Decipher [Import]

Decipher [Import]

Track Listings

1. Ex Cathedra (Ouverture)

2. Monolith Of Doubt

3. My Pledge Of Allegiance (The Sealed Fate)

4. Emphasis

5. Futuristic

6. Zenith

7. Estranged (A Timeless Spell)

8. Imperfect Tenses

9. My Pledge Of Allegiance (The Tempted Fate)

10. The Key

11. Forlorn Hope

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
2001 album from the melodic dark classical metal-rockers fronted by soprano singer Floor Jansen. Augmented this time by an orchestra and a classical choir. Transmission Records.

Tracks:

Ex Cathedra: Ouverture
Monolith of Doubt
My Pledge of Allegiance No. 1: The Sealed Fate
Emphasis
Intrinsic
Zenith
Estranged: A Timeless Spell
Imperfect Tenses
My Pledge of Allegiance No. 2: The Tempted Fate
Key
Forlorn Hope
My Pledge of Allegiance No. 1 [*]
Forlorn Hope [*]

Album Description

2003 deluxe reissue of the Dutch metal act's 2001 album includes two live bonus tracks, 'My Pledge of Allegiance #1' & 'Forlorn Hope'. Packaging includes a digipak with sticker. Transmission.

Customer Reviews:

Decipher.......2006-12-21

Ahh, After Forever - home to Floor Jansen, owner of the finest vocal chords this side of the known universe and hands down the most ridiculous frontwoman in Scandinavian B&B metal (that is, beauty and the beast, for reasons which quickly become evident as one listens to the music). To put it simply, I just cannot appreciate any of the other female voices that have crossed my ears after listening to Floor wail away for an hour. Where their voices are pretty, soothing, and gentle; Floor's voice is a beautiful, powerful, and stunning force of nature. Her delivery is so pure and so unmarred by any detectable deficiency that it's like listening to angels roar in your ear... or at least, that's what I imagine it would sound like. Then there's her range - the notes she hits and holds with absolutely no strain are unreal.

Anyway, before this review becomes an obsessive essay about Miss Jansen...

Decipher is a very elegant album. The mixture of metallic and symphonic elements is presented in a way that seems perfectly natural, as if metal and symphony were destined at some point to join impeccably; that point, of course, being Decipher. It does not lean heavily toward the power metal side as with Nightwish, nor does it ever feel as watered down as Within Temptation, nor as overly dreamy and forgiving as Leaves' Eyes... it is a very delicate balance of all associated elements - composed intelligently, produced professionally, and performed flawlessly - and the average age of the band at the time of this recording was 19!

The listener is initially greeted with "Ex Cathedra", which is an orchestral chamber piece filled with choirs, chanters, violins, and otherwise lush classical instrumentation. It builds, swelling dynamically until it finally bursts into "Monolith of Doubt", which is certainly a change of pace. Double bass drums, crashing cymbals, and powerful riffs provide a driving metallic foundation that's strikingly enhanced by symphonic flourishes and, soon after, Floor's glorious voice harmonizing with the soft yet sinister growls of Mark Jansen (no relation to Floor). The highlight here is at around 2:53, where Floor holds a most intense note (I'm not sure which exactly, but probably high enough to shatter glass) for about 10 seconds - it really needs to be heard to be believed. The first of the two-part "My Pledge of Allegiance" is also very noteworthy. The song has a Middle Eastern theme, and features several breathtaking moments from Floor (possibly even more so than on "Monolith of Doubt") where she hits and holds a note so high, perfect, and tranquil that it makes me shiver.

The remainder of the album moves through similar arrangements. Floor and Mark continually trade off vocal duties in dramatic fashion atop exquisite musicianship that focuses as much on power and impact as it does on beauty and elegance. "Imperfect Tenses" is a pretty duet between Floor and a guest tenor vocalist... it doesn't do much for me in particular, but it's quite touching. "Forlorn Hope", the album closer, has a similar feel to "Monolith of Doubt" with a tad more drama, and is an excellent finish. Of note is the drumming of Andre Borgman - his style is far more varied and dynamic than what you normally hear from bands like this; his foot and cymbal work is very interesting, and his rhythmic phrasing is a pleasure to listen to.

All in all, After Forever don't win any points for originality, as this style of music is damn popular over in that region of the world... but, to put it bluntly, Floor Jansen obliterates her peers in such embarrassing fashion that there really is no question as to who's at the top of the symphonic metal food chain over in the mighty Netherlands.

