AFTER FOREVER

After Forever

Melodic dark metal formation that, like fellow Dutch bands the Gathering and Within Temptation, makes use of classical elements in its music.
Full biography

Members

Floor Jansen   zang
Luuk Van Gerven   basgitaar
Bas Maas   gitaar
Sander Gommans   gitaar, zang
André Borgman   drums
Joost van den Broek   toetsinstrumenten
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Former members

Joep Beckers   drums
Mark Jansen   gitaar, zang
Jack Driessen   toetsinstrumenten
Lando van Gils   toetsinstrumenten
Koen Herfst   drums

Mentioned in the biography of

2000   Blind Justice
2000   Oscar Holleman
2001   Jack Pisters
2002   Ayreon
2002   Bertus Borgers
2002   Ulysses
2003   Ayreon
2005   Within Temptation
2006   Callenish Circle
2006   Petra Berger
2007   Ayreon
2007   Gordon Groothedde
2007   Orphanage
2008   Ayreon
2008   Cirrha Niva
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Biography After Forever

Melodic dark metal formation that, like fellow Dutch bands the Gathering and Within Temptation, makes use of classical elements in its music.

1996

After Forever is formed by singer/guitarist Mark Jansen, singer/guitarist Sander Gommans, keyboard player Jack Driessen, bassist Luuk van Gerven and drummer Joep Beckers. Before that they go through life as Apocalypse, a cover band that specialises in songs by The Cult and Iron Maiden. As After Forever, however, they put the emphasis on their own material and move more into the direction of death metal.

1997 - 1998

Singer Floor Jansen (no relation of Mark) joins After Forever and the band starts using classical elements in its music thus making it more melodic.

1999

The band signs to the Transmission label after releasing the critically acclaimed debut demo Ephemeral and a second demo called Wings Of Illusion.

2000

After Forever's full-length debut is Prison Of Desire, which is released in April. The album is a mixture of death metal and gothic. Prison Of Desire is hugely successful and is released worldwide. Floor Jansen sings a duet with Johan Edlund from Swedish band Tiamat. The song is included on the CD Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer from Ayeron. Drummer Beckers leaves the band and is replaced by André Borgman (Blind Justice).

Ayreon Blind Justice

2001

In July and August After Forever records Decipher, the band's second album which is produced by Stephen Haestregt (Ambeon). They play at the Bospop festival, metal festival Eurorock in Belgium and the Lowlands festival. Early September they tour through Mexico where they are hugely successful. Decipher is released in October.

Ambeon Ayreon

2002

Mark Jansen leaves After Forever to form the band Sahara Dust. At the same time Jansen also plays in the doom metal band Les Faidits with former Within Temptation drummer Ivar de Graaf. In early April After Forever releases the single Emphasis (which includes Queen's Who Wants To Live Forever). Singer Floor can be heard on Star One, a new project by Arjen 'Ayreon' Lucassen. In the autumn she also goes on a European tour with Star One featuring Ayreon supporting Nightwish.

Ayreon Epica Star One Within Temptation

2003

In the autumn Exordium comes out. On the EP are not only the band's own songs but also covers of songs by Iron Maiden (The Evil That Men Do) and Randy Crawford (One Day I'll Fly Away) and a DVD containing the video that comes with the song My Choice.

Newnoise

2004

Late February After Forever travels to Mexico for four shows. The band's third album Invisible Circles is released in March. It is a concept album about a young girl that has great difficulties in dealing with the negative experiences from her childhood. The album is promoted with four exclusive shows in the Netherlands and Belgium. Late May After Forever plays the Pinkpop festival. In June Floor Jansen receives the Jacques de Leeuw Jong Top Talent Prijs 2004. According to the jury she is not scared for 'dealing with the musical tradition in an unconventional way (…)'. Joost van den Broek (Sun Caged) replaces keyboardist Lando van Gils.

2005

In February drummer André Borgman is hospitalised, diagnosed as having a tumour. Still in hospital after the operation, Borgman is being replaced by drummer Ed Warby (Gorefest) for the concert at Amsterdam's Heineken Music Hall on February 11. Koen Herfst is the next caretaker drummer. On July 22 After Forever supports Within Temptation at a special concert at Amsterdam's Java Island. In the remaining part of the summer the band plays lots of shows at home and abroad (Belgium, Germany, the UK, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. The band is overwhelmed by the success. They play sold out arena shows. Security and police surveillance at their shows is seriously updated. On September 4 new album Reimagine comes out. The video alongside new single Being Everyone is filmed in Brazil. On December 22 the band plays at Tilburg's 013 enhanced by the Orpheus Orchestra.

