Jonathan Newsome of Rock. Nothing But… recently conducted an interview with former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Rock. Nothing But…: Back in April, you released your new solo album. "Plains Of Oblivion" is the title, and it's an amazing record. How has your fanbase embraced it so far?

Loomis: It's been really good. Really good. I didn't know what to expect after my whole departure from NEVERMORE. I wasn't sure how the fans would respond to me being a solo artist, and focusing on instrumentals/vocal music. But the response has been very, very good. Almost overwhelming. People really show their support for the kind of music that I'm doing. It's definitely kind of gathered a whole new generation of kids. I'm a little bit older, of course; I'm 40. I grew up in the '80s and '90s with that music and stuff like that, but being able to reach out to a whole younger generation of kids, guitarists, and musicians is something that is really cool to me. So, we're kind of doing that, but really we are just showing the kind of music that we love to play. Aggressive guitar playing is what the kids are really into nowadays. I think the guitar solos, and all of that stuff, is kind of coming back. It's becoming popular again, so I'm really into that.

Rock. Nothing But…: What can the fans expect from the [tour] setlist?

Loomis: I'm actually just focusing on the first two instrumental records that I've put out. A lot of good things came from NEVEMORE, and I wouldn't be here playing music today if wasn't for NEVERMORE. But I think every book has its ending, and when one chapter closes, another one opens up. So it's kind of an end of an era for me, regarding NEVERMORE. I'm starting off fresh doing my own thing now, so really I'm just playing the music that I'm writing for my project. Kind of putting NEVERMORE aside. 18 years in a band is a long time my friend. [laughs] It had to have its ending. I kind of just wanted to start a new musical direction with my life. I'm not saying that NEVERMORE will never get back together or do some sort of reunion, or a festival kind of thing in the near future, but at this given moment in time, it's just kind of set aside. We'll see what happens in the future.

Rock. Nothing But…: Sounds good to me. I enjoy the solo stuff, I was just curious. A lot of people, I won't say that they ride on their past success, but a lot of people do that. I was just curious, to be honest.

Loomis: Yeah, yeah. No worries. I think a lot of people have questions about stuff like that. Especially the fans that have been with us for a long time now. I really think that it's awesome that people still show interest in the band, because it was a very, very good band. I'm very proud of the work that I did in that band. So, yeah, I definitely don't take that for granted at all. Just happy to be here and still being around to play music. That's what I enjoy doing. I love to play music, and perform in front of people. So, I'm really happy to be here, and doing that.

Read the entire interview at Rock. Nothing But…. You can also listen to the chat using the audio player below.

Interview (audio):