"She kept her beauty concealed behind a curtain of suspense".......2006-05-16

That is the first line of the 3rd track, and likewise, beautiful music is concealed behind this CD cover. I have two other AF CD's that I'm not too happy with (and therefore did not review), but I suspected there was a 5 star rating out there somewhere for them and this is it. With violins, an oboe, a choir, powerful drums and guitars, interesting melodies and an exquisite female operatic voice (maybe even better than Tarja?), it can be nothing less. And even the lyrics are good - none of the usual negativism or fatalism. One of the best examples is from track 10, The Key: "There's no excuse in ignorance/No time for weakness or regret/Face your mirror without doubt/Your reflection without remorse." Now that is the way to look at life!

After forever. What could be after forever? I have no idea, but if I ever get there, I certainly hope they have music like this.

The above was entered 5/16/06. 3/29/07 Update: I have been listening to this CD more and more and decided I wanted to add it to my top 5 list. But I couldn't decide which of the five CD's currently there to delete, so now I have a top 6 list. (Please see my profile for a brief discussion of my rating philosophy.)

AF is great - this is their best album.......2006-03-02

Decipher was the first album I listened to from After Forever. At first I was not sure if I liked it because it was just so different from anything I had ever heard before. But it grew on me and I absolutely love their music now. I have almost all of their cd's now, including the new one, Remagine. But Decipher is still my favorite - the songs are just so complex and diverse. I just can't wait for the day when they tour in the US!!

I would recommend Decipher as your first AF purchase!

Find the emphasis in your own reality..........2005-06-19

Ahh...ridiculous import prices, must you annoy me so? Buy it at www.theendrecords.com, it's only $15. No need to say thanks.

Onto my review...

Decipher, like The Gathering's Mandylion and Within Temptation's Mother Earth before it, is one of those albums that just seemed to come out of nowhere and at the same time revolutionize its own genre (which in this case is of course symphonic gothic metal). The factor I've always loved about After Forever is their progressive element - a thread that, in fact, many other gothic metal bands lack. I find that many will compare AF's music to that of the Finnish quintet Nightwish, and I'm not completely sure why. Sure, they both have two of the best voices on the planet fronting their music, but when it comes down to it - AF take the cake for being the most experimental.

Decipher is After Forever's second studio release, produced by Stephen van Haestregt (drummer for Within Temptation/Paralysis/Ambeon) and released in 2001. The line-up includes frontwoman Floor Jansen, Mark Jansen (now in Epica) and Sander Gommans on guitar, Lando van Gils on synths, Luuk van Gerven as bassist, and is rounded out by drummer Andre Borgman (who is currently undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer). Anyone familiar with the works of Arjen A. Lucassen should remember Floor's soprano from various Ayreon and Star One records. This band has had well-deserved success throughout their home country of the Netherlands, allowing them to tour with such names as Samael, Orphanage, Nightwish and even an invitation to the European leg of Ozzfest in 2002.

Decipher begins with the haunting "Ex Cathedra", an overture of choir and synths that displays the intricacy of AF's music. Lead single "Monolith of Doubt" follows, a dynamic number in which Floor is given an opportunity to show off her wide vocal range - definitely one of AF's better songs, and a fan favorite. Then we have the heavier tracks like "My Pledge of Allegiance #1" and "Zenith" that utilize the male vocals, courtesy of Mark Jansen. "Emphasis" is the closest AF will come to being "radio-friendly" on Decipher - an excellent headbanger where Floor once again takes the spotlight with vocal duties (and particularly shines on the wonderfully written chorus). "Intrinsic", a haunting and rather eerie ballad, is perhaps my favorite After Forever song (it's really hard to say), featuring some well-executed oboe sections and sporadically placed acoustic passages. The other ballad, "Imperfect Tenses" is also great, and shows a more atmospheric side to their sound. Closing Decipher is "Forlorn Hope", a song apparently written about the wars in the Middle East. What can I say...this song will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!!!!!!!!!! Believe me, I do not exaggerate, but the choral sections on this piece are the best After Forever have ever done. Both Floor and Mark's vocals are perfectly done and the guitars (especially a little solo towards the end) are marvelous. The album closes with the line "stop to let them suffer." Of course, if you have the digipak, you are presented with two re-recordings of "Pledge #1" and "Forlorn Hope" with new guitarist Bas Maas. These are completely unnecessary, as they sound identical to the originals, but nice packaging and a cool sticker are nothing to complain about.

