vampster, Dane mentions this influence and how his enjoyment of the album Floodlands by The Sisters of Mercy led to his decision to cover Lucretia my Reflection in his first solo album, Praises to the War Machine×Praises to the War Machine26 April 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1When We Pray3:38A2Messenger3:59A3Obey3:144ALucretia My Reflection4:38A5Let You Down3:54A6August3:48B1Your Chosen Misery4:10B2The Day the Rats Went to War3:37B3Brother3:24B4Patterns4:01B5This Old Man3:43B6Equilibrium3:53Disc 21When We Pray3:382Messenger3:593Obey3:144Lucretia My Reflection4:385Let You Down3:546August3:487Your Chosen Misery4:108The Day the Rats Went to War3:379Brother3:2410Patterns4:0111This Old Man3:4312Equilibrium3:53. Dane was also the driving force behind recording a studio medley covering the iconic Bauhaus tracks "Silent Hedges" and "Double Dare" on Nevermore's 1996 EP [In Memory] and shortly before his passing, Dane recorded a cover of The Cure's "The Hanging Garden", which was included on his posthumously released 2018 solo album, Shadow Work×Shadow Work26 October 2018 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Ethereal Blessing1:112Madame Satan4:373Disconnection System5:594As Fast as the Others4:415Shadow Work4:126The Hanging Garden5:517Rain5:408Mother Is the Word for God9:31.
Multiple sources suggest that Warrel Dane's musical tastes were very varied. He mentioned Purple Rain by Prince as his favourite album, and his favourite song being Across the Universe by The Beatles. Asked for the best live performance he'd ever witnessed, Dane answered that Pink Floyd in Vancouver. He was also a fan of Simon & Garfunkel, The Doors, classical music, death and black metal, and 1990s alternative music. During his memorial, guitarist Tracy Moody mentions that Dane introduced him to Peter Murphy/Bauhaus and Concrete Blonde. Thiago Oliveira later recalled Dane's enthusiasm for The Cure, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, David Bowie and Depeche Mode, while other associates remembered his love of death metal.

Books and cinema

Among Dane's greatest inspirations as a lyricist there were books and films. He loved going to the cinema and repeatedly watched films to notice details that could inspire lyrics. He reportedly saw The Crow thirteen times at the cinema and his favourite film at that point was David Lynch's Blue Velvet. Dane recalled in an interview secretly staying awake at ten or eleven years old to watch Seattle's late-night Nightmare Theatre, developing a particular affection for older atmospheric horror. Friends also recalled frequently discussing films with him, and Dane described himself in a 2015 interview as a devoted Star Wars fan. Lenny Rutledge said in 1987 that "Soldiers of Steel" was inspired by The Keep.
Amongst books, Dane said that his favourite genre was horror. He also said his older siblings had lived through the psychedelic era and their stories prompted him to read extensively about it. Although he did experience drugs in high school, he said that he did not use drugs afterwards, except for alcohol. His interest in Timothy Leary's writings, rather than drug experimentation, influenced The Politics of Ecstasy and "The Seven Tongues of God".

Religion and personal philosophy

Dane rejected conventional organised religion but also explicitly rejected the idea that this made him an occultist. He described himself as having his own personal philosophy, arguing that individuals should develop their own values and beliefs. He said the amulet he sometimes wore represented strength, not occultism.

Dreams

In an interview in 1999, Dane revealed that he frequently drew lyrical ideas from dreams and kept a notepad beside his bed to record them upon waking up.

Narrative ideas

Dane wanted lyrics to make people think. Discussing "Eden Lies Obscured" in 1991, he explained its themes of humanity, warfare and the search for an ideal world, adding that he hoped his lyrics would at least give some listeners something to think about.
There was apparently a broader conceptual continuity in Dane's writing. Dane explained that themes in Nevermore's lyrics continued and evolved across records, and envisaged an eventual final Nevermore album bringing aspects of that development together. This idea also extended into the lyrics from Sanctuary. For example, in the song "This Sacrament" from Nevermore, the passage that says "Lucy in the sky, long since dark" is a direct reference to the song "Long Since Dark" from Sanctuary.

