Posted on: December 13, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Forever Changed is a band that actually has brought something new and refreshing to the played-out field that is emo rock. This time, Forever Changed strikes a strong blow for Christianity with tracks like “Encounter”, with lyrics “the enemy’s still alive/we see him all the time” obviously pointing a figer at4 Satan. However, the average listener of this disc will never know the difference between the average emo band like Taking Back Sunday and Coheed and Cambria and Forever Changed, as the entire band has the technical chops to make for an extraordinarily strong disc. “The Need To Feel Alive” uses the same soaring guitar lines present in a lot of this genre’s band but the supersonic vocals of Dan. Each track has a normal run time- somewhere around three to five minutes – and yet the band is able to imbue every track with so many twists and turns that each song sounds like a minor epic. “Great Divide” distinguishes itself from the rest of “The Neeed to Feel Alive” through its innovative arrangements and ability of Forever Changed to start and stop on a dime. The guitar tracks on the aforementioned track are reminiscent of eighties-metal acts (C.C. DeVille-esque, almost) and the proficient drumming found by Nathan solidifies this track’s status.

More so than the canned guitars and drums that open up “Romance in Denial”, Dan’s range in kick-starting the track is the perfect fix for any tendency of the disc to lag at its middle-ground. The vocals transcend “emo”, “popular music” – they are for the ages and should be viewed as such. The bridge that eventually ends “Romance In Denial”, building in intensity ends with a wallop as “will you stay with me?” ends the track. I hate to continually go back to it, but Dan’s vocals are simply amazing, some of the best that I’ve ever heard in the 700+ music reviews I’ve done. Tracks like “Opportunity (We Could Be the Ones) shows Dan’s ability to convert eir voice into an instrument, working well with Tom’s bass on the track. Slowly ending the disc is the penultimate track “Alone”, a track that crackles with an energy that belies the plodding tempo of the track. Forever Changed is the Billy Joel for the emo era, making tracks that successfully bridge the gap between pop, emotional music, and Christian to make for a disc that is not just musically satisfying, but spiritually as well.

Top Track: Romance in Denial, The Last Time

Rating: 7.1/10

Forever Changed – The Need To Feel Alive / 2005 Floodgate Records / 11 Tracks / http://www.foreverchanged.net / http://www.floodgaterecords.com / Reviewed 25 February 2005

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