Like I said, After Forever are one of the few bands pushing the gothic metal genre into new directions. Many will compare them to countrymates Within Temptation, but the two are also very different. AF's music is more metallic and operatic, while WT's is poppier and possesses a somewhat Celtic feel. Both bands are great, and usually if you like one you'll like the other, but for fans of the more extreme genres of metal I'd recommend After Forever slightly over Within Temptation (my favorite band, by the way). Do yourself a favor and check this one out....NOW!

10/10

Love it!.......2004-10-04

One of the best albums I own. IMO, the best album of After Forever. Floor's voice is incredible and powerful and she uses it also in operatic way. I don't think she's a professional opera singer, but very good anyway. There are very catchy songs with interesting lyrics, for example "Monolith of Doubt", "Emphasis" and "Intrinsic". Buy it now, that's all I can say:)

Average customer rating:

Decipher
John Taylor
Manufacturer: Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000CSUX2A
Release Date: 2006-03-06

Album Description

REISSUED/24BIT DIGITAL REMASTERING

Average customer rating:

One of the sharper progressive trance releases in 2001
Excellent deep, dark progressive mix

Decoded
Mark Shimmon & Decipher
Manufacturer: Bedrock UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
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Response
Synesthesia
Resident Alien
Choo Choo Records, Vol. 1
Naturalized

ASIN: B00005NZKR
Release Date: 2001-09-25

Tracks:

Mauna Kea (Volcanic Mix) - Twister
Spirit (Sierra Nevada Mix) - Savannah
Spirit (Arizona Mix) - Savannah
Twisted (Flying Cow Mix) - Twister 2
Twisted (Branacaccio & Aisher Mix) - Twister 2
Interstella (Warp 9 Mix) - Mark Shimmon Vs. 3rd Degree
Interstella (Innervision Mix) - Mark Shimmon Vs. 3rd Degree
Altitudes (Mark Shimmon Mix) - Ascender
Altitudes (Original Flight Mix) - Ascender

Tracks:

Locked In, Locked On - Hairy Butter
Zurihorn (DJ Gogo Mix) - Josef's Ruhe
Control Of Sound - Prototype
Revision 2 (Mara's Empire Of Filth Remix) - Dark Driver
Cliffhanger (Mark Shimmon Vs. 3rd Degree's Twister Remix) - Thomas Penton
If You Love Me (Mark Shimmon Vs. 3rd Degree's Mix) - Nylon
Twisted Logic - Seconds Out
Antioch 1 - King Of Spin
Plenty O'Tool - King Of Spin
Dark Feelin' (Original Mix) - Mark Shimmon Vs. 3rd Degree

Customer Reviews:

One of the sharper progressive trance releases in 2001.......2001-11-05

Here's a sharp lil' two discer courtesy of Mark Shimmon, a showcase of his production prowess and DJ skills. The mix is a precisely blended slice of progressive trance, foreboding synths and alien effects riding over insistent kick drums. Not one for your mum, yes, but a spot on soundtrack for a drive down a lost highway. After a long tease he drops Prototype's "Control of Sound", storm blasts and title refrain kicking the set up a notch. Occasionally ominous, even inaccessible at times (Dark Driver's "Revision 2") there always remains a spry beat to keep you going, and just enough vocals to snare you further into the web ( notably, deep-seeded groover "Twisted Logic" from Seconds Out).

For added value there's a collection of his own singles from the past two years. Reliably solid craftsmanship, but unmixed and focused more on execution than innovation, this won't likely crack from the plastic too often. Consider it a bonus, then, to one of the sharper progressive trance releases in 2001.

Excellent deep, dark progressive mix.......2001-10-10

It seems as though in 2001 some of the best progressive house/trance mixes are coming from relatively unknown dj's, and that's perhaps how it should be, given the "underground" nature of most of this music. Briton Mark Shimmon has come up with a powerful mix of dark proggy tunes here, and the package is made all the more appealing through inclusion of a bonus cd of unmixed tracks from his Decipher label (mainly from Shimmon himself, including some recorded under his pseudonyms Twister and Savannah).

