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Free Music Notes for After Forever [Bonus DVD]Free Music Review: Not finished Hit: 3 StarsAfter Forever is another female fronted group, who joins the ranks of Nightwish, Epica, etc.
This is the first album I've listened to of theirs, and honestly, I was not all that impressed. Nothing really blew me away. However, there are some pros and cons, IMO about this album and group, in general.
The album starts off with a bang; the first 4 tracks are very, very solid. Energize is a fun, hooky song, and honestly, probably the best song on the album. Discord is good too, and I'm not a fan of growling, but he growls understandablely, not like Behomoth where you will need a lyrics sheet or a translator.
After the initial barrage of quality music and songs, I find the album lacking. I hear alot of rehashed music, nothing new. For instance, De-Energize has an opening that sounds like metallica's One, just not nearly as good. A few songs I swear they were going to go into a storyteller mode and start talking about gnomes or dwarfs, heavy rhapsody influence in some of it.
The vocals are good, the women's voice can be very overpowering, especially through headphones, and the music itself is pushed back. Whereas, nightwish, other the other hand, the vocals are more pushed back while the music seems to take center stage.
Overall though, for the 9 bucks I paid, is not terrible, but I would have expected more. Nothing on this album really screams out at me.
Free Music Review: "Viva After Forever" Hit: 5 StarsI've been a fan "After Forever" for about 4-5 years. After listening to their previous works, I can tell you this one is REAL QUIALTY WORK. That's Melodic symphonic metal should sound. The whole album is just great, work, musicanship is great.
Free Music Review: Best Album I ever heard!!! Hit: 5 StarsThis is the best best album I have ever heard in my entire life, if you like female fronted bands, this is the best one and this is their best work to date. AFTER FOREVER rules!!!!!!!!!!!!
Free Music Review: Blew me away Hit: 5 StarsI am a After Forever first timer, I bought this CD to check them out before going to their show in Bedford, NH. Yeah, I was one of the 40 showing up, what a shame :-). Anyway...
This is a pretty much perfect symphonic metal CD.
After Forever's music is a thick but not muddy background of two guitars and keyboard. Somebody did a good job to keep these these apart and away from the voice, you have a medium-high speed background that drives the music forward.
Not that Floor's voice needs protection, it is extremely powerful. More of a direct, no-nonsense voice, always keeping in the "singing range", never shouting or screaming. There are some growly male vocals in here, but much less than other bands with growls.
There is a number of ballads on there and again, After Forever just know how to do it. No bombastic landslide style instruments. Show off the voice, support it properly. Many songs show good variety, including "Dreamflight" which is an 11 minute true symphonic piece.
This is not death or trash or speed metal, I would describe it as a mix of symphonic and power metal. I hesitate to mention power metal at all, because After Forever have "true" power from Floor's voice and they are not at all like some European power metal acts that spend their time posing and fiddling with guitar effects. Speaking of guitar work, there are nice pieces of that in here (although somebody needs his wah-wah time limited).
I haven't checked out the extra DVD yet but since this CD is a clear 5 out of 5 anyway I can as well write a review now.
Overall After Forever are the rising Star in my favorite band list, so please excuse me now while I order their other CDs.
Free Music Review: After Forever keeps getting better and better. Hit: 5 StarsAfter Forever is a 6 piece female fronted metal band from the Netherlands.
This is their 6th album and is very good and just to give to you a little bit of info on some of the other female fronted symphonic metal bands I listen too are Nightwish, Therion, Epica and Within Temptation.
The members of After Forever are:
Floor Jansen - Vocals
Sander Gommans - Guitar, grunts
Bas Maas - Guitar, vocals
Luuk van Gerven - Bass
Andr? Borgman - Drums
Joost van den Broek - Keyboards
Discord
This song is a good way to start the album. It includes both Floor Jansen vocals and Sander Gommans The song starts with slow keyboards before going into the heavy guitars and Sanders grunts.
Evoke
This song starts off slow before suddenly going into Floors operatic vocals. It features a very nice piano break in the song with just Floor singing with the piano before getting all heavy again and it also has an epic choir in the song also.
Transitory
This song is a really heavy song and starts off with Sanders grunts as well as Floors singing. It features song nice keyboard work that you can really hear in the song. The song doesn't ease you into the heavy guitars like the previous songs it just goes straight into it.
Energize Me
This song is the first single taken from the album. It's not one of their heaviest songs but it certainly has its heavier moments and the chorus is really catchy. It features mostly just Floor sining with a nice and mellow song with very nice guitars and keyboards through out the song.
Equally Destructive
This song it's definitely heavy, catchy and metal all at the same time. Floor proves with this song and why she one of the top female singers in the metal scene today. She just keeps getting better and better with every song. This song also features a very nice guitar solo.
Withering Time
This song starts off very operatic. Sander also uses his grunts in this song and this song has a bit of everything. Grunting, opera, guitars and an amazing finish.
De-energized
This song starts off very slow and epic before going into amazing guitars and grunting. When Floor comes in she allows you to catch your breath if only for a few moments at a time. The features nice bass playing that you can really make out in this song as it is used almost like a sort of bass solo except with Floor singing at the same time.
Cry with a smile
This song is a ballad and what would a symphonic metal be with out a ballad. After Forever always has at least one ballad on their albums and this is the first ballad on here. It's such a lovely song, the lyrics are so moving that when it ends you may want to play it again right away.
Envision
This song is another heavy song that relies on guitars and keyboards and great singing by Floor as usual.
Who I Am
This song is a duet between Floor and 80's female metal singer Doro Pesch. It's a good song and if the album had a low spot this would be it but just barely. The song features a nice industrial sounding guitar solo.
Dreamflight
This song is the mandatory long track that all symphonic metal albums seem to have these days. This song is just over 11 minutes long but it doesn't lack anything because of the length. It's also the only song on this album where Bas Maas has a solo, it includes vocals by Floor, Sander, Bas and a choir in one song. It has ballad parts and heavy parts, this song really does have it all.
Empty memories
This song is the second ballad on the album but still includes good guitars through out and it's fairly slow and lovely. Floors singing is the focal point and is in top form once again.
Lonely
This song is just Floor singing along to a piano. It's a ballad and it's so lovely and heartfelt. It sort of makes you think that Floor was going through some very hard things emotionally.
This album also come with a dvd and has 3 music videos for songs on the album as well as some photos of the band.
Well there you have it, this is a very good album.
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