Band:
Floor Jansen (V)
Sander Gommans (G,V)
Joost van den Broek (K)
Luuk van Gerven (B)
Bas Maas (G)
Andre Borgman (D)
Discography:
Remagine (2005)
Invisible Circles (2004)
Exordium (2003)
Decipher (2001)
Prison of Desire (2000)
Recordning info:
produced by Gordon Groothedde
Guests:
Rannveig Sif Sigurdardottir - Mezzo Soprano
Amanda Somerville - Alto
Previn Moore - Bass
Jeff Waters - Guitars on "De-energized"
Doro Pesch - Alto on "Who I Am"
Links:
afterforever.com
myspace
nuclear blast
Unfortunately I don’t know much about the new bands (Epica, Xandria, Ministry: Al fuckbitch) but After Forever certainly makes me curious about what’s out there. They have made a Metallica: releasing a self titled fifth album with a producer with a focus to write strong powerful songs.
After Forever have depth and dynamics, the keys in how to make 60 minutes exciting. Keyboards, haunting growls, amazing operatic vocals, prog metal, heavy fucking metal, it doesn’t matter, After Forever 2007 have no weak points and it’s time for the major breakthrough!
Rating: HHHHHHH
Reviewer: Daniel Källmalm
Dutch band After Forever is back with their fifth full-length album. Their first self-titled album is following the bad-looking-cover album Remagine and it is a step in the right direction from named Remagine and Invisible Circles. It is beautiful and powerful and it musically contains, well just about everything; it is classical music with strings and horns it I heavy metal with powerful guitar and baseline, it is progressive, atmospherical, deep and intricate keyboards. It is female fronted metal at its best, well not only female fronted though it is also beauty and the beast concept with the beast growling evilly. Better then that I cannot describe what I am listening to.
Compared to predecessors like Remagine and Invisible Circles it is more varied, darker and heavier it is somewhat more back towards the roots that may be considered Prison of Desire and Decipher although not as classically rooted as those albums. Floor sings with passion everything from clear vocals to soprano vocals, in my opinion she is the best soprano in metal.
It is clear from the beginning that this is something to count on, my iPod-opener (I seem to have the wrong order of the tracks on that) Cry With a Smile is both deep and beautiful as well as dark and powerful; dark and powerful can definitely be said about following track De-Energized featuring Jeff Waters as a guest on the guitar. Fact is that AF features quite a few known metal characters as guest, Doro Pesch guests for instance maybe After Forever is quite interesting in the metal community and that may indicate that the major commercial breakthrough is imminent for this band. This is definitely an album that can make that breakthrough come true; it never gets long and boring despite being over an hour long. At one time you feel that it gets long but just as that feeling finds its way into your head, Transitory begins and takes you away again. Good and excellent tracks follow one another and make a great album no doubt.
I think this is the way for After Forever to go, it is a step in the right direction for After Forever after two, though great albums, albums that hasn’t been as interesting as the first two. Now it finally feels that they have taken out the right direction on the compass. It is the direction towards another level in the beauty and the beast metal genre.