After Forever "Remagine" 2005**

Pretty cool on the part of record companies to stamp promos with big capital letters PROMOTIONAL COPY-NOT FOR SALE. That way, when they do appear for sale they're dirt cheap. I got this one for €1. My knowledge of symphonic metal doesn't go too deep, but After Forever have a good name here in (their home country of) The Netherlands - so I thought I'd try them out. I had an idea of what to expect because I'd already seen the band of their former guitarist/co-leader Mark Jansen, Epica. They played a free festival in The Hague and had a huge show with exploding fireballs and a pretty female singer with an impressive operatic voice. Listening now to After Forever (and looking at the CD cover) it's obvious what their blueprint was. Singer Floor Jensen is the main draw here, and not only for the reasons obvious on the record cover. Throughout the record she showcases her vocal abilities to the max, singing in an operatic soprano style as well as in earthier rock tones. She has immaculate technique, not surprising since she's classically trained and -before going professional- made her living as a vocal coach. Guitarist Sander Gommans adds occasional infernal death metal growls as well as metal riffage, while a further ingredient is the atmospheric synths. The overall sound is an amalgam of Nightwish's symphonic metal, Opeth's prog-meets-death metal sound and compatriots The Gathering's goth rock. As it invariably happens, though, the result is less than the sum of its parts, suffering from lack of inspiration and discernible hooks. This album takes a more pop approach than their previous ones - nothing wrong with that, if you have the hooks to support it. Fans, of course, cried "Sell Out!", starting their criticism from the cover and Floor's see-through blouse -a blatant attempt for commercialization. I mean if you have to show some skin, why not dress her as Xena the Warrior Princess? I can't think of any metal fan objecting to that. The music is a mix of metallic riffs, operatic vocals, symphonic orchestral passages and choirs. "Boundaries Are Open" is the stand-out track, as it has a memorable chorus and introduces synth-pop elements in the usual mix. "Being Everyone" is the one with the most commercial sound, Floor abandoning the opera for a straight pop performance with a catchy chorus and synths reminiscent of 80's pop-metal acts like Europe. "Living Shields" is a personal fave: although the Carmina Burana choir does sound slightly ludicrous, I like how it integrates with the metal riffs, death growls and rolling bass line. "Free of Doubt" is full of symphonic/prog passages, "Strong" is the token power ballad and "Face Your Demons" tries a more alternative/nu-metal approach with Floor wailing like a rock singer instead an opera one. "No Control" sees the male vocalist taking the lead (both growling and clean vocals) and "Forever" is the big prog moment, with everyone giving his best in an oriental melody that reminds me of Rainbow's "Gates Of Babylon". The rest of the album is a nondescript mix of all the elements I mentioned before. It's well played and cleanly produced and I imagine it may appeal to fans of its genre as it ticks the right boxes. Personally, though, I found it rather uninspired. After Forever recorded one more album before they disbanded in 2009, while Floor Jensen has found a home for her considerable vocal talents with the champions of symphonic metal, Finland's Nightwish. For those wondering how she's doing with replacing the ever-popular Tarja Turunen here's a link to a fan-made video mixing their performances on the same song. Meanwhile, you can see After Forever in a clip from Remagine...

*** for Come, Boundaries Are Open, Living Shields, Being Everyone, Free of Doubt, Strong, Face Your Demons, Forever

** for Enter, Attendance, Only Everything, No Control