Customer Reviews

Phorceful Ahead

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This in my opinion is how power metal should be played. What a huge and heavy sound. The production is so fat yet crystal clear it will bring you to your knees. Possibly the best production I have ever heard. Not forgetting the songs they are very catchy, melodic, full of great riffs and solos. No happy or silly sounding choruses. The singer Andy B. Frank is simply one of the best out there today reminding me a lot of Zak Stevens (ex-Savatage) but I also hear a little Dirk Thurisch (Angel Dust) and Bruce Dickinson for good measure. He is also the frontman from another excellent band called Brainstorm who are also on the heavier more aggressive side of power metal. Musically Symphorce sounds like a combination of Brainstorm, Nevermore, Iced Earth, and Angel Dust. There is even a bit of an old Megadeth touch to boot. No wonder I like this band so much. After the somewhat forgetable opening track Symphorce delivers the goods with the rest of the album. Good song writing with modern and mature arrangements. If you are into very heavy/melodic power metal and top-quality musicianship this album is a must!

Phorceful Ahead is the first Symphorce album I picked up after checking out Brainstorm and Ivanhoe with the same vocalist Andy B. Franck. Unfortunately much to my disappointment, I noticed that the lyrics on this album are quite 'similar' to those of Pain of Salvation's. Since the POS albums came out earlier than this one, it is obvious that Andy used some of Daniel Gildenlow's lyrics. Here's a little example:

Symphorce - Phorcefulahead - "Slowdown" : (2002) "Some wear their bruises on their skin / others hide their scars deep within" and here are the lyrics of Pain of Salvation - TPE1 - "In the Flesh" : (2000) "Some wear their bruises on their skin
Others have their scars deep within". Coincidence? I think not. And another little example: Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element - "Idioglossia" : "For every time you froze me out / For every punch every shout"; and in the song "Morning on Earth" it goes like "This is what we can share - / This is all we can lose". Now check out the Symphorce lyrics 'written' by Andy B. Franck in "Nothing Left" : "Every time you froze me out / every punch, every shout / this is what we can share - / this is all we can share". They even kept the hyphen. Can you believe this? What's worse is when Andy was asked about these similarities he first claimed that he'd never heard POS before but upon realising there was no escaping he admitted having used their lyrics as a form of homage. Well how do you pay tribute to a band which you've never heard before?

I am extremely disappointed that I supported this band by buying their album. I think their vocalist Andy B. Franck has completely ruined his reputation. He should at least have had the decency to thank POS in the liner notes and credit them for the lyrics or ask Daniel for his approval. Not go behind their back like this because this is really low!

I will never ever buy another Symphorce album even though they're an okay band musically. It's just stupid using others'
ideas to 'create' your own form of art. If you don't believe me get the POS albums (The Perfect Element pt.1 and One Hour by the Concrete Lake) and Symphorce's Phorceful Ahead and see for yourself. I'm personally done with this band.

This is a killer band this album shows they mean business. I just wish the other newer bands sounded this good! \m/\m/ Great metal force for the new century!

I don't know anything about this plagarism situation like the other reviews say about this album, but not looking at that, this album is pretty decent for melodic power metal. I would definitely compare it to a Brainstorm album (vocalist Andy B. Franck is the singer of them too), but less intense at times. Out of the 3 albums that are pretty much available (the first 2 are hard to find) this is one of the better Symphorce albums in my opinion, but still their latest effort, 'Godspeed' is by far their best work to date.

This is a good cd, but by no means a great one. Andy B. Frank of Brainstorm proves that he is probably the best of the Dickinson esque vocalists. I think I would have enjoyed this album more if there had been more aggression. as most every song except for "unbroken" is midpaced. there is definetly potential here, just like with Andy's other band Brainstorm. Hopefully the next album will be the masterpiece I know it could be.

I am extremely disappointed that I supported this band by buying their album. I think their vocalist Andy B. Franck (also vocalist of Brainstorm) has completely ruined his reputation by first claiming that he's never ever listened to Pain of Salvation and then, when the lyrics were noticed by too many people, by apologising to everyone and saying it was actually supposed to be a tribute to a band whose lyrics he really loved.

Well, how do you pay tribute to a band which you've never listened to?! Isn't that pathetic?!

Check these lyrics out:

Symphorce - Phorcefulahead - "Slowdown" : (2002)

"Some wear their bruises on their skin
others hide their scars deep within"

Pain of Salvation - TPE1 - "In the Flesh" : (2000)

"Some wear their bruises on their skin
Others have their scars deep within"

And here's another one:

Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element - "Idioglossia" :

"For every time you froze me out
For every punch every shout"

And earlier on, in "Morning on Earth" :

"This is what we can share -
This is all we can lose"

And now check out Andy's 'lyrics' on "Nothing Left" :

"Every time you froze me out
every punch, every shout
this is what we can share -
this is all we can share"

Can you believe it?! They even kept the hyphen. And Andy's explanation doesn't make things any better either. If you want to use someone else's lyrics you kindly ask for their approval or at least mention it in your CD booklet. But when you first deny being a POS fan and then back out and admit the plagiarism and try to cover it by saying it was supposed to be a homage... your chances of being credible are less than zero in my books.

I encourage anyone who reads this to stop supporting whatever this guy puts out. I've never been a big Brainstorm or Symphorce fan, but I always thought they were okay bands. I'm just not sure if I still want to listen to this guy anymore. Their music is okay but the singer and 'lyricist' has no self-esteem. If you don't believe me, check out the liner notes of both bands' albums and see for yourself.

Realizing that the "30+ metal head who still clings to their King's X collection" demographic has been drastically underserved (hey - they have money now), Metal Blade decided to unleash yet another formulaic cleanly produced power metal album on the masses. Symphorce - an amalgamation of the words "symphony" and "force", get it? - has boldly arrived on the scene to spread their music to audiences who will pay $... for a concert T-shirt and attend the next Dio show in a vain attempt to recapture their youth. They get bonus coolness points for the mixed-case album title "phorcefulAhead".

This band would probably be excusable as just another mediocre prog/power metal band, if not for the blatant ripping off of Pain of Salvaton lyrics. That is just despicable. Daniel Gildenlow is one of the most talented and creative musicians out there today, and for these hacks to plagiarize his lyrics (which he really puts his heart and soul into) word for word is an insult of the highest degree. Gildenlow has more talent in his pinky toe than all of these guys have in their entire bodies.

Go buy every PoS album, and let this band fade into well-deserved obscurity.

this is real prog probably why pain of savltation riped them off they are posers and they rap like limp bkixkit that is not prog symphorce is great i diddn't think they could be better than ivanhone but they are andy rocks he's way better than donny gildenlow he only wished he could be that good.

sorry i gave it 1 star because i forgot and thought 1 was the best with all these 1 star reviews i thoguth they were good review but they liek pain of salvation so i should have known.