Decipher (After Forever album)
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.
Decipher | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 27 December 2001 | |||
Recorded | June–September 2001 | |||
Studio | RS29, Waalwijk, Netherlands | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 54:35 | |||
Label | Transmission | |||
Producer | Stephen van Haestregt | |||
After Forever chronology | ||||
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Singles from Decipher | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Lords of Metal | 96/100[2] |
Metal Hammer (GER) | [3] |
Metal Storm | [4] |
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
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Ex Cathedra (Ouverture)" | Mark Jansen | Sander Gommans | 2:02 |
2. | "Monolith of Doubt" | Floor Jansen |
| 3:31 |
3. | "My Pledge of Allegiance #1 (The Sealed Fate)" | M. Jansen |
| 6:24 |
4. | "Emphasis" | F. Jansen |
| 4:18 |
5. | "Intrinsic" | F. Jansen |
| 6:44 |
6. | "Zenith" | F. Jansen |
| 4:21 |
7. | "Estranged (A Timeless Spell)" | M. Jansen |
| 6:54 |
8. | "Imperfect Tenses" | F. Jansen |
| 4:08 |
9. | "My Pledge of Allegiance #2 (The Tempted Fate)" | M. Jansen |
| 5:05 |
10. | "The Key" | F. Jansen |
| 4:47 |
11. | "Forlorn Hope" | M. Jansen |
| 6:21 |
Total length: | 54:35 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "For the Time Being" | M. Jansen |
| 5:04 |
Total length: | 59:39 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
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 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Line of Thoughts" (instrumental) | Gommans | 2:15 | |
2. | "Beneath" | F. Jansen |
| 4:52 |
3. | "My Choice" | F. Jansen |
| 4:53 |
4. | "Glorifying Means" | F. Jansen |
| 5:00 |
5. | "The Evil That Men Do" (Iron Maiden cover) |
| 4:50 | |
6. | "One Day I'll Fly Away" (Randy Crawford cover) |
| 4:43 | |
Total length: | 26:33 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "For the Time Being" | 5:04 | ||
13. | "Who Wants to Live Forever" (Queen cover) | Brian May | May | 4:48 |
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 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
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
Production
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Additional musicians
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References
- Rivadavia, Eduardo. "After Forever Decipher review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- Barten, Michiel. "After Forever - Decipher". Lords of Metal.nl. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- "After Forever - Decipher". Metal Hammer (in German). December 2001. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- Congrains, Kike (23 August 2003). "After Forever - Invisible Circles review". Metal Storm (webzine). Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- "After Forever - Decipher". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 3 April 2010.