blindsider's Full Review: Invisible Circles by After Forever
I consider the Dutch symphonic metallers After Forever one of my favorite bands. Truth be told, my first exposure to them was not a pretty sight. Indeed, their 2003 EP Exordium is certainly far from an example of the band's best work. But once I heard After Forever's 2000 and 2001 releases, the mind-blowing Prison of Desire and excellent Decipher, respectively, I fell in love with their music. Nice and heavy, diverse, beautiful soprano vocals from Floor Jansen backed by the grunts and screams of guitarists Mark Jansen and Sander Gommans... it doesn't get much better than early After Forever.
So what happened? Well, once the band's main lyricist/songwriter Mark Jansen (now in Epica) left in 2002, After Forever's music changed a lot. 2004's Invisible Circles is one of those "love-or-hate-it" things, but interestingly enough, at this point, my thoughts on it fall somewhere in the middle. I've went on record many times saying that it's nothing short of disastrous, but over the past several months, it has really grown on me. By no means is it comparable to the masterpiece that is Prison of Desire; however, that's not to say Invisible Circles doesn't have its moments.
Invisible Circles is a concept album. Worry not, it's far from complex -- in fact, it's very easy to follow. The songs are sung through the eyes of a young girl who was born unwanted by her father. Through two brief dialogues presented to us on the album, we learn that this girl's mother wanted to keep her because she thought a baby would save her failing marriage. Invisible Circles is more or less a journey through this young girl's mind at several different points in her life.
Setting things up is the short introduction, "Childhood in Minor." In some strange way, the eerie keyboards used here remind me of something from a Child's Play movie, while the faint sound of children laughing and playing contributes a dash of innocence to the music. Once "Beautiful Emptiness" erupts, it becomes clear that this album is, for the most part, an aggressive one. Chanting choirs and grinding guitars mix wonderfully, as Floor (as the young girl/central character) sings despondently about feeling helpless and unloved. While no one can deny her voice of being extremely strong, but I find myself longing for her more subdued, captivating Prison of Desire style.
The exotic acoustic guitars that open "Between Love and Fire" are nothing more than a teaser, as the majority of the song is 100% fast-paced heavy metal. Floor's voice is complemented quite well by guitarist Gommans' rough, throaty growls. Dark and bombastic, "Sins of Idealism" is probably my favorite Invisible Circles track. I feel that it does the best job of expressing the state of this young girl's mind. The lyrics are simple, but they get the point across well: "Hello, father... hello, mother / forgive me for standing in your way!" I love how Floor switches from her "pop" voice to her "opera" voice while acting out the different roles of the young girl and her mother.
As far as topics go, "Digital Deceit" is one of the more interesting songs on Invisible Circles. When the young girl gets into her teenage years, she grows quite a fondness for television and the Internet. In those "alternate realities," she finds a temporary escape from her abusive home life. "Two Sides" is another intriguing one, fusing wild keyboards with double-bass drums and threatening guitar riffs. Guitarist Bas Maas (AKA Mark Jansen's replacement) provides "clean" vocals here.
The bass-heavy introduction of "Victim of Choices" plunges into frantically chanting choirs, while the closing track "Life's Vortex" takes off slowly, almost giving the impression that it will be a piano ballad focusing solely on Floor's voice. It then speeds up and takes quite the progressive turn, much like most of the material on this album's latter half. Lyrically, it deals with the central character's life after she has become a mother herself -- she abuses her own child and realizes she is caught up in a cyclic "invisible circle."
Rock and metal fans should be sure to check out Invisible Circles. There are enough riffs sure to bang one's head, and enough interesting choir arrangements that will surely entice fans of symphonic metal. If it's cheap enough, check it out, but keep in mind that After Forever has done so much better.
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