Gorefest Within Temptation

2006

In the spring After Forever starts the three-week European leg of its Reimagine Live 2006 tour, including shows in France, Spain, the UK and Italy. Also, the band appears at many Benelux summer festivals. In October 2006 After Forever will play three shows at the Live 'n' Louder Rock Fest in South-America, which takes place in three countries (Mexico, Argentina and Brazil). At beforehand the band gets 10% of 50.000 votes on the festival's website. Keyboard player Joost van den Broek can be heard on debut album From The Ashes... from progmetalband Sphere Of Souls. Late May the double album Mea Culpa - Retrospective is released, a compilation of 32 remastered hits, singles, rare recordings and previously unreleased remixes, complemented with a 44 pages booklet. The first CD involves the period with Mark Jansen and the second CD the period after he has left the band for Epica. The release features contributions by the likes of Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation), Ayreon and Marco Hietala (Nightwish). Mea Culpa is, together with the Two Sides/Boundaries Are Open, the band's final release on Transmission. After Forever signs to the US label Nuclear Blast, one of the biggest metal labels in the world. The band also joins The Entertainment Group, which also takes care of the management of artists like Marco Borsato, Ilse DeLange, Guus Meeuwis and Trijntje Oosterhuis.

Sphere Of Souls Sun Caged

2007

Guitarist Sander Gommans is not only involved with the band but also with his side-project HDK with which he plays thrash and deathmetal with melodic influences.Guitarist Sander Gommans is involved in the project HDK with which he plays melodic thrash and deathmetal. On March 17, After Forever can be seen at SXSW music conference in Austin, Texas. Floor Jansen and Joost van den Broek are part of the Classics In Rock event in Ahoy, Rotterdam. They are on the bill with musicians like Jon Anderson (Yes), John Waite (The Babys), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) and Arjen 'Ayreon' Lucassen. In April After Forever makes its debut on the Nuclear Blast label. The album is a reflection of what the band has done over the past couple of years and includes contributions by Jeff Waters (Annihilator) and singer Doro Pesch (ex-Warlock). Sander Gommans has to take it slow on advice of his doctor. He is temporarily replaced by grunter George Oosthoek (ex-Orphanage). Gommans returns after a tour of Europe, Canada and the US. Upon his return, however, his burnout again strikes and his doctors tells him not to get involve with the band for at least a year. Following this, After Forever decides to take a sabbatical in 2008.

Ayreon HDK Orphanage

2008

Former label Tranmission releases a special edition of Prison Of Desire from 2000. Double album Prison Of Desire: The Album – The Sessions contains 31 remastered tracks and also demos and session recordings. Sander Gommans and his project HDK are signed by French label Season Of Mist. He also works on his debut album System Overload with singer Amanda Sommerville, drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek (God Dethroned), bassist Peter Vink and vocalists André Matos, Paul Niessen, Patrick Savelkoul (Callenish Circle) and Jos Severens. Bassist Luuk van Gerven joins gothic band Cardamon. Keyboard player Joost van den Broek produces A Metalized Christmas Tale, a Christmas metal show, that also features musicians from Epica, Stream Of Passion, Orphanage, Consortium Project, After Forever and the Magnum Opus Rockestra.

Ayreon Oscar Holleman

2009

In february After Forever announces that the band has split up. All band members want to start work on new projects. Sander Gommans and HDK release debut album System Overload. Singer Floor Jansen has started work with Norwegian guitarist Jorn Viggo Lofstad (Pagan's Mind) on a new project called Sinh. She also performs several times with the Red Limo String Quartet (in August during the Summer Darkness festival in Utrecht). Keyboard player Joost van den Broek is involved in recording Shadow Border (May) from progrock group The Aurora Project and he is also responsible for the mix of this album. In the autumn Jansen and Van den Broek and Waldemar Sorychta (Grip Inc, Enemy Of The Sun) form new metal band ReVamp.

ReVamp

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