AFTER FOREVER

Invisible Circles it the third album by After Forever, whose music is actually better than their fame due to blend of different styles, state of the art vocals, attractive guitar riffing and pretty good synths. Let's not forget melody capabilities as demonstrated by track 3 and certain level of epics or glory.

Some extreme metal inclinations mainly in growling and occassional intensive bass drum are evidenced throughout the album but overall, this album is quite common metal volume friendly. Not all songs have a great compositional elements but it is the varied sound and advanced instrumental parts. Ballads with vocals and piano are also effective as in "Eccentric" I like two longer tracks "Through square eyes" and "Blind pain" that have wild growling but also acoustic passages, however having spoken passages interrupting music is annoying. At times, you can hear Ayeron influence - in the way vocals are handled with duets.

Less progressive than their later efforts, it is a good record nevertheless for an open metal fan.

There are diverse influence manifested in the music such as classical music (without any orchestra so inferior to Therion), gothic/doom slight spirit and some progressive moments. Vocals are excellent, be it the bellsounding female vocal or mighty growling that adds more edge. Of notice are advanced female harmonies that give a lot of warmth through the metal tunnel. Instrumentation is competent even if not very ambitious but not flat or shallow on the other side. I can recommend this album due to good melodies and execution but for less open proggers, start with their 2004 album or later.

The final release by After Forever is perhaps the least distinctive in their catalogue. Almost gone are brutal death and blac metal vocals and composition parts that balanced female clean vocals. The songs are also most accessible. What is also true is that the group had simplified the songwriting on the last two albums. There are still enough progressive influences to be found and the music craftmanship is indisputable. Melodies are well thought out and vocals delicious. The longest track is epic and consists of several parts - it belongs to the highlights of the album and showcases mellow but also fast playing as well as even subtle electronica influence in one part. What I miss on this album is the dynamism of their earlier releases and unique brutal music takes. Recommended to fans of symphonic metal with female vocals. Although the album has the highest rating for After Forever, I doubt that this is their best album.

In the first place, my interest in this band came as a sort of "spin-off" of listening to Nightwish, after hearing their last album: "Endless forms most beautiful". They introduced a new vocalist here: Floor Jansen (at least on studio albums, she had already collaborated with them on a live album and almost a whole tour!!!), and the result was very good. So I started to investigate about her, and found that she had been at least in two bands before: ReVamp and this one, After Forever. So I started to listen to After Forever discography (it's all on Spotify, if you want to hear it) a year or so, and now I'm relistening them, with a careful atention. First said, this review is about the version that appears in this page, the original tracklist, and not the "Extended Sessions", which, IMHO is full of unnecesary fillings that add nothing to the whole (if that would be the case, I would give it no more than three stars). This is not prog metal in the classic sense (they would do something near to it years later, on their homonimous disc), but it's more precisely defined as an stilized, and sometimes complex, goth metal (so, if you don't like goth at all, you may disagree with my rating). In a whole, the album is great, and it has a beautiful atmosphere that was lost on subsequent albums. The vocals of Floor are very beautiful, with a range even more impressive that the one she use with Nightwish. The growls of Mark, even if not perfect, add a strong and gladly received contrast, and set the textures of the melodies (in fact, in the few songs he doesn't sing, it seems like something is missing), something he will absolutely fail to do on the next album (Decipher). The only reason I have been doubtful about 4 or 5 stars, is because I really don't get why "The embrace that smothers" should be seen as a single theme. In fact, apart from "Mea Culpa" and "Leaden Legacy" (the former serving as an intro to the latter), I don't seem to find something that really binds them. I tried making a playlist, and playing them together, one after the other, but it just doesn't work at all. But, if you play the whole album, and forget this, it seems to me just perfect. So I would go for the 5 stars.

Until the quality because it is a "Demo" (1999) is not bad. The songs that make up the "Demo" later made ​​part of the first album, "Prison of Desire", released a year later (2000).

"Ephemeral" reflects its name, so fleeting that when you start to like it, has ended. It has only three minutes long. "Jack Driessen" on the keyboard creating a melancholy sound, while "Joep Beckers" awakens his drum.

"Black Tomb" also has its beginnings in arrangements based soft keyboard and guitar fingerings that do not linger in distorting. The way to "Floor Jansen" singing evokes an oriental sound (1:47 / 2:11). For those who just wanted to hear the sweet voice of "Floor", is surprised with the throaty vocals (3:00 / 3:12), followed by an instant hardcore (3:54 / 4:20), returning then that sound oriental.

"Tortuous Threnody" is another amazing song sequences with their riffs. "Gommans / M. Jansen" on guitars and guttural rock. It is impossible to remain indifferent to the sound created by them. Amid the calm brought by the voice of "Floor", two guitar solos played at the same time create a harmony so nice to hear. For those who never heard the album "Prison of Desire" and listen to this "Demo", hear the entire album containing these tracks and more.

"Inimical Chimera" concludes what is undoubtedly one of the best "Demo" ever produced by a band. There is no way to say "After Forever" is a copy of any other band's style, for although every band in the world suffer some kind of influence of another, yet what they have built here is not something conventional.

