Those of After Forever’s fans still mourning the move away from their ‘Decipher’ era will despair completely over new album ‘Remagine’. The transition started with the departure of original musical driving force Mark Jansen after the release of ‘Decipher’ (considered by some to be one of the pinnacles of the gothic symphonic genre) and is extremely evident in this new release, which bares little resemblance to their first two albums. However, rather than mourn the change it should be embraced – as the band themselves state in ‘Remagine’s’ inlay booklet, they constantly seek to re-invent themselves and move forward - and they have certainly done this with their latest effort.
‘Remagine’ has a much simpler and more straightforward structure than previous albums, meaning the songs pack a more powerful punch on first listen. New addition to the band - keyboardist Joost van den Broek - has stated in his recent interview with Metal Monk that the album was written much more with the live environment in mind. This is something reiterated by vocalist Floor Jansen, who has commented that ‘Remagine’ is the first album the band have been truly happy with in terms of the heaviness and power – considering themselves first and foremost a live band, they had never been able to properly recreate that feel with their studio albums until now. This new direct approach is also reflected in their choice of album cover – rather than their trademark blend of ambiguous images and symbolism, it a bold photo of the band, a very physical reflection of their more stripped down new sound.
The album bursts into life with a crash of piano and choirs, blending into the riff-heavy up-tempo track ‘Come’. Promising to become a live favourite (it was aired for the first time to a UK audience at their debut Bloodstock show), it is a great start to the album. The band have not abandoned their trademark choirs and orchestras, a staple of the After Forever sound, but they are used more sparingly and seem to be more for atmosphere than as a main feature of the album. The choir is used to particularly good effect in album highlight ‘Only Everything’.
‘Remagine’ stays generally up-tempo, packed with fast paced rock tracks, except for ballad ‘Strong’, a retro sounding affair thanks to the 80s style synths. Though the album is much more ‘rock’ than ‘metal’, their prog-style is still evident – particularly in album closer ‘Forever’ which is rather reminiscent of Evergrey’s style, especially as the male vocals bare a striking resemblance to Evergrey vocalist Tom Englund. Very much one of the focal points of After Forever, Floor Jansen’s impressive voice reaches new heights – moving effortlessly between a beautiful operatic soprano and a powerful straight out rock voice, it is her vocals that add an extra dimension - lifting After Forever above many other female fronted rock bands.
This, for me, has been one of my most highly anticipated albums of the year and I am happy to say it has not disappointed – while I would probably have been very happy with ‘Decipher – Mark II’, this album has provided something else, a new direction, a new vitality, and the promise of more great things to come. After Forever are ready to break the big time and they thoroughly deserve it.
Standout Tracks: Living Shields, Attendance, Only Everything.
Overall Score: 8 /10
