Of the three major Dutch gothic metal bands Within Temptation, Epica and After Forever, the latter is without doubt the heaviest and least commercial. The band had the difficult task to try and excel their previous and very well received album Decipher. After Forever took this task serious and came up with a progressive album filled with very convincing songs. One thing that struck me the first time I listened to Invisible Circles is the fact that it’s a very harmonious album and yet lacks a typical overall sound. Instead the album progresses from the first to the final track. The way in which After Forever combines blasting gothic with symphonic and orchestral music is simply impressing. The only (small) point of criticism is the presence of the opening children song and the spoken intersection halfway the album.

I know that these parts might suit the concept, but I fear that after some time these same sections might become a bit annoying. The biggest effort of the band is the use of three vocalists. All three sound very different, but each completes parts of the music on the album. The grunts of Sander Gommers suit the heavier parts, the orchestral vocals of Floor Jansen are overwhelming and the vocals of Bas Maas really add to the progressive rock parts on the album. The same diversity is present in the music on the album. This is the main reason why there is but one word for Invisible Circles: Impressive.