Decipher is the second album by Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 symphonic metal

Symphonic metal

Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...

 band After Forever

After Forever

After Forever was a Dutch symphonic metal band with strong progressive metal influences. The band relied on the use of both soprano vocals and death grunts. In February 2009, it was announced that After Forever had disbanded.-Biography:...

, released in 2001. The music of the band reaches its full potential in this album with the use of live classical instruments and a complete choir to back up the soprano voice of lead singer Floor Jansen. The complex arrangements, that mix classical and ethnical influences with death and gothic metal, produce an unusual and unique blending. Thrown in the mix are also a duet of soprano and tenor voices in "Imperfect Tenses" and the recording of the late Israeli PM Yizhak Rabin

Rabin

Rąbiń is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Krzywiń, within Kościan County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately north of Krzywiń, east of Kościan, and south of the regional capital Poznań....

 voice during the Peace treaty signing ceremony on the 26th of October 1994 on "Forlorn Hope". This is the last After Forever album with guitarist and founder Mark Jansen

Mark Jansen

Mark Jansen, , is a heavy metal musician.As guitarist, Jansen founded After Forever with Sander Gommans, and was one of the main songwriters since their debut album Prison of Desire. He left After Forever in 2002, and after his departure the band took a new musical direction...

, who left the band soon after its release.

The album has been re-released by Transmission Records in 2003 in a limited edition of 5,000 copies worldwide. The limited edition in digipack had an extended booklet, a sticker with new artwork and two bonus live tracks.

Track listing

Music by M. Jansen, S. Gommans, F. Jansen, After Forever, except where indicated. Lyrics as indicated.

1. "Ex Cathedra: Ouverture" (music: S. Gommans, lyrics: M. Jansen) – 2:02
2. "Monolith of Doubt
   Monolith of Doubt
   Monolith of Doubt is a 2002 single by Dutch symphonic metal band After Forever.-Track listing:#"Monolith of Doubt " - 3:33#"For the Time Being" - 5:06#"Forlorn Hope" - 6:22#"Imperfect Tenses " - 4:06-Personnel:...
   
   " (lyrics: F. Jansen) – 3:32
3. "My Pledge of Allegiance #1: The Sealed Fate" (lyrics: M. Jansen) – 6:24
4. "Emphasis
   Emphasis/Who Wants To Live Forever
   Emphasis/Who Wants to Live Forever is a 2002 single by Dutch symphonic metal band After Forever, featuring guest vocals from Damian Wilson of Threshold.-Track listing:#"Emphasis" - 4:18#"Who Wants to Live Forever " - 4:46...
   
   " (lyrics: F. Jansen) – 4:20
5. "Intrinsic" (lyrics: F. Jansen) – 6:44
6. "Zenith" (music: M. Jansen, S. Gommans, A. Borgman, F. Jansen, After Forever, lyrics: F. Jansen) – 4:21
7. "Estranged: A Timeless Spell" (lyrics: M. Jansen) – 6:56
8. "Imperfect Tenses" (music: M. Jansen, F. Jansen, lyrics: F. Jansen) – 4:07
9. "My Pledge of Allegiance #2: The Tempted Fate" (lyrics: M. Jansen) – 5:07
10. "The Key" (lyrics: F. Jansen) – 4:48
11. "Forlorn Hope" (lyrics: M. Jansen) – 6:25

Bonus tracks limited edition digipak CD 2003

• "My Pledge of Allegiance No. 1" [Live @ 2 Metersessies] – 6:28
• "Forlorn Hope" [Live @ 2 Metersessies] – 6:22

Personnel

Band members

• Floor Jansen
  Floor Jansen
  Floor Jansen is a Dutch singer, who was the lead singer of the symphonic metal band After Forever which disbanded in 2009, and is the current singer for ReVamp.-After Forever:...
  
   - vocals
• Mark Jansen
  Mark Jansen
  Mark Jansen, , is a heavy metal musician.As guitarist, Jansen founded After Forever with Sander Gommans, and was one of the main songwriters since their debut album Prison of Desire. He left After Forever in 2002, and after his departure the band took a new musical direction...
  
   - guitars, grunts
• Sander Gommans
  Sander Gommans
  Sander Gommans is a Dutch musician. He founded the symphonic metal band Apocalypse with Mark Jansen in 1995, which later changed its name to After Forever. He played guitar and did the grunting parts in the band...
  
  - guitars
• Luuk van Gerven - bass guitar
• Lando van Gils - keyboards
• André Borgman - drums, acoustic guitars

Production

• Stephen van Haestregt - producer, engineer
• Oscar Holleman - producer, mixing
• Hans van Vuuren - executive producer, coordination and research
• Peter van 't Riet - mastering

Additional musicians

• Cees' Kieboom - piano, keyboards
• Ebred Reijen - solo violin
• Noemi Bodden - violin
• Janine Baller - viola
• Carla Schrijner - violoncello
• Roxanne Steffen - double bass
• Irma Kort - oboe on "Intrinsic" and "My Pledge of Allegiance #1"
• Jack Pisters - citar on "My Pledge of Allegiance #2"
• Rein Kolpa - tenor vocals on "Imperfect Tenses"
• Hans Cassa - choral bass vocals
• Caspar de Jonge - choral tenor vocals
• Marga Okhuizen - choral alto vocals
• Ellen Bakker - choral soprano vocals