After Forever

[Fugazi]

A new interview with Floor, about her early career this time.

https://www.loudersound.com/features/nightwishs-floor-jansen-quashes-after-forever-reunion-its-good-to-leave-things-in-the-past

Nightwish's Floor Jansen quashes After Forever reunion: "It’s good to leave things in the past"

By Eleanor Goodman (Metal Hammer)

Nightwish's Floor Jansen looks back on a youth spent indulging in cigarettes and symphonic metal with After Forever and collaborating with Within Temptation's Sharon Den Adel

Future Nightwish singer Floor Jansen was already well on the way to becoming a symphonic metal star when she first made waves with Dutch group After Forever. The band's vocalist from 1997 to their eventual dissolution in 2009, Jansen played an enormous role in getting After Forever's name out to the masses with her powerhouse vocals lending a sense of scale and bombast to the band's already powerful mix of gothic, progressive and death metal elements. 

Hammer caught up with Jansen to discuss her years in After Forever, their debut album Prisoner Of Desire and if she feels a reunion could ever be on the cards... 

You joined After Forever when you were only 16. Did you already know that this was what you wanted to do?

“No. Think of a bunch of teenagers that wanted to play music, and think before the internet. I liked metal. And I wanted to sing in a metal band. That was my ambition; I used to play guitar and write my own acoustic songs, then I played at parties of friends. And one day when I did that, somebody said, ‘I know a bunch of guys that have a metal band, and they are looking for a female background singer’, and that was After Forever. And so that’s how I joined.”

What were those early days like?

“We had this old-fashioned tape recorder in the middle of the room, so if we had an idea, we’d record it on that, and the rest we’d just remember. For the first I don’t know how many years, the thing was; if I can remember my vocal lines, they’re good. If I can’t, they weren’t worth it! That is how the songs came to be. We rehearsed twice a week – we were absolutely serious.”

How did you feel, going into the studio to record your debut album, Prison Of Desire?

“I remember feeling aware that I didn’t really know what I was doing, and at the same time, really sure of our band. I think we had teenage cockiness, which we needed. They had this tiny room, which was 10 square metres with bunk beds, where we all slept. And I still smoked. I smoked for a couple of years, heavy tobacco even. That really feels like another life!”

Your voice still sounds great!

“The smoking wouldn’t have affected me so fast, but the lack of technique was something else. I had never had a vocal lesson in my life, not then, and not even when we started recording [2001’s follow-up album] Decipher. So everything was done on a feeling of how you do it, and to try to imitate others and create my own sound. I have had flute lessons for many years, and I think that helped me get the breathing techniques. I’m naturally gifted with talent – I have my parents to thank for that, I suppose!”

What was it like recording the song Beyond Me, with Within Temptation’s Sharon den Adel?

“Exciting. Because I really looked up to Within Temptation in those days. They were the big brother. They came directly after The Gathering, with [1997’s] Enter, their first album. And I remember thinking that was really cool. Sharon is a few years older than me, which nowadays doesn’t really matter anymore. But when you’re a young teenager, it does impress.”

Is there any chance at all of After Forever reuniting?

“No, not as far as I’m concerned. I’m very content with where I am. It’s good to leave things in the past. Many After Forever albums have been re-released, unfortunately without my consent. But now the latest [self-titled] album will be re-released next year and all members were involved, which is a huge difference. So that’s something I can heart-warmingly recommend to fans or nostalgics. Something’s coming.”

A 15th-Anniversary reissue of 'After Forever' is expected in 2022

[Fugazi]

Here's a fantastic piece of archive! Floor singing "She Is My Sin"... in 2006! 😮 Definitely worth a listen, she sings it in a completely different, operatic style closer to the original.

June 17 2006, W2 Concertzaal, s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

This was around the time that Nightwish were auditioning for a new singer... coincidence surely? 😮

[Fugazi]

I'm not reposting every single video that Floor releases on her YouTube, but I thought this new series is promising. In the first instalment of "Floor's Music Corner", she reminisces about her first demo with After Forever, Ephemeral, back in 1999. Looking forward to more of this!

