The last I heard of supreme lead guitarist / chameleon Steve Smyth, he was battling some health issues and had to leave Nevermore.  Well, it turns out the ex-Testament, ex-Nevermore, ex-Dragonlord shredder has been writing new tunes with Forbidden, another Bay Area thrash/progressive metal band. Forbidden’s sound is more on the thrash side than the progressive side, but there is still plenty of room for guitar leads and big vocals. Smyth actually joined the band earlier this year and had this to say:

“I am very happy to have been invited to join Forbidden! Having been a long time fan of the band, it’s great to have been presented the opportunity to perform with them, like at the Thrash of the Titans show in 2001. I look forward to touring in the near future with Craig, Matt, Russ and Mark, and also to have a hand in the creation of a new album with such a talented and creative bunch of individuals. Let’s tear it up!”

The band has been releasing new tracks every couple of weeks, with the most recent track being “Hopenosis” which came out last month.  This leads me to believe that there will be an album out sometime next year in 2010. I probably should’ve known all of this already, but whatever. 2009 was a busy year!