It is an enhanced sound. Voices, guitars, bass, keyboard and drums. If the "Demo" is all about, then what about the album "Prison of Desire"?

With the launch of the concept album "Invisible Circles", the band decided to launch a "Single" to promote the record.

They selected four songs and added an interview. "Digital Deceit" which gives its name to "Single" is the first track. A strong composition with a more direct sound. "Floor Jansen" is highlighted by the timbre of the voice switch as they change the characters existing in the album. The guitar riffs, the bass is in contrast to explode in the technical quality squandered by "Floor Jansen."

"Eccentric" with its tone of bitterness because of the lyrical context, where there is neglect and indifference of parents for their daughter. "Lando van Gils - Keyboardist" helps with your chords and creativity to the sad mood of the lyrics.

"Sins of Idealism" is presented by the bass of "Luuk van Gerven." Again "Floor Jansen" stands alternating singing techniques as a mother and daughter who plays in their dialogues. "Bas Maas" and "Sander Gommans" move the music with their riffs, while "Lando van Gils" is instructed to elevate the drama with his synthesizers. "André Borgman" little required, complete the team.

"Blind Pain" already allows "Andre Borgman" build your name in the band. "Sander Gommans" is responsible for vocals screaming. With rhythmic passages, fast, heavy, this song is a spectacle.

In short, this "single" beautifully expresses the power existing in the album "Invisible Circles" and each track serves to demonstrate the technical quality of its members. Recommended.

In the same year launched the "Ep - Exordium" containing "The Evil That Men Do", also released a "Single" containing the same music.

Some "Singles" are only for the most devout fans who wish to own the entire discography of your favorite band.

The "Single - My Choice / The Evil That Men Do" is a good example. It comprises two versions of a song "My Choice", the regular version and the acoustic version. There's also "My Pledge of Allegiance # 1" from the album "Decipher", plus an interview about sixteen minutes.

For a fan this "Single" can be a gift but for those who do not have much appreciation, is an unnecessary release.

This "Single" is composed of four songs. Originally the four tracks should belong to the album "Decipher", but withdrew in the final production the song "For the Time Being," which later served as a bonus.

There is no difference of version of "Monolith of Doubt (single version)" placed here and the existing version on the original album. This song was chosen for a propaganda and dissemination of the band.

There is not very plausible explanation for having taken "For the Time Being" from the album "Decipher", placing it as a bonus only in certain countries. Space would be easy for her ... "Mark Jansen" at the height of his screaming vocals, choirs ... why?

One of their songs most used in "Singles" with so many possible versions that would to record a "Ep" only with them. "Imperfect Tenses (Orchestral version)" is launched with the only difference between parentheses. If you are a fan of the band, it's worth, but now if a listener looking for some sound to hear, the "Single" is unnecessary.

"Exordium" was released in 2003, one year after the excellent "Decipher" and a year before the disputed "Invisible Circles". It represents the transformation experienced by the band's sound more symphonic albums in the "Prison of Desire" and "Decipher", a reality for more heavy since then.

"Line of Thoughts" is an instrumental track that serves as an introduction to "Beneath."

By introducing already see a difference, if before the album began with corals, pompous arrangements, as in "Mea Culpa" and "Ex Cathedra", now break with "Mark Jansen" was final. Corals and pompous arrangements were taken by him to the band "Epica".

"Beneath" is more direct, without many gadgets. In some ways it was a preview of what would be the band's subsequent album...

"My Choice" has one of the best lyrics of the band. "Is it not the choosing That makes the life we live so intricate?" At issue is a ballad sound.

"Glorifying Means" rescues that dueling vocals between "Floor Jansen" and "Sander Gommans" without "Mark Jansen" since left the band. His absence is needed for this "EP", the orchestral arrangements could have given a more elegant to "Exordium," beyond their screaming vocals.

A version of "The Evil That Men Do - Iron Maiden," the voice "Floor Jansen" was very good. The liveliness imposed by it in the interpretation made ​​this song became one of the highlights of "Ep". The instrumental music performed well.

"One Day I'll Fly Away - Randy Crawford," another remake, terminating the "Ep." The end result is higher than expected.

The "EP" created a good expectation of what would come from the band, the result would be "Invisible Circles" that while not being either, it was sign of musical maturity. "Exordium" is recommended even for those not a fan of the band, worth checking out this new phase of the band and their remakes.

This "single" consists of four songs, three of the album "Decipher".

"Emphasis" has no difference from the original version and its presence here seems to have been baptized to the name of "single".

A version of "Who Wants to Live Forever," the band "Queen" in the voice of "Floor Jansen" is one of the few novelties in the "single". Compare with the original would be inhuman, just say "Floor Jansen," as "Damian Wilson", the band's "Threshold," work hard to maintain the honor of "Freddie Mercury". The guitar solo here is done by "Arjen Anthony Lucassen."

"Imperfect Tenses" has exactly the same sound, arrangements, chords. The only difference is that "Damian Wilson" replaces "Rein Kolpa" in duet with "Floor Jansen."

"Damian Wilson" with his vocal technique leaves no room for suspicion and strengthens the quality of this "single".

"Intrinsic" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written by the band and their presence here enriches the "single".