Alice's Inferno

Forever Slave play gothic metal and I am sure we all already know the usual setup. There are female vocals battered against the male vocals and the band relies heavily on keyboards. Forever Slave even throw in a violin, and it is used quite nicely. I actually prefer it to say, Pete Johansen’s (Tristania, Sirenia, and The Sins of Thy Beloved) popular playing. Being a violinist myself, I do not exactly see the allure of Johansen simply playing random monotonous notes at a fast speed. Most of the time he is only staying on one string, but Forever Slave’s violinist mixes things up and plays quite with talent to create a rather somber background.

My main complaint of this album is the female vocals by Lady Angellyca. They are quite weak compared to many singers in the genre (Floor Jansen, Simone Simons, etc.). Not only that, but they are soft and hard to understand. I had to turn my speakers up full blast or read the lyrics whilst listening and even then, the task is quite difficult. Oftentimes I have trouble deciphering the male vocals, but that has to be expected. It is quite a shame to see the band really fall because of this.

The main reason the vocals sound rather weak is that they are accompanied and droned out by the keyboards. The background is louder than singing. For instance, when the guitars finally come into play they are noticeably louder than the vocals.

For the most part, there is not much change between the ten songs on the album. No one song really sticks out on its own. If I had to pick a song, I would say the first song simply because the album starts with a good start; however, that good start is soon diminished when the listener realizes that all ten songs sound virtually alike.

Forever Slave use the same setup as many gothic bands, unfortunately providing little uniqueness. However, if you are looking for a decent release from a lesser-known gothic band with a decent violinist and a heavy use of the keyboards then Forever Slave very well may please you.