Danish group Forever Still are a real rarity in metal, in that they are a duo comprising singer Maja Shining and multi-instrumentalist Mikkel Haastrup. They are proud to be declared one of the most DIY bands around, with the two of them writing the material: Mikkel then plays all instruments in the studio, as well as handling the recording, mixing and mastering while Maja makes the music videos, band photos and creates album artwork and other design aspects. Musically they have obviously been influenced by bands such as Evanescence and Lacuna Coil and Maja has a wonderful voice, able to scream, shout, or conveying powerful emotion on delicate songs such as “Save Me”.
The songs go from metal through hard rock, but always with plenty of melody, and the music designed to allow the vocals to always play centre stage. There are plenty of anthems contained in this, and it wouldn’t be hard to imagine them making quite a stir in the right places. Interestingly they have recently been touring with Children of Bodom, and I would have thought that those audiences would have been too tough for them, but it just shows how wide the appeal of their music is. It does sound a little created at times, a little too over produced, and I would have liked to hear a rougher edge throughout, but as it is this still an interesting band to discover.
