A PERFECT FOREVER

Anubis Gate this band from Denmark did a great job here. To me this is power metal, and not a shred of prog . Maybe on Epitome of Delusion and the last track and the longestand the best A perfect forever is elements of prog, anyway this band reminds me of Pagan's Mind in places. Not a bad album, but not something special, is only well played and nothing more. If you listen to Pagan's Mind, Beyond Twilight and german teutonic metal this is the answear. 3 stars for A perfect forever. I hope the newest one from 2007 to be better than this one, i look forward to listen in the future.

Forever perfect...

Their first album was good. This is better. The production is much better, and the compositions tighter but also less conventional. It's a tad heavier in guitar riffage and guitar sound than the predecessor, which works quite well.

Speaking of riffage, I really think hte guitar riffs on this album are superb and even more varied than on "Purification", and I also like how they incorporate harmonies and melody into the riffs. I think the drumming is much more engaging and less "careful" than on the debut album, starting to experiment with odd time signatures as well, and the keyboards are less prominent, giving the album a hint of Fates Warning-ness. "A Perfect Forever" also offers a lot of changes in time and every song contains numerous riffs which are very well stitched together - without ever reaching the extemity of Metallica's "...And Justice for All"; it is more like Queensrÿche taken to the next level.

The intro riff to the "Sanctified" is really cool; it is complex, obviously requiring some skill to perform, and melodic at the same time. In fact, the entire song is somewhat of a bullet train progressive metal journey through a number of breakdowns, buildups, abrupt tempo changes, and loads of cool riffs - all withing the time span of 6:36 minutes. "Kingdom Come" is melodic and contains twin leads galore, while "Future Without a Past" combines power metal melodies with percussive guitar riffs and constitutes another of the albums high points. The track, "Curfew" includes a duet which really highlights Torben Askholm's odd but drawing use of vibrato. In fact, I dont's think there are many weak moments on this album, other highlights being "Approaching the Inner Circle", "The Wanton Blades", and "A Perfect Forever" all of which carefully combine compositional complexity with heaviness and guitar melodies.

"A Perfect Forever" is a really good album. I think it will appeal to fans of both progressive metal and power metal, and perhaps even some open minded hardcore progheads will like it, too.

A Perfect Forever is the second full-length studio album by Danish progressive/ power metal act Anubis Gate. The debut full-length studio album Purification (2004) was an enjoyable affair albeit a bit generic, so I´ve been curious to hear if A Perfect Forever adds more unique elements to Anubis Gate´s sound. Like the debut, A Perfect Forever is produced by prolific Danish metal producer Jakob Hansen, who would join Anubis Gate on their next album as their new lead singer. The production is professional and suits the music perfectly.

The music is mostly mid-paced power metal with progressive elements. The songs are well written and the musicianship is excellent. Torben Askholm is a skilled and powerful lead vocalist allthough his voice is not really my cup of tea. But that´s an aquired taste. A Perfect Forever is definitely a step forward from Purification, but for me the style is still a bit generic and I wouldn´t be able to tell Anubis Gate apart from many other band´s in the genre if I didn´t know it was them playing. At least not with the music on this album. The music simply lacks originality. If you enjoy well played, well composed and well produced progressive power metal this album is recommendable though and a 3.5 star rating is certainly deserved.

With their second opus, Denmark's eclectic prog metallers Anubis Gate haven't yet settled into their more familiar sound. A Perfect Forever features a different vocal style and has more prominent power metal (of its darker and slower type somewhat akin to early Queensryche) influences than its successors, but it was already clear that they were aiming at something proggy, with the Eastern motifs, six-minutes songs, frequent shifts in tempo and mood, alteration between crunchy and clean guitars and catchy vocal hooks that would become their staples. Best songs probably the shape- shifting Sanctified and Future Without Past and the more laid-back Curfew, with others catchy enough but being more of an epic power metal type.