ALBUM REVIEW: After Forever (reissue) – After Forever

With their self-titled swansong, AFTER FOREVER ended the band on a high with an appropriately epic send-off. While never quite reaching the lofty heights of some of their countrymates (WITHIN TEMPTATION perhaps being the closest analogue), AFTER FOREVER carved out their own take on the symphonic metal genre, weaving in progressive elements and extreme vocals to help keep things fresh. With the charge led by the inimitable voice of Floor Jansen (who of course is nowadays better known for fronting NIGHTWISH, the biggest name in the genre), AFTER FOREVER’s final release incorporates the best elements of a band lost to time. Fifteen years since its original debut, After Forever still holds up.

In many ways, this album is a crash-course in symphonic metal. It’s a time capsule for a genre that, in the early 2000s, was certainly one of the most visible across the metal spectrum. On the record, AFTER FOREVER are almost chameleon-like as they move between the beautifully melodic and densely orchestrated (Withering Time), to more modern metal and gruff riffs (Transitory). Muffled drum samples, squelchy synth leads and aspects of electronica seep in here and there, whereas De-Energized borders on melodic death metal through its extreme vocals (courtesy of guitarist Sander Gommans) and discordant guitars. On paper, it sounds like a cacophony of disparate sounds, but AFTER FOREVER excelled in making all these elements work as a cohesive whole. That ability to flex their creative muscles, while bringing it all together consistently was certainly their most distinctive. This is perhaps most true on the album’s centrepiece Dreamflight, an 11-minute voyage that showcases the band’s ability to create sprawling epics teeming with movements, lush orchestration, sonic textures and tonal shifts.

Of course, this variety is one that is only made possible by the sheer versatility of Jansen’s voice. Withering Time is a masterclass in classical-tinged aggression. Jansen’s piercing soprano vocals lead choirs of metallic intensity, while trading off with the guttural barks of Gommans – all cutting through heavy orchestration. On the other hand, Energize Me has the energy and delivery of stadium rock thanks to its belted choruses and less classical vocal tones. Cry With A Smile, the album’s closest thing to a power ballad, sees Jansen channel Sharon den Adel and Ann Wilson in one fell swoop, providing perhaps the best example of her vocal prowess. There’s a clear reason NIGHTWISH snapped the singer up when the opportunity arose, and After Forever remains a testament to Jansen being one of the genre’s best singers.

The original material aside, After Forever is not a hugely different album in its remastered and reissued guise. The new sonic coat of paint has added to the relative heft of the record, with denser and meatier guitars giving everything more of an aural weight. In doing so, some of the more atmospheric touches like light-touch synths feel slightly drowned out, but not significantly so. Overall, the album certainly feels less brittle than the original mastering job – although, some of that could be down to the obligatory increase in volume that comes with any modern remaster. In addition, the reissue boasts a couple of extra B-sides from the era; Lonely, a piano and voice ballad led by Jansen’s captivating voice, and Sweet Enclosure, a fairly straight forward song in line with the band’s more accessible material. Both tracks are sure to entertain fans itching for a fix of more AFTER FOREVER. But then, those fans are likely to have already heard them all before, as they were spread across digipak and international editions at the time. Still, while not essential, it’s nice to have all the material in one place.

That in many ways sums up this reissue of After Forever; not essential. While still a great album in its own right, there’s not a huge amount for long-time fans of the band to get stuck in to. They may appreciate the nuances and reinterpretations that come with a remastering, but the bonus content is relatively minimal at best. In the event that this was the gap in their AFTER FOREVER collection, then this release is probably the definitive version. Otherwise, there’s little incentive to pull them back in. However, for those who missed out on AFTER FOREVER while they were active, you could do a lot worse than this reissue as an entry point.

Rating: 7/10

After Forever (reissue) is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.

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