The sound here is deep, trancey, pounding, and hypnotic, and if prospective buyers want to know what other artists/recordings are "most like" what you'll get here, think in terms of Bedrock recordings generally, and also the work of dj's and remixers like Jimmy van M, Taylor, John Digweed, Tarrentella & Redanka, Fred Numf, and James Holden. In other words, it's Progressive, get it? People interested in lighter, uplifting, "melodic" trance, deep house, tribal house, breakbeat, etc., should steer clear. Overall, there is not a lot of variety in the style of tracks included, so for most people I suspect it's a "love it or hate it" kind of situation. I happen to love this style of electronic dance music, and think this is one of the best progressive releases to come along in the past few months.

Burque Luv 5: Digital Music From the Sands of New Mexico
Average customer rating:

Nothing great but not bad.

Burque Luv 5: Digital Music From the Sands of New Mexico
Various Artists , Autepoesis , Brian Botkiller , Decipher Machine , Lucid , Illyria , Random Access Memory , Suicide Girl , GreatFox , and Elu
Manufacturer: Fear Studio
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000RZJPU4

Product Description

DISC ONE: 1. Shirinaka 2. Shades of zero 3. Pulse code 4. Skin 5. Konigsberg express 6. Can i be so very kind 7. Boys 8. Soundsystem 9. Fallen short 10. Won't last long 11. Blind 12. Human cages 13. Driven 14. Untitled #3 15. Ultraviolets 16. Epiphany DISC TWO: 1. Black horizon 2. Damaged goods 3. Mammals at mach speed 4. Say goodbye 5. Method of madness 6. Estinct.4 7. Puzzlebox 8. Dance lounge 9. Born again decay 10. I want you to bleed 11. Sex magik 12. Cc30light_club_blues [excerpt] 13. Bottle witch 14. Sugar shit 15. Sacred ground 16. Psychosis 17. Afternow (Bitwise Evolution Mix)

Customer Reviews:

Nothing great but not bad........2007-06-18

The best track on this compilation is defintly the futurepop song "Skin" by Random Access Memory. Truly a great song that brings to mind the way synth pop used to sound in the eightees, only it's dressed up a little more modern. The music is great on this song (truly the only song on this compilation that you must hear), as it's the sincerity of vocalist Kentyfur that stands out as a deeply emotional track with verry good lyrics. RAM may not be the best live band but they record some excellent material in the studio. The goth band Creepshow stand out like swore thumb with their creepy song "I Want You To bleed". Creepshow just doesn't fit well wedged in between a bunch of electronic, industrial, and synth pop bands, however, despite it's lack of fitting in well on this compilation, it's a decent gothic rock song for a band that never got sighned to a major label and yet has members of The Blood Junkies, Psychich Tv, and Horror Show as it's list of members. Anyways it's got that old school goth vibe...the keyboards and the guitars sound good, and the vocalist male-female duo Gabriel Buche and Melody Creep do a good delivery of the occultish/satanic lyrics...but the studio engineers could have turned up their voices a little more, my only complaint with this song is the cheesey repetitive drum machine that starts to annoy you after a couple listens. Noir Effect are a decent underground Industrial band that are fronted by DJ Chei, a pure blood Native American and an intellectual voice in the industrial music scene. Thier song featured here stands out as one of the better contributors. Echoeing Green are a proffessional sappy christian synth pop group that girls seem to enjoy, Diverje are brutal electro/EBM, Brian Botkiller of Diveje, is featured here as well. There are a few other decent contributors but all in all...you'll be skipping through alot of computur music that is hardley impressive (unless your into that sort of thing).

Average customer rating:

Decipher
After Forever
Manufacturer: Transmission
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000LX4E9Y

Average customer rating:

Graveyard Lullaby

Manufacturer: Decipher Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000CA9RE8
Release Date: 2001-12-11

Average customer rating:

Decipher
John Taylor Trio
Manufacturer: Polygram
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005FKDN
Release Date: 1998-03-18

Average customer rating:

Excellent...
Sorry AF, this one is not a home run...
Good songs. The previous cookie monster is more tolerable.
After Forever, Holland's other Symphonic Femme Gothique Band
As strong as their debut...

Decipher
After Forever
Manufacturer: Import [Generic]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Invisible Circles
Nine Destinies and a Downfall

ASIN: B00005RVP8
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Tracks:

Ex Cathedra
Monolith of Doubt
My Pledge of Allegiance 1
Emphasis
Intrinsic
Zenith
Estranged
Imperfect Tenses
My Pledge of Allegiance 2
Key
Forlorn Hope

Album Description

2001 album from the melodic dark classical metal-rockers fronted by soprano singer Floor Jansen. Augmented this time by an orchestra and a classical choir. Transmission Records.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent..........2007-04-10

Sorry AF, this one is not a home run..........2007-02-27

I'm glad I bought Remagine first instead of this one because Remagine (released 4 years later) is TONS better than Decipher. This album has a lot more orchestration and string arrangements in it, which I love. The grunty cookie monster vocals on Remagine are tolerable and seem appropriate. On this release, they are grating and annoying. Plus they are much more prevalent on Decipher. On Remagine they are limited to a few bars of grunting vocals and on this album there is a lot of shrieky screamy grossness going on. Eck. Really ruins what would otherwise be good songs.

