Review: After Forever - After Forever [Metal]

After Forever promised great things with their newest album. The self titled release was said to be a mixture of their earlier material, with their more melodic recent releases. Following the dissappointing Remagine, the band have a lot to prove, but does After Forever prove anything at all?

The album opens with the gothic anthem 'Discord'. Choirs in tow, along with the epic orchestra, the band really have gone back to their roots. Not truly, ofcourse, as ex-member Mark Jansen was highly responsible for the orchestral antics provided on debut album 'Prison Of Desire' and 'Decipher'. However, this fresher, heavier gothic sound really suits After Forever, and is a splendid opener, and should be a cracking live track also.

'Evoke' hints back to the more mainstream leanings of Remagine, with touches of Exordium-era After Forever to add a nice touch. Floor Jansen really shows she is the Queen of metal, with her impressive vocal skills. Elegantly yet forcefully, she leads the song along, particularly in the chorus 'Let It Flow. This Endless Beauty Will Evoke'. It's also worth noting how keyboardist Joost Van Den Broek has influenced the bands sound too, with his beautiful keyboard arrangements.

The third song is likely to be a live favourite. 'Transitory' is fast, simple and heavy, to the point of exhaustion. It's amazing beat, topped off by Floors strong vocals, entwining with the deep grunts of Sander Gommans. The vocal lines are insanely catchy, and the keyboard effects are vital in making this song as perfect as it is. Those expecting After Forever to be an airy female fronted band, that never passes funeral pace, will be surprised by this powerful track.

Lead single 'Energize Me' is a catchy, mainstream track, reminiscent of the recent After Forever releases. However, Energize Me manages to be interesting, and typically After Forever, aswell as radio-friendly and appealing. Highly commendable first single, especially the powerful vocals in the later choruses.

'Equally Destructive' may appear to be the heaviest track on After Forever, but the novelty soon wears off, and you are left with a generic rock song. However, the lyrical themes are very interesting, dealing with earthquakes and natural disasters. The song still manages to be interesting in places, particularly the last chorus when Floor does some beautiful multi-vocals.

Get ready for another fusion of old and new After Forever with track 6 'Withering Time'. The amazing orchestra and powerful heaviness bombard the listener on the first hearing. Around the 2 minute mark, the orchestras begin to sound like a devilish movie soundtrack, before throwing itself into a metallic feast, with grunts screams and fast guitar action. Definitly one of the heaviest After Forever songs. The chorus is also a well thought out catchy choir-fest, lead, ofcourse, by the seductive Floor Jansen.

'De-Energized' opens fiercly like a movie trailer. The epic opening leads into a battle of grunts and keyboard-lead metal. Sander Gommans is on top form with his fine-tuned growls, as Floor puts in her best performance to date, striking down a stunning note towards the end of the chorus. around 2.5 minutes, she goes almost acapella, backed only by a few effects, and pulls it off spectacularly. Her amazing skill as a vocalist really shines through on every track. The choirs, although not used as often as usual, still perform very well, and appear at the perfect times. They sound anxious and angry, with their sudden notes, a perfect supplement to a great song.

Power-ballads are often a tragic affair, with the vocalist yelping at the wrong times. However, sometimes they are done with such effort and precision, that the artist has to be applauded. As you can probably guess 'Cry With A Smile' despite the god-awful title is an epic, melancholic ballad that is the band at their best. Not much more can be said, other than the band are on fine form, each member playing their part perfectly, creating a wonderfully beautiful song.

'Being Everyone' from 2005's Remagine was a very strange foray into melodic pop metal. It may worry fans to hear that 'Envision' is not much different. But this track offers so much more, the interesting, yet catchy vocal lines, to the beautiful keyboard effects, 'Envision' actually turns out to be a highlight of the album. A single release would have been perfect, as this is a great example of After Forevers amazing songwriting skills.

'Who I Am' is a duet with rock goddess Doro. On paper it sounds perfect, two of the greatest vocalists working together. True, they both add a unique and flawless vocal performance but the song itself is dreadfully boring. Nothing outstanding in the slightest, on the musical front. Thank goodness it wasn't an instrumental... Perhaps the wekaest track on the album.

The album continues with the beautiful 'Dreamflight'. The album opens just as graceful as its title, with a short string segment, fading into the voice of Floor. Bas Maas makes his first, and only appearance on this track with his effortless voice. The song switches between strong, metallic passages and calmer, serene segments. Not the greatest epic ever written, but surely an interesting and commendable track.

The album concludes with the electronic influenced 'Empty Memories'. This is a perfect ending, especially with the calm choral passages, and the final 'No No No' that Floor spits venemously, ths is truly among After Forevers best work. The lyrics, also are nothing less than amazing.

Overall, After Forever prove all doubters wrong by releasing a strong and honest album. I must state, they do hint at the earlier material, not as often as i would like, but they kept their promise. There is only 2 weak tracks on the album, and even those have their charms, and the strong tracks more than make up for their downfalls. After Forever is an astounding album that deserves to be heard by all fans of the genre, aswell as people who like their music heavy.