Personal life

Warrel Dane was born Warrel George Baker, nicknamed "Wally" by friends and family. He was the son of Warrel Clinton Baker and Virginia Baker.

Family

He was the youngest of several siblings, with his brother, Denny Baker, around twenty years older than him. His older sisters introduced him at a young age to much of the 1960s music that later shaped his songwriting.
Due to the large age gap, Dane felt he never developed the close relationship with his brother that a younger boy might hope for; in 2008 he said they essentially had no relationship at all, in contrast to his sisters, who remained close to their brother.
His father, Warrel Clinton Baker, sang in a church choir and frequently sang at home, and exposed Dane to opera records during his childhood. He had a large collection of opera records and often sang at home. A formative memory from his youth was being at the hospital with his brother when their father died; his brother told him he was too young to be going through it. Dane said the experience "emotionally scarred" him and later inspired the song "Brother," released on his solo album Praises to the War Machine×Praises to the War Machine26 April 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1When We Pray3:38A2Messenger3:59A3Obey3:144ALucretia My Reflection4:38A5Let You Down3:54A6August3:48B1Your Chosen Misery4:10B2The Day the Rats Went to War3:37B3Brother3:24B4Patterns4:01B5This Old Man3:43B6Equilibrium3:53Disc 21When We Pray3:382Messenger3:593Obey3:144Lucretia My Reflection4:385Let You Down3:546August3:487Your Chosen Misery4:108The Day the Rats Went to War3:379Brother3:2410Patterns4:0111This Old Man3:4312Equilibrium3:53.
The song "This Old Man" from the same album was based on an elderly friend of Dane's mother whom he frequently visited as a child. The man's wife had recently died and his adult children had moved away, so he was lonely. Dane recalled listening to his stories about his youth, his wife and his children, and credited him with teaching him about the value and impermanence of life.
Dane's mother initially disapproved of his interest in metal, once confiscating and breaking his copy of Mercyful Fate's "Black Funeral." Years later, while touring with Mercyful Fate in Nevermore, he called her to point out the irony. He also joked that he eventually won her over to heavy metal via Accept's "Balls to the Wall."
After his father's death, Dane grew close to Vincenzo, the Neapolitan man who taught him Italian cooking, who became a mentor and one of his closest friends.
As adults, his brother became estranged from the family and was later diagnosed with stage IV leukaemia. Dane said this especially saddened him for his sisters, who had once been close to their brother, and that he had given up trying to repair the relationship. He knew of the illness while writing "Brother," so the song's wish to cure his brother was meant literally. His brother died on 4 May 2015, a death Dane described as sudden from his perspective; he later wrote that he regretted never telling his brother he loved him. His brother never heard the song written about him.
Dane called "Brother" one of the most personal and brutally honest lyrics he ever wrote, describing the process as a form of therapy for unresolved childhood feelings. He was adamant it wasn't an expression of hatred: the wish to cure his brother's cancer, he said, showed that he still cared despite the bitterness. The music was written by Peter Wichers; hearing it prompted Dane to draw on the personal material he'd been carrying.
The 2008 music video deepened this autobiographical element, using authentic home-movie footage from his family; Dane said filming it forced him to confront feelings he'd kept inside for years.
Dane's surviving sisters are Carol, Marilyn, and Terra Baker. He is not known to have had any children of his own.