The melodies also aren't as strong and the music doesn't move or interest me as much. Remagine BLEW me away--it was on repeat in my car for 2 weeks. I can't get enough of listening to it. With this album, I'm like "eh".

There is no question that the musicians can play. The drum parts are fierce and powerful. The synth parts that Lando contributed seem more atmospheric and I think Joost has provided much more interesting synth parts (more proggy) on Remagine.

In regards to Floor. Well, Floor is amazing. But her voice and technique is much better on Remagine. Maybe the songs on Remagine are written in a better key for her, I don't know. But her voice seems shaky and her vibrato seems all over the place. She also sings in her opera/head voice most of the time. Sure, her pitch is fine but her tone doesn't seem focused sometimes. Whereas on Remagine, she primarily uses her belt/chest pop-rock tone (think Amy Lee) and flips occasionally up to her head voice when needed. This, I think, works more effectively for this type of music. I hate to say this, but by the end of the album, her voice started to grate on me. Which I really hate to say, because I have been singing her praises to everyone I know after hearing Remagine. German artist Amanda Somerville consulted on Remagine and also acted as vocal coach, which seemed to have helped redirect Floor to singing more in a brighter pop-rock tone.

There are a couple of stinkers/near stinkers on this album, which is why I didn't give it a better rating. The consistant male screaming/grunting/screeching really knocked the rating down. "Imperfect Tenses" was just a failure. I don't like the male tenor she sings with on this song. Its also really sappy and clichey sounding. The string orchestration on it is great, but the whole package sounds like cheesy Broadway rock opera to me.

Sorry to those of you who love this album. Its not completely terrible, its just not great. Get Remagine instead. I'm getting Invisible Circles next, I hope its more in the vein of Remagine.

Good songs. The previous cookie monster is more tolerable........2004-06-03

I have warmed to After Forever's "Decipher" a lot more than I have to their latest "Invisible Circles." On impression, Floor Jensen's voice has more of a Tarja Turanen quality that makes the group sound like a Nightwish clone. (This is not a bad thing, mind you.) Mark Jensen was the original male growler. Unlike the newbie on Invisible Circles, Mark's cookie monster-esk growl is mixed in the background where it can't get in the way of Floor's performance. All tracks are solid, and the ballads are even better.

Even though Floor has taken a more clean approach to her singing in newer albums, I prefer her opera-style vocals on Decipher. I recommend this album to first-timers, especially to those who have a problem with cookie monsters and would prefer a milder male growler to their everyday gothic metal.

After Forever, Holland's other Symphonic Femme Gothique Band.......2004-03-15

There are actually some people who prefer After Forever to Within Temptation, however, chances are if you like After Forever you also like Within Temptation. Why? Because they have so much in common, that's why.

What do they have in common? Well, for starters they each have one of the best lady singers in the Galaxy. After Forever's fabulous singer is Floor Jansen and W.T. has the incomparable Sharon den Adel. Both bands are Dutch and they both play similar music, Melodious, Symphonic Metal. They are each acquainted and each band has had band members guest on one of Arjen Lucassen's grand productions. In turn he has guested on one or more of their songs.

This type of musical symbiosis is not uncommon in Northern Europe and Scandinavia and seems to contribute to the great music that emerges from the area.

The only difference between A.F. and W.T. is that for their sophomore release W.T. dropped the growling male vox and After Forever only reduced theirs. Decipher is their second album and a third, Excordium, is due out shortly. Decipher has been a very good seller and has spawned several singles.

SONG LIST
"Ex Cathedra: Ouverture", is just what the name implies, an interesting instrumental symphonic, Overture.

"Monolith of Doubt", We get to the best song fast, a furious medium fast but varied tempo tour de force, with violins, choirs, Floor's magnificent voice, heavy double bass drums and ... the works.

