After Forever - Exordium
Transmission Records/The End Records TM-3041 - 2004
By Rodrigo Escandon
After Forever are a band that just have never done it for me. Their brand of goth-metal hasnt been too distinguishable or memorable for me to care about them that much. Plus, it almost seems that the reason they have such recognition is because of Floors involvement in Ayreon and Star One.
The EP Exordium is their most recent release, and its main purpose is to serve as a teaser until their next full-length album is released, at least here in the US since it is already available in Europe. It also marks the first release since the departure of Mark Jensen, and it should be of interest how the band has moved on without him.
Well for one, the gothic elements have been stripped down. The basic components are present, but the songs sound simpler and catchier. You dont hear the epic feeling from their earlier albums with these new songs, but they are immediately more memorable being less complex and elaborate than before. The songs are definitely more accessible, which could certainly help After Forever expand their fan base - as Lacuna Coil has recently shown. But all the accessibility in the world wont help the band if the songs arent good, and what is presented in this EP does not really sell me. There are only 4 new compositions and one of them is an instrumental. So the remaining three Beneath, My Choice and Glorifying Means are meant to grab your interest. Beneath is the catchiest, My Choice is the ballad and Glorifying Means is the heavy and fast song, incidentally the only one that features growling.
None of these tracks do much to grab my attention, and they are quickly forgotten after they are finished. Also it is very apparent that Floor will now be the focal point, since there is minimal usage of growls now and even her style has adapted. She does not use the operatic style as often now; instead she just focuses on her singing. She is a great singer but unfortunately the music weakens the whole performance, and she may be lost if After Forever continues like this.
Also included in this release is a DVD with a video for My Choice, which manages to focus most of its attention on Floor (surprise, surprise). The rest that is included isnt all that memorable, unless you consider a slide show, artwork, some studio recordings and a making of the video interesting. If you are a fan or collector of the band then maybe Exordium release is for you - for everyone else I would definitely avoid this release.
5/10
After Forever Official Website
The End Records Official Website
Transmission Records/The End Records TM-3041 - 2004
By Rodrigo Escandon
After Forever are a band that just have never done it for me. Their brand of goth-metal hasnt been too distinguishable or memorable for me to care about them that much. Plus, it almost seems that the reason they have such recognition is because of Floors involvement in Ayreon and Star One.
The EP Exordium is their most recent release, and its main purpose is to serve as a teaser until their next full-length album is released, at least here in the US since it is already available in Europe. It also marks the first release since the departure of Mark Jensen, and it should be of interest how the band has moved on without him.
Well for one, the gothic elements have been stripped down. The basic components are present, but the songs sound simpler and catchier. You dont hear the epic feeling from their earlier albums with these new songs, but they are immediately more memorable being less complex and elaborate than before. The songs are definitely more accessible, which could certainly help After Forever expand their fan base - as Lacuna Coil has recently shown. But all the accessibility in the world wont help the band if the songs arent good, and what is presented in this EP does not really sell me. There are only 4 new compositions and one of them is an instrumental. So the remaining three Beneath, My Choice and Glorifying Means are meant to grab your interest. Beneath is the catchiest, My Choice is the ballad and Glorifying Means is the heavy and fast song, incidentally the only one that features growling.
None of these tracks do much to grab my attention, and they are quickly forgotten after they are finished. Also it is very apparent that Floor will now be the focal point, since there is minimal usage of growls now and even her style has adapted. She does not use the operatic style as often now; instead she just focuses on her singing. She is a great singer but unfortunately the music weakens the whole performance, and she may be lost if After Forever continues like this.
Also included in this release is a DVD with a video for My Choice, which manages to focus most of its attention on Floor (surprise, surprise). The rest that is included isnt all that memorable, unless you consider a slide show, artwork, some studio recordings and a making of the video interesting. If you are a fan or collector of the band then maybe Exordium release is for you - for everyone else I would definitely avoid this release.
5/10
After Forever Official Website
The End Records Official Website
