After Forever by After Forever
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Release date : April 2007
Reviewed by Anthony Morgan
Conceived during 1995, Netherland's After Forever's ranks witnessed the addition of vocalist Floor Jansen two years later. Two demos followed, namely Wings of Illusion and Ephemeral (both released during 1999). Debut full length Prison of Desire saw distribution in 2000, and sophomore effort Desire came in 2001. Drummer Joep Beckers and keyboardist Jack Driessen departed in late 2000, positions assumed by André Borgman and Lando van Gils respectively. Axeman Mark Jansen departed in 2002, and quickly assembled Sahara Dust (later renamed Epica). Minus a key player, Bas Maas replaced the guitarist. Reaching 26th position on the Dutch Top 100 charts, Invisible Circles became issued in 2004 and was the group's first record not to feature Jansen. In September 2005, fourth album Remagine hit the shelves. The record's production encountered difficulties, more specifically a brain tumour acquired by André Borgman. Dissatisfied with a lack of promotion, on March 3rd 2006 announced they had parted ways with Transmission Records. By October, a deal had been reached with Germany's Nuclear Blast Records. Touring continents such as South America and Europe, Pinkpop, Lowlands, Dynamo and Ozzfest comprise the various high profile festivals which the group have played. Produced by “atypical Metal producer” Gordon Groothedde, After Forever features guest contributions from Annihilator's Jeff Waters (guitar solo on “De-Energized”) and erstwhile Warlock frontman Doro Pesch (alto vocals featured on “Who I Am”).
A misfortunate scenario, After Forever usually seem to fall lightly shy of the mark. Clearly, the Dutch outfit bear the required tools; a charming appearance, marketable tunes, and weighty live performances. You'd be heavily tempted to just blindly assume that the crew garnered mainstream acceptance during their early years, continuing from thereon in. However, the cards never played that way. In the eyes of many Metal aficionados, After Forever's potential acclaim has always faltered under the limelight of renowned counterparts such as Nightwish and Within Temptation. With their eponymously self-titled fifth album though, they simply dismiss these shackles and assume a destined leading role in the subgenre of Symphonic Metal. All in all, a number of relevant qualities neatly fall into place during the album's duration. Firstly, Groothedde's chosen production style works superbly.
Past full lengths featured strong tracks, although their presentation was always tragically harmed in one aspect or another. 2005's Reimagine unearthed a thicker sound, a sound now ably complimented by a crisp quality. Arriving two years later, this crisp quality nicely showcases each members' personal contributions. A noteworthy difference, Floor Jansen's (hitherto named Apocalypse, Jansen joined the assemblage at the tender age of sixteen during 1997) rich voice finally lies at the forefront. Jansen ranks amongst today's greatest female vocalists, and is certainly granted the opportunity to genuinely sparkle. In contrast to previous compositions, the songwriting approach yields more positive rewards. Gladly avoiding the mistake of leaning towards excessively indulgent technical prowess, After Forever implements valid lessons learnt from past ventures. Also, it is the first record in the group's catalogue to do so. The songs flamboyantly race along, resisting the seductive urge to partake in excessively indulgent behaviour (a crime frequently committed by numerous peers).
After Forever's catalogue of work bears witness to the fact that group has always penned musically engaging tracks. In this specific instance, however, accessibility is the preferred focus. As a prime result, the group's appeal is broadened towards listener's less enamoured with music's technical aspects. “Evoke”'s detonative opera, paired with the dynamism of “Energize Me”, comprise the finest examples of this. Impressive numbers, the duo smoothly craft a groove laden surface. With such a rigid foundation in place, this provides sufficient ammunition to accomodate an entrancing Metal chorus. Whenever the listeners confine themself to the notion that After Forever's material has adopted a lighter flair, hoarse, guttural male vocals seeth through which regains their temporarily waning attention (hear “Withering Time”). If you're generally familiar with the group's material, then it'll be a great comfort to note that After Forever delicately irons away the flaws which harmed Reimagine - in essence, realizing the goals they aimed to achieve in recording that album. Also, the full length progresses miles beyond that of their early works. For those unfamiliar with the group, beautiful, gutsy female vocals lie against both chunky, biting guitars, and pounding rhythms. To lift the overall flavour, a wholesome sprinkling of keyboard electronica concludes the musical dish. If this decidedly suits your individual tastes, then After Forever's clutch of tracks prove an unquestionably essential purchase.
