The time that metal was dominated by long-haired blokes, with guitars, bass guitar and drums as their only tools of trade, fortunately is a thing of the past. Groups such as Paradise Lost and Celtic Frost are the first to experiment with strings and female singers and thus supply some fresh air in a music genre that had become somewhat musty. Meanwhile all over the world hundreds, perhaps thousands of metal bands try to soar the bounds of mediocrity by pulling a number of female singers out of a hat or dragging a concert grand piano into the studio. However, few are the bands that manage to transform the hard-won musical freedom into a powerful union of metallic riffing and textured orchestration. After Forever is such a rare band.
The Dutch formation starts in the same way as almost any other random group: playing covers of their heroes, in this case Iron Maiden and The Cult. We're talking 1995 and initially the band was named Apocalyps. That name is traded in for the more intriguing After Forever and very soon afterwards the and starts to develop themselves: the style expands, in 1997 Floor Jansen joins the band and an individual front is more and more burgeoning. In 1999 they cut a demo whereupon various record companies run their legs off to sign up the still youthful band members of After Forever (the average age is 19). Transmission, that made a name for themselves with among others the prestigious projects of Arjen Ayreon' Lucassen, turn out to be the lucky winners.
The music is recorded in the Excess studio at Rotterdam, helmed by producers Hans Pieters and Dennis Leidelmeijer, while the choir is directed in the RS 29 studio, where Oscar Holleman (Ayreon, Helloween) acts as a producer. In the latter studio the album is mixed as well. The result cannot be pigeon-holed, nor can it be captured in a few words. The world of brutal black metal, dark atmospheres effortlessly grades into breathtaking classical sounds. The flawless soprano of the classically trained Floor Jansen plays an important role, and is counter-balanced by the grunts and screams of guitarists Sander Gommans and Mark Jansen. On five tracks a professional choir provides additional grandeur and there is a guest appearance of Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation). The whole project has been provided with an imposing production, rarely equalled in The Netherlands.
The band is already making a name for itself, even before their debut is released. In February Floor Jansen is recording a duet with Johan Edlund of Tiamat, which will find its way on one of the two new albums of AYREON: Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer. In recent years the Dutch rock scene particularly makes the headlines with bands that have decided to call it a day. So¼ . There is room at the top. After Forever is ready and waiting!
From www.tartareandesire.com