"My Pledge of Allegiance No.1: The Sealed Fate", a definite Eastern slant on this number. Starts out with a sitar and the refrain carries the theme through. We do have a few raspy growls but not the detriment of the music, and of course we have Floor, who simply outdoes herself.

"Emphasis", A good song, actually released as a single but not up to the previous two pieces. A medium fast number with Floor and some background singing and some double tracking of Floor.

"Intrinsic", is the counterpart to the heavier numbers of before, a calm, emotional beginning with acoustic guitars, oboe, the strings and after that some suiting e-guitars, the pace picks up to finish powerfully, with some glorious violin work and more.

"Zenith", Starting with a raspy vocal augmented and somewhat neutralized by accompanied violins, this is a powerful, intriguing piece with ups and downs and multiple tempos and moods.

"Estranged: A Timeless Spell", another brilliant song, with lots of feeling and change of pace and again a few raspy growls but not much. This is a long song which feels like a musical saga.

"Imperfect Tenses", is the requisite male/female ballad, pretty but nothing special.

"My Pledge of Allegiance No. 2: The Tempted", a continuation of No. 1 sans the Eastern flavor.

"The Key", as with Ex Cathedra The Key opens with a cello which continues for a little as Floor starts singing. This is another song I like a lot with a catchy beat, lots of variety and a grand closing. I especially like the excellent keyboards. By the way, I like the growls in this song.

"Forlorn Hope", another five star song which again excels in the great alternation between heaviness and speed on the one side and atmosphere and emotions on the other.

Conclusion

I have mixed emotions regarding After Forever. One cannot deny the goddess like voice of Floor Jansen or the tight musicianship, excellent compositions and arrangements. This is a band that is growing every day. Some songs were wonderful, perhaps superlative but others were less impressive. Although I like many of the songs on Decipher, a lot, I feel there are other similar recordings I like better as a whole.

On a sidenote, founding member Mark Jansen has left the band due to artistic differences and has formed his another band, known as Epica. I will be posting a review on their debut, Phantom Agony, shortly.

This of course is the same thing that happened to Tristania when Morten Veland left and formed Sirenia.
All I can say is good show, the more new bands playing this fantastic style of music the better.

Similar Bands

Within Temptation, Penumbra, Epica, The Sins of Thy Beloved, Tristania, Nightwish, Dreams of Sanity, Artrosis, Edenbridge, Sirenia, Odes to Ecstasy, Pettalom, Delight, Moonlight, Darzamat, Orchrist

As strong as their debut..........2003-12-29

even if Decipher takes a more symphonic direction , after the more black metallish debut, Prison Of Desire, this very talented, sextet still shows the likes of Sins of thy beloved, Sorg, within temptation and (YES), even the mighty Tristania, that competition is about to get very fierce indeed. one reviewer put it rightly that After Forever are at the same time, at both ends of the light/dark musical spectrum: their music can be depressive, but also uplifting, while other similar bands tend to stay in the 'darker' side of that style of music.
Floor jansen has got to be one of the most versatile singers ever; her voice goes from operatic soprano (like Nightwish's Tarja) to a more 'poppy' sound (a bit like Lullacry), while remaining strong and crystal clear. But the comparison stops here! Sander's growls; even if they're less present on that album, still are menacing enough and give much character and power to A.F's music. dangerously catchy riffs are EVERYWHERE on this album, just like on "Prison of desire" but the true highlight is the demonically riffing "my pledge of allegiance pt 1", which takes you by surprise after the oriental-sounding intro. with all the variation in their music, A.F. 's playing remains surprisingly tight and neat. if you've gotten that far reading this review, you are URGED to discover one viciously addictive symphonic/gothic/black metal band, starting by any of their 2 available full lengths (a third LP is scheduled in march 2004). i assure you that you wont regret it!

Average customer rating:

Decipher
John Taylor
Manufacturer: Universal/Polygram
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005A1E7

Tracks:

Cipher / Wait For Me
Leaping
Speak To Me
Song For A Child
White Magic

Album Details

Japanese version featuring a limited LP style sleeve cover. 24 bit digitally remastered.

The Greatest Underground Show On Earth Calgary Metal Collection 2006

Average customer rating:

The Greatest Underground Show On Earth Calgary Metal Collection 2006
Tempered, Occams Razor, Black Sky, Verbal Deception, Sufferance, Insidious, Inspected By 40, Wormbox, Katabasis Caveat , and Decipher, Rob Spencer Band Despirited
Manufacturer: Cyclone Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000MTLXAA

Product Description

Canada Import

Music Track: