Band : Forever Never
Album title : I Can't Believe It's Not Metal!!
Label : Own release
Distributor : Forever Never
Release date : Oct. 2010
Release : CD-EP

On top of the touring with Kittie (in the UK) and Skindred (allover Europe) with which UK's Forever Never started the year 2010, the band also played support to Fozzy, and did a UK headline tour in October, appropriately entitled I Can't Believe It's Not Metal.

Appropriate, because during that tour fans were able to purchase this 6-track covers EP. Frontman Renny Carroll explained: “We wanted to do something to keep the momentum going between the self-titled album...” (released in April 2009, our review came only on 24/02/2010) “...and the 3rd album. Having already recorded Whitesnake and Seal with the last album over 18 months ago, it made sense to record a few more...” (covers) “...and make an EP out of it! It was also great to be able to do a track with Benji...” (Benji Webbe of Skindred) “...as he is an absolute legend, and also a good friend after so much gigging and touring over the years! That's definitely a highlight for us! The whole EP is hopefully going to be a lot of fun for everyone – there's something there for everyone to enjoy, I think!”

Well, they'd have to be into heavy music, for sure!? Because if one thing can be said about Forever Never, is that when they tackle somebody else's music to make a cover, they alter the overall sound to the point that one has some problems believing the song was not originally meant to be played that way! In order of appearance on the album, you get the band's version of John Farnham's “You're The Voice” (heard again by the band in the soundtrack of the movie Hot Rod – in the liner notes that come with the EP, Renny mentions how seeing the movie reminded him of how massive a tune it always was to him...and I daresay FN have managed to make it even bigger). Up next is Michael Jackson's “Who Is It?”. I mean, how could FN claim to be influenced by the man, and nót put a cover of his songs on their cover EP, considering the Master Of Pop passed away from us in 2009? Truth be told, I cannot recognize “Who Is It?” as a Jackson song in FN's version (except for the couple of typical “uh's” and “hoo-hoo's”), and according to the liner notes it's actually one of Michael's underrated songs...but FN sure turned the song into a huge Metal anthem! Whitesnake's “Still Of the Night”, which was co-written by John Sykes, was already a heavy tune to begin with, but with Carroll's higher pitch and the band's more modern approach, the track gets a completely new lease on life. Next up is “Boombastic”, which was a hit song for Rapper Shaggy. Renny came across the song quite randomly while on the European tour with Skindred in February of last year (well, by the time you read this, at least), and after having listened to it a couple of times grew convinced that FN could make a smashing Metal version of it. On the side he suggested to the aforementioned Benji to sing on it as well, half not expecting it to ever happen...but it did, and the collaboration came out truly great, with Benji's harsher vocals a great contrast for Renny's far higher pitch. I don't think I actively followed the hit parades during the '80s when UK's Pop act Go West were popular, and therefore I don't even recognize the version FN made of “We Close Our Eyes”. At any rate, their version sounds like as if the song was supposed to sound that way to begin with, you know, even with the additional keyboards on top. I haven't really checked, but I'm sure I'll recognize the original immediately when coming across it. I doubt if I'll like it though, because it'll certainly be rather lame in comparison with FN's version! FN close the EP with a version of Seal's “Future Love Paradise”. After an acoustic opening (the only calm passage on the whole EP), the track explodes in the band's usual melodic twin guitar assault, and thanks to some nice harmonic vocal backing (as well as gang shout passage). Again, I'm not sure whether I've ever heard the original, because FN make the track sound as if they'd written it in the first place!

End conclusion? I love this!!! Over the last years several bands have cut their teeth at making cover EPs and full-lengths, and where in a lot of cases that resulted in mild rehashing of the original material, FN have succeeded in giving the original tunes a complete overhaul, adapting 'em to their own style. In other words, two thumbs up (and then some!) to FN. In spite of the fact that you'll find no rating for this EP (covers, you know), I'm placing it, and that with a big smile on my face and an even bigger “Thank you, Ryan!” (R. Barlow, runner of the Scratching The Surface agency, whom sent up the EP along with a copy of Panic Cell's album of 2010 after finding out we'd not reviewed it yet) it into my year-lists! Whoo-yah!!!

Tony.