After Forever
Prison Of Desire

THE REVIEW

After Forever. A name that evokes one of the seminal bands of today's symphonic scene alongside their fellow countrymen Within Temptation. A band that lacked the courage to change their sound, transitioning from gothic to symphonic, from prog to the heavy of Remagine.
“Prison Of Desire” is the first cry of the Dutch band, released by Transmission Records, a label the band recently left. The genre offered is undoubtedly Gothic Metal and it's the only album of the band that can be classified under this label, as Sander himself has stated many times. The band learned the lesson imparted by the masters of the genre, from Tristania to Theatre Of Tragedy, yet adding a considerable dose of personality and original elements, not least the notable progressive influences that carve this masterpiece. A dark yet grandiose album, with a barely 18-year-old Floor reaching an extraordinary level of expressivity. As far as the songwriting is concerned, Mark Jansen's touch is evident: for heavens' sake, I don’t disown the last two albums, in fact, “Invisible Circles” in my opinion is the band’s best album, but the neoclassical atmospheres are typically his work.

The CD opens with “Mea Culpa”, an Intro. This piece features an actual choir, the After Forever Choir, which includes Sharon Den Adel of Within Temptation. “Leaden Legacy” is the first true track and is a masterpiece of rare skill: a piece that manages to be both romantic and decaying yet powerful. Floor's chilling interpretation is accompanied by growls, and the keyboard intervention, which gives the whole a very gothic flavor. “Semblance Of Confusion” comes with a majestic and stormy onset and is seasoned with many elements borrowed from the neoclassical, like orchestrations (actually reproduced by synths). The sound of the acoustic guitar and orchestrations introduces us to the beautiful “Black Tomb”, a very dark, gloomy, and shadowy piece, full of solid rhythmic progressions and horrific keyboards. These latter are superb and, together with the guitars of clear death matrix, they know how to recreate a respectable wall of sound.
“Follow In The Cry” is introduced by the sound of a sitar and already represents the band’s love for oriental sounds, a love that will be flaunted in many of the band’s tracks (“My Pledge Of Allegiance #1”, “Attendance”, “Sins Of Idealism”…). It is also the band’s first single. It is an airy and regal piece, where the choirs dominate the scene. “Silence From Afar” is a piece with strong neoclassical hues, which somewhat recalls the subsequent “Run For A Fall” by Epica. It starts melancholically and nostalgically, then grows in the superb second part, explosive and determined, which brings the listener to a state of pure ecstasy. The next track is “Inimical Chimera”, the darkest piece of the lot, crammed with unusual rhythms, combative guitars, and horror recalls. A masterpiece of emotions, full of infinite sensations, as gloomy as an underground gallery where the exit is not visible. “Tortuous Threnody” is a very gothic piece, entirely based on resounding riffs. Excellent is the inclusion of the growl, very narrative, which makes the track much more evocative. “Yield To Temptation” is introduced by a very majestic choir and very combative riffs. A fine gothic piece, disturbing and distressing: in many moments the music is reminiscent of the English band Cradle Of Filth's softer version. An excellent song. “Ephemeral” is a kind of ballad where the growl is not used, leaving Floor's voice free.
Many have compared After Forever to their fellow countrymen The Gathering: in reality, the two bands are very distant, having in common only the playing of metal (no longer the case for The Gathering) with a melodic touch supported by a female voice. However, in the beautiful “Beyond Me” the two bands converge: in the last track, Floor duets with Sharon of WT and in the first part the dark and pompous sounds of the previous tracks are abandoned in favor of twilight tones, which in terms of atmosphere can recall The Gathering. In the second part, the darkness arrives, in a crescendo of darkness and tension. But in the end, the Sun always shines again, and we witness the dawn of a new day, that is, the reprise of the first part.

A masterpiece of Gothic Metal. To all fans of these sounds, I recommend listening to After Forever’s first effort.