Japanese edition of 2000 release for gothic metal act with one exclusive bonus track, 'Wings Of Illusion'. Standard jewel case.
CD Reviews
WORK OF ART!
wordnerd64 | 02/25/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Amazing CD!!! Excelent Gothic-Metal band, powerful female and male vocals, incredibly melodic themes. You want to listen to all the tracks over and over again. If you like Tristania, Theatre of Tragedy, The Sins of Thy Beloved, you'll love this CD. I don't like too much grave male vocals but this CD amazed me with its power, beauty and excelent combination of vocals. Don't miss it, it is really work of art!"
Opera Metal.
D. Knouse | vancouver, washington United States | 02/11/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Apparently, this style of Metal is more common over in Europe. As far as I know, it is exclusively European. I checked out some of the others like Sins of Thy Beloved and Nightwish and they just didn't do it for me. They were too operatic, and not enough aggression. But After Forever is not nearly as overblown as the aforementioned bands, with more of an emphasis on arrangements and songwriting than with hitting as many high notes as possible with a female vocalist then using guttural male vocals as a contrast. These guys do that too, but the vocals are so polished that they never feel theatrical or abrasive. Floor Jansen, the lead soprano, sings as if her heart is bursting with contained emotion. It is emotive without excessively reaching for those higher registers. Of all these "Beauty and the Beast" type bands this one stands higher than most and is worth a listen. The price-tag is a little steep, to be sure, being an import; but I'm glad I got it nonetheless. I'll just have to listen to it more often than my other albums to get the same return value. But that's not an unwelcome prospect."
Stunning debut
wordnerd64 | Kansas City, MO USA | 10/05/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Having fallen in love with After Forever's second CD ("Decipher"), I went back and listened to this, their debut release. While it may not be quite as good as "Decipher," it's pretty close, and makes for an impressive job, especially on a debut CD. Floor Jansen's vocals are just unbelievable and she continues to be the main reason for the band's success. That's not to say the rest of the band, or the songs, are sub-par. As a whole, this is a very powerful release, with memorable songs and good production values. But again, Floor Jansen just shines, putting this band far out in front of anyone else in the "Goth-Metal" or "Symphonic-Metal" genre."
After Forever & Prison of Desire (not japanese review)
Luis Aurelio Torres Salazar | Lima, Peru | 05/15/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"11 titles, 11 songs, one feeling: ACE! AWSOME! KWEL! COOL!
This is my opinion of this album, hope it helps you to buy this After Forever album:
1. Mea Culpa (*5*)
Gothic introduction. You can play it as long as you want and you will hear just voices in your head, a dark sound around your mind, and a quiet but softly voice of Floor Jansen.
2. Leaden Legacy (*4*)
Where is the cookie monster? Why's he singing with Floor? Leaden Legacy mixed both voices that confussed you. Some hard moments will take you into an incredible sound of guitar and keyboard. Last minutes are incredibles. It really sounds hard.
3. Semblance of Confusion (*4*)
Guitar with high strings, voices over the normal options, its a Semblance of Confusion. I like this song because you can hear more than 2 bridges to keep you from one sound to another. Well, is not the best of this album, but I really enjoy it.
4. Black Tomb (*5*)
Creeping keyboard. Male voice is freaking me out here. You can compare the guitar as a march to nowhere, maybe to a tomb which is everywhere. Drums are great here. It marks a pause in all the song.
5. Follow in the Cry (*5*)
Egiptian introduction. I don't now why, but this is the song, as the voice of Floor do the same. Double-pedal-drum run at the begining, then it turns gothic. Any influence here? Not really. This is a real original version of After Forever. Hear the last 40 secs of the song. Listen carefuly to Floor voice.
6. Silence from Afar (*3.5*)
Not the best song of this album. Maybe lyric is kewl, but, personally, not the best at all. You can judge me if I am wrong, but I keep 3.5 points here.
7. Inimical Chimera (*5*)
The hard one of this album. Inicimal Chimera is a good song. The begining is really hard. A desperate voice like an insane help in the darknest. Yes, we got a cookie freaky monster voice again. Drums marks all the song here. Guitar song as a bridge in the last minute is amazing.
8. Totuous Threnody (*5*)
Devil and angel. Beauty and the beast. Who knows what can happen with this song after you hear it complete. It keeps me to a real mysterious way. Voices are great here. Slow introduction, but it keeps better as song goes on. Floor has a strong feeling which guides the last minutes. Really, a good one of this album.
9. Yield to Temptation (*4*)
Gothic voices as an introduction. A cookie monster with violins as keyboard plays. Then a guitar which marks the drums sound. Not a good one, except the last minutes because its really hard to play. We tried with my cousin and we couldn't. Try for yourself.
10. Ephemeral (*4*)
A ballad? A soft song? I like this song because is not hard but not soft. You must have to hear the lyric. As part of the first album, it really rocks.
11. Beyond Me (*4*)
Hard one. My friends like this song, but I... not really. I like it because is strong, hard, pure metal, but even don't complete me at all. Voices are good, same as instruments. Is just "in my opinion", do not judge me about it.
Well, I really hope it helps you. After Forever is, like Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil and, NIGHTWISH, one of the metal bands with female voices that really rocks.
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1