 

And here's a link to the music from that demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMBnW7iRonk

[Fugazi]

A quiz question about Floor's first show had me checking setlist.fm, and it turns out that long before this current (2020-2021) set of shows in the Netherlands Floor did perform a couple of solo shows, in the short period between the demise of After Forever and the birth of ReVamp. These (three?) 2009 shows involved Floor performing acoustic versions of After Forever songs with the Red Limo String Quartet, a Dutch string ensemble still active today and described as "one of the most popular string quartets in pop music".

YouTube playlist:

[Fugazi]

Coming soon!

[Fugazi]

From Nuclear Blast:

https://www.facebook.com/nuclearblastrecords/posts/545501340263039

AFTER FOREVER's final album before the band split up, the self titled fifth studio album, is approaching its 15th anniversary! To celebrate, the band will release a special re-issue of the album - completely re-mastered by Darius van Helfteren - and featuring two rare Japanese bonus tracks [*see note]. Check out the single released today entitled 'Sweet Enclosure', here: https://bfan.link/sweet-enclosure.fpo

 

Singer Floor Jansen comments: "I am very glad to see this album revamped [🤭] and presented once again. I am still so proud of it and consider it our best work! It brings back happy memories to rehearsal sessions in extreme temperatures with good laughs and wonderful recording sessions in the middle of the Dutch countryside. Singing these songs live is something I will miss forever and rocking with our loyal fans too. Thank you for all the magnificent years and I hope you can enjoy this album, maybe for the first time, maybe once again!"

 

Pre-order the album here: https://bfan.link/AfterForever15a.fpo

 

 

*Note: The CD will actually only have one bonus track (Lonely), while the vinyl will have both (Lonely and Sweet Enclosure).

[Fugazi]

For the information, a lot (all?) of After Forever videos have been newly uploaded to Floor's YouTube channel. They were all probably available elsewhere but it's nice to have them all in an official channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@FloorJansenOfficial/videos

[Fugazi]

This came as a surprise to me, missed it at the time it was posted. I wonder if they actually asked Floor about joining them, or simply assumed that she wouldn't.

Quote

Dear After Forever fans,

2025 marks a monumental milestone: 25 years since After Forever left a timeless footprint on the world of symphonic metal with their debut album ‘Prison of Desire’.

Its 2001 successor, ‘Decipher’, pushed their music even further, fusing progressive elements with a heavier sound that helped shape the symphonic metal of today. These two releases marked the start of a wonderful journey - one that took the band to international stages and into the hearts of fans all over the world.

After five successful albums, the sextet’s journey came to an end in 2009. Despite that, their music has lived on, continuing to inspire the next generations of musicians and fans alike. With a loyal following, still passionate about the band’s musical legacy, the time has come to bring back to life - and to the stage - the music from these two records that started it all.

Even though After Forever is a closed chapter for the group’s original singer, Floor Jansen, members of the original lineup - Mark Jansen, Sander Gommans, Luuk van Gerven and André Borgman - have joined forces with vocalist Angel Wolf-Black (SheWolf), guitarist Bas Maas (After Forever/ Doro), and keyboardist Jeffrey Revet (Stream of Passion) to honour and celebrate the band’s cherished music and its lasting impact, in an unforgettable live experience.

Join us as we revisit old hits, revive the energy, and celebrate the legacy of After Forever!

Feel free to let us know which songs you’d like to hear

https://www.facebook.com/afterforever/posts/pfbid0WuuimRgp2EG2CRoa77rHxGCAkDPSHHpJXh6z8mrRDcuHN9yPQ8nJKbunNrA2B4qTl

[Fugazi]

I found the answer from the mouth of Mark Jansen himself: Floor was asked but she declined.

Also, while this is a one-off reunion, Mark doesn't completely close the door to future work with After Forever if planets align.