Decipher (After Forever album)

2001 studio album by After Forever
Decipher
Studio album by
After Forever
Released27 December 2001 (2001-12-27)
RecordedJune–September 2001
StudioRS29, Waalwijk, Netherlands
Genre
  • Symphonic metal
  • gothic metal
Length54:35
LabelTransmission
ProducerStephen van Haestregt
After Forever chronology
Prison of Desire
(2000) 		Decipher
(2001) 		Exordium
(2003)
Singles from Decipher
  1. "Emphasis" / "Who Wants to Live Forever"
    Released: 4 April 2002
  2. "Monolith of Doubt"
    Released: 2002
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Lords of Metal96/100[2]
Metal Hammer (GER)[3]
Metal Storm[4]

Decipher is the second album by Dutch symphonic metal band After Forever, released on 27 December 2001. In this album, the band make use of live classical instruments and a complete choir to back up the soprano voice of lead singer Floor Jansen. Thrown in the mix are also a duet of soprano and tenor voices in "Imperfect Tenses" and the recording of the late Israeli PM Yizhak Rabin's voice during the 1994 Israel–Jordan peace treaty signing ceremony in "Forlorn Hope". This is the last After Forever album with guitarist and founder Mark Jansen, who left the band soon after its release.

In 2003, the album was reissued in a limited edition of 5,000 copies worldwide. The limited edition in digipack had an extended booklet, a sticker with new artwork and two live bonus tracks.[5] It was again reissued in 2012 by the re-financed Transmission Records, this time as a two-disc set containing previously unreleased studio sessions, single edits and a handful of demo recordings.

Track listing

Decipher track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Ex Cathedra (Ouverture)"Mark JansenSander Gommans2:02
2."Monolith of Doubt"Floor Jansen
3:31
3."My Pledge of Allegiance #1 (The Sealed Fate)"M. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • M. Jansen
  • F. Jansen
  • After Forever
6:24
4."Emphasis"F. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • M. Jansen
  • F. Jansen
  • After Forever
4:18
5."Intrinsic"F. Jansen
  • M. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • F. Jansen
  • After Forever
6:44
6."Zenith"F. Jansen
  • M. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • André Borgman
  • F. Jansen
  • After Forever
4:21
7."Estranged (A Timeless Spell)"M. Jansen
  • M. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • F. Jansen
  • After Forever
6:54
8."Imperfect Tenses"F. Jansen
  • M. Jansen
  • F. Jansen
4:08
9."My Pledge of Allegiance #2 (The Tempted Fate)"M. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • M. Jansen
  • F. Jansen
  • After Forever
5:05
10."The Key"F. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • M. Jansen
  • F. Jansen
  • After Forever
4:47
11."Forlorn Hope"M. Jansen
  • M. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • F. Jansen
  • After Forever
6:21
Total length:54:35
Japanese and vinyl limited edition bonus track
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
12."For the Time Being"M. Jansen
  • M. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • F. Jansen
  • After Forever
5:04
Total length:59:39
Digipack limited edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."My Pledge of Allegiance #1" (live at 2 Meter Sessies)6:27
13."Forlorn Hope" (live at 2 Meter Sessies)6:22
Total length:67:24
2007 Japanese Collector's Edition – disc two: Exordium
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Line of Thoughts" (instrumental) Gommans2:15
2."Beneath"F. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • Lando van Gils
  • F. Jansen
  • Luuk van Gerven
  • Borgman
  • Bas Maas
4:52
3."My Choice"F. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • Van Gils
  • F. Jansen
  • Van Gerven
  • Borgman
  • Maas
4:53
4."Glorifying Means"F. Jansen
  • Gommans
  • Van Gils
  • F. Jansen
  • Van Gerven
  • Borgman
  • Maas
5:00
5."The Evil That Men Do" (Iron Maiden cover)
  • Dickinson
  • Smith
  • Harris
4:50
6."One Day I'll Fly Away" (Randy Crawford cover)
  • Sample
  • Jennings
4:43
Total length:26:33
2012 reissue – disc one: The Album (bonus tracks)
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
12."For the Time Being"  5:04
13."Who Wants to Live Forever" (Queen cover)Brian MayMay4:48
14."Imperfect Tenses" (with Damian Wilson)  4:10
15."Monolith of Doubt" (single version)  3:32
16."Imperfect Tenses" (orchestral version)  4:06
Total length:76:19
2012 reissue – disc two: The Sessions
No.TitleLength
1."The Key" (session version)4:42
2."Monolith of Doubt" (session version)3:31
3."My Pledge of Allegiance #2" (session version)5:02
4."Emphasis" (session version)4:17
5."Estranged" (session version)6:53
6."My Pledge of Allegiance #1" (session version)6:20
7."Imperfect Tenses" (session version)4:05
8."For the Time Being" (session version)5:02
9."Forlorn Hope" (session version)6:20
10."Zenith" (session version)4:18
11."Intrinsic" (session version)6:56
12."Who Wants to Live Forever" (session version)4:48
13."Monolith of Doubt" (demo)3:43
14."Emphasis" (demo)4:30
15."For the Time Being" (demo)5:09
Total length:75:36

Personnel

After Forever

  • Floor Jansen – vocals
  • Mark Jansen – guitars, grunts
  • Sander Gommans – guitars
  • Luuk van Gerven – bass guitar
  • Lando van Gils – keyboards
  • André Borgman – drums, acoustic guitars

Production

  • Stephen van Haestregt – production, engineer
  • Oscar Holleman – additional production, mixing
  • Hans van Vuuren – executive producer, coordination and research
  • Peter van 't Riet – mastering

Additional musicians

  • Cees' Kieboom – piano, keyboards
  • Ebred Reijen – solo violin
  • Noemi Bodden – violin
  • Janine Baller – viola
  • Carla Schrijner – violoncello
  • Roxanne Steffen – double bass
  • Irma Kort – oboe on "Intrinsic" and "My Pledge of Allegiance #1"
  • Jack Pisters – sitar on "My Pledge of Allegiance #2"
  • Rein Kolpa – tenor vocals on "Imperfect Tenses"
  • Hans Cassa – choral bass vocals
  • Caspar de Jonge – choral tenor vocals
  • Marga Okhuizen – choral alto vocals
  • Ellen Bakker – choral soprano vocals
  • Damian Wilson – vocals on "Imperfect Tenses" (The Album bonus track version) and "Who Wants to Live Forever"
  • Arjen Anthony Lucassen – guitar and keyboards on "Who Wants to Live Forever", all instruments on "Who Wants to Live Forever" (session version)

References

  1. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "After Forever Decipher review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
  2. ^ Barten, Michiel. "After Forever - Decipher". Lords of Metal.nl. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  3. ^ "After Forever - Decipher". Metal Hammer (in German). December 2001. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  4. ^ Congrains, Kike (23 August 2003). "After Forever - Invisible Circles review". Metal Storm (webzine). Retrieved 11 April 2010.
  5. ^ "After Forever - Decipher". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
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