After Forever is a female-fronted Dutch metal act featuring all the key ingredients of the ever-growing subgenre. Of course, you have your beautiful frontwoman, Floor Jansen, whose vocal chords are powerful and operatic, and above all, loud. Jansen leads the band on their self-titled fifth album, often trading off vocal parts with growls from guitarist Sander Gommans, creating a now common “beauty and the beast” formula. The sticking point here is their choice to record with a real orchestra. The end result is an enormous, triumphant feat. In contrast, the keyboards and synths are futuristic, yet the listener can paint a picture of gothic imagery behind Jansen's voice. The band itself is undeniably heavy at its core, often treading into death metal territory with a double-bass attack and chugging guitar riffs. After Forever is the heaviest female-fronted act I remember hearing. The songs are memorable, but the classical nature and orchestral elements likely will turn away fans of more Americanized metal. A point also might be argued that the album is overproduced; the music is so crisp and wired to perfection you can't help but wonder how many hours were spent on computers tweaking every part of every song. But we live in a day and age where the technology is available, so why not?

The band has stated this release is a summation of everything they have done thus far. Fans can be the judge of that, but surely this album stands fine on its own. Bold, powerful and magnificent are the best words to describe After Forever's sound. In a crowded world of goddess-like vocalists, fantasy-inspired lyrics and sweeping orchestral arrangements, will anyone notice? They'd be better served if they did. As an added bonus, guitarist Jeff Waters (Annihilator) and singer Doro Pesch (ex-Warlock) make guest appearances on the album.

For fans of Nightwish, Tristania, Leaves Eyes, Within Temptation.