Cooking and professional culinary life

Dane was professionally trained in Italian cookery by Vincenzo Mottola, a Neapolitan man who became his mentor and one of his closest friends, particularly after the death of Dane's father. Vincenzo taught him both Italian cooking and the restaurant business, and Dane credited him specifically with teaching him how to handle pizza dough.
After Sanctuary split up, Dane shared a flat on Queen Anne in Seattle with bandmate Jim Sheppard and Jeff Loomis, who had recently moved from Appleton, Wisconsin. Sheppard worked long days while Dane and Loomis spent their time writing music.
Dane said the food industry supported him for years before Nevermore became financially sustainable. He and Sheppard eventually became professionally trained chefs and worked for eight years at Vince's Italian Restaurant on lower Queen Anne Avenue before buying it from Vincenzo, who wanted to leave the business after his stroke; they renamed it Enzo's Ristorante Italiano. That probably means that Dane and Sheppard had worked in the restaurant trade for half of their Sanctuary's career and some five years of Nevermore's.
Dane later explained that running a restaurant was essentially a 24/7 commitment that proved incompatible with touring. The breaking point came when he and Sheppard returned from a Nevermore tour (dated to 1997 in one account) to find the business in chaos: food costs unmanaged, liquor inventories depleted, and several kegs and bottles missing, apparently taken advantage of by staff during their absence. Faced with a choice between the restaurant and music, they sold the business and chose to prioritize their musical careers.
Cooking remained important to Dane for the rest of his life, and he continued to call it his "second passion" after music, cooking when not on tour. In a 2014 interview he said he still loved cooking, and during a 2016 trip to Brazil he described cooking for friends there (including a creamy Gorgonzola pasta) and making gnocchi, lasagne, and other recipes he was experimenting with.
His friend Simone remembered Dane as a "foodie," recalling phone calls, sometimes very late at night, devoted to discussing food and recipes.
Even after leaving the professional cooking life, Dane would often cook while touring, and he joked that he could usually cook better than the tour caterers.

Relationships

Little is known about Warrel Dane's love life, except the tragic relationship that inspired Dreaming Neon Black.
Dane had previously been in a relationship with Patricia Candace Walsh, whose disappearance later became the principal inspiration for Dreaming Neon Black. Walsh became involved with a religious group and subsequently disappeared from Dane's life; Dane said that, years later, while living beside Lake Washington, he began experiencing recurring dreams about her that involved drowning. Not knowing what had happened to Walsh, he incorporated the dreams and unresolved loss into the album's fictional narrative. Walsh had in fact been murdered by serial killer Robert Ben Rhoades after leaving Seattle in 1989, although her remains were not identified until 2003. Dane publicly identified her by name in a 2016 interview.

Health and alcohol

Around 2004, Dane suffered a serious health crisis. In a 2005 interview he explained that he had been drinking heavily while simultaneously developing type 2 diabetes without knowing it. According to Dane, his doctors told him that his pancreas had effectively begun digesting itself; he said he nearly died and lost roughly two weeks of conscious memory during the episode. He said that his diabetes was being controlled with oral medication rather than insulin at that point; that he had stopped/greatly reduced alcohol consumption, reduced sugar, and was undergoing treatment, occupying the time previously associated with drinking to exercise and read, which led to his losing substantial weight. Five years later he still reported having diabetes and talked about the dietary changes it required.
In 2016 Dane himself acknowledged that he had acquired a reputation for drinking too much, but said he drank considerably less by then. Discussing vocal care, he specifically identified avoiding alcohol as important.

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. He had been working there on his second solo album, Shadow Work×Shadow Work26 October 2018 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Ethereal Blessing1:112Madame Satan4:373Disconnection System5:594As Fast as the Others4:415Shadow Work4:126The Hanging Garden5:517Rain5:408Mother Is the Word for God9:31. Johnny Moraes, the guitarist in Dane's solo band, stated, "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 mentioned that Dane had been dealing with numerous health issues, including 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 The Year the Sun Died), a drama and tribute to Dane, on YouTube. The movie was originally released in May 2016 as part of a Brazilian festival, but Carvalho decided to make it publicly available after Dane's death. Dane met 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 post-production was completed and described it as "great" and "terrifying".