Album Review - Whitesnake - Forevermore

If the previous Whitesnake album, "Bad to be Good" was enough to please the fans, despite having lost it's hooks halfway between the writing and pressing phase, then the latest and greatest "Forevermore" should give every 'Snake fan a happy heartattack. It's a mashup of many Coverdale moments, as he seems to not be able to shake that dark depressive stint known as "Coverdale/Page" and also flips through the archives with wild abandon, dragging out some dusty nods to "Love Hunter" and other WS pre-1987 gems. Even the often forgotten about, but still ridiculously good "Restless Heart" album is spirtually revisited. Quite absent is anything resembling the days of true popularity for the band, namely giant overwrought numbers that deployed a sea of keyboards and catchy riffs, and were arguably the best things that Coverdale even thought about producing (perhaps thanks to the input of John Sykes, but that's another rant, review and tale).

But current Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich has a love for the older material and the music is heavily based off of those early days - to massive and spectacular effect. "Forevermore" is a massive mammoth of an album, and absolutely explodes into guitars. There is a wall of guitars everywhere, ripping solos, amazing trade offs, soulful rhythms. Aldrich and Reb Beach are both axemasters of the upper echelon and they absolutely blow their six string instruments out of the water on this album. Those that live and breathe for the axeslinging will be mighty impressed by the range and sheer volume of guitar here. They make up for Coverdale not being able to hit those higher notes as he used to, but his charm, essence and mid-range is still very much intact, so he coos and "babys" through the disc with the same blatant sexuality as before.

"Love Will Set You Free" was the cherry picked track to be the lead off single, and for a reason. The song absolutely rocks, but in a very throwback sort of manner. Nostalgia coupled with a huge chorus equals instant adoration, and this smooth mid-tempo piece gets you hook, line and sinker. "Love and Treat Me Right" has attitude galore, wailing guitars and a breakneck thunder pacing, with some sick rhythms thrown in for good measure. The chorus is absolutely dynamite... "Dogs in the Street" has "Bad Boys" written all over it, bold, loud, perhaps a little on the obnoxious side. And that's the whole point. It's another fast hard rocker that slams you up against the wall and just has its way with you. And with a guitar assault like this, you don't even really mind.

In hard rock contrast, "All Out of Luck" is bubbling with pomp and swagger, but has a rich darker side, as they try on the Coverdale/Page themes for size, and it fits like a glove. Coverdale's emotive vocals, sizzling axe slinging and a powerful chorus make for another huge rock track. "Whipping Boy Blues" is even deeper into the Coverdale/Page trance, "Pride and Joy" anyone? Similar effects laid on the vocals, and the same kind of build up into pure combustion. Powerful and smashing, the opener will surely do as the title suggests, "Steal Your Heart Away". A sexy guitar solo and a chorus that has the potential to turn every listener into a karaoke hero before the track's over, makes for yet another killer hard rock song, which "Forevermore" is obviously, absolutely stacked with.

But how do the ballads hold up? Surely there's some ballads this time, as the softer side of the 'Snake was all but forgotten on the previous "comeback" disc. "Forevermore" is the serpentine glory. Soft, lovely and romantic, it has this breezy 70s acoustic vibe that slowly increases in intensity and instruments, so that before the song closes, it has built into a gigantic roaring ballad of epic porportions. An onslaught of sonic soul bearing that can only be described as epic. "Easier Said Than Done" seems straight off "Restless Heart", a beautiful snapshot of relationships and romance, set to soaring guitars.
But oddly enough, it is the acoustic "One of These Days" that stole my heart and refused to give it back. The guitar rhythm is absolutely perfect, and the chorus is pure magic. The way David soothingly croons, "It's alriiiiight" just clicks, and infuses you with assurance, and another mention goes to the impeccable guitar placement. Mainly the song is driven by acoustic, but occasionally a few wailing electric notes will come drifting in, like sorrow whispering on the wind. Breezy, beautiful and unforgettable.

"Forevermore" is a fantastic album, and anyone that was ever into the music of Whitesnake at any time during their multi-decade spanning music career, will find something to love on the cd. While it throwsback a wide careful selection of David Coverdale time periods, the disc remains fresh, vibrant and produced to the cutting edge of modern standards. It sounds very "now" without sacrificing a heartbeat to the changing musical times. This is pure, unfiltered, without a moment's doubt... Whitesnake. To the heart, and to the core.

Written by Alanna
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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