The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 339

Forever Changed
The Need To Feel Alive
2005



This session I was paired with @Chase Tremaine and this is one of the two albums that he assigned to me. My write-up for the other albums should be up Monday! Going into this session, I had never heard of the band Forever Changed. I did a bit of background research and found that they were a Christian rock band from Florida. From what I can tell, they were a four-piece band composed of Dan Cole (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Ben O'Rear (guitar), Tom Gustafson (bass), and Nathan Lee (drums). They formed in 1999 and released three full-length albums and a handful of demos and EPs before their breakup in 2006. The Need To Feel Alive is the second of their full-length albums and it's their first on Floodgate Records (other artists on this label included Cool Hand Luke, Life In Your Way, and Number One Gun).

This album kicks off with The Last Time which also happens to be one of my favorite tracks on the album. It has a really catchy chorus and it seems like a song that would fit in well on modern rock/alternative radio. The vocals are sung and are really well done and the track is very guitar driven. It's a great start to the album and definitely made me want to continue. Encounter is up next and it's another track where the vocals shine. The lyrics here have some subtle religious references which may turn off some listeners, but it's not too in-your-face. The title track is up next and it's another really catchy song with solid hooks. The songs really sound great. Something More follows and I really can't say it enough but the vocals are really good on this album. This is a passionate, heartfelt song featuring the lyrics "I want to mean something more" A lot of the lyrics on this album (and on most albums in general) can be open to interpretation and mean different things to different listeners, but I think most people are able to relate to this song's message in one way or another. Great Divide is probably my least favorite song up to this point on the album. I appreciate the lyrics about a broken family, but musically this track didn't do much for me.

The album's centerpiece, Romance In Denial, is also it's longest track at nearly five and a half minutes. It's a very solid track and it definitely didn't feel like it was too long. The Vanity Letter is another good song, but not much stood out to me on this one. I did enjoy the guitars a lot here. Opportunity (We Could Be The Ones) is another track with a really catchy chorus that I've found stuck in my head at various points. It's another one of my favorites that I'd recommend checking out. Identical is another track on the album that has subtle religious lyrics (much like Encounter) that some listeners may be turned off by. The album's penultimate track, Alone, was fine but it was a bit more of the same to me. Which isn't a bad thing, as the album is very enjoyable up to that point! The album closes with Knowledge which is a piano ballad that goes all out in the final minute. It's a very unique track and it definitely has the feel of a closing track.

Overall, I really liked this one! I'd recommend it to fans of catchy, guitar driven rock music with solid, heartfelt vocals. I can really see some people in here digging this a lot. @Bad Frequencies I think several of the songs on this album are songs that you'd enjoy! I could see fans of Anberlin enjoying this album a fair amount. I know that there may be some people that are turned off by the Christian rock genre label, but I assure you that any religious references on this album are subtle.

I'd recommend checking out these tracks: The Last Time, The Need To Feel Alive, Something More, Romance In Denial, and Opportunity (We Could Be The Ones).

Thanks for the recommendation @Chase Tremaine !

 

This sounds awesome! I also love the album art. Back in the day when I used to go into best buy and just buy albums that looked cool, I probably would have picked this up.

 

Yeah, I like the album art too!

I'd give those songs I recommended a shot. There's some really good stuff there!

 

I trust his taste as a fellow Wolves at the Gate fan. Will do!

 

Ridiculous goal there

 

Lol wrong thread haha. I still stand by my statement though.

 

I'm so glad to hear you liked it! I definitely agree that the vocals and guitars are what make this album, and I also agree that the album grows very same-y towards the end, especially with "Identical" and "Alone," which are worth their weight for the lyrics more than for the musical composition.

The only thing you said that really shocked me was that "Great Divide" didn't stand out to you, especially your statement, "musically this track didn't do much for me." I seriously find that hilarious because I might consider that track to be the musical highlight of the whole record! hahha. I'd be super fascinated to hear how the song ages with you, if you ever end up returning to this album.

 

I’ll definitely revisit it! Maybe it’s just that a few of the tracks before it were highlights for me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’ve also only listened to the album over the past week so it’s certainly possible that it’d grow on me

 

The whole first six tracks are the highlights for me. That's a near-perfect six song run in my opinion

 

In other words, I get you!

But I think it took a few years for me to really warm up to tracks 4-6. 1-3 were the clear favorites when I was first introduced to this album back in...like 8th or 9th grade

 

Ok, I'm going to have to make time to listen and be the tie breaker.

I take bribes

 

I’ve got this on now, I hadn’t heard of this EP before.

As expected it’s really great like the rest of their discog.

 

Dang, this band is hard to find. Not on spotify.

Their wikipeida does have this gem though: "They were the first band in Tallahassee to obtain a sponsorship by Chipotle."

 

it’s on apple music

 

What band are you all talking about?

 

Forever Changed. I found it on youtube.

I don't use that