Invisible Circles
Invisible Circles lets After Forever pull symphonic metal in several directions. Guitars are heavy, rhythms change frequently and Floor Jansen uses more than her operatic voice. Her singing can sound vulnerable before gaining considerable force. That gives the record enough personality to remain interesting beyond its large orchestral setting.
The album concerns a child in an unloving family and the consequences that continue into later life. The music does not rely entirely on words to communicate that tension. Following the short Childhood In Minor, Beautiful Emptiness arrives with broad, heavy force. Changes between symphonic sections and sharper guitar work keep the track lively, although the dense approach requires attention.
Between Love And Fire brings melodic guitars, keyboards and different voices together. Clean singing and growls strengthen each other when they become part of the same movement. Its effective middle section reveals how much that combination can offer. The spoken dialogue works less well. It interrupts the music and makes the story more explicit than necessary at times. The performances communicate enough without every detail receiving an explanation.
Eccentric gives piano and Jansen's voice much more room. Quieter backing lets her sensitive side emerge convincingly. Sins Of Idealism instead brings bass forward at the opening. Such shifts prevent the instruments from constantly repeating the same roles. Digital Deceit then returns to the band's more immediately memorable side without abandoning the firm foundation completely.
Not every transition falls naturally into place. Some songs move between so many ideas that their individual direction becomes less clear. The orchestral Life's Vortex nevertheless gives the original album a substantial ending. Invisible Circles convinces primarily through versatile singing and a willingness to open the music out. Its ambition produces an interesting record, even when the storytelling and arrangements occasionally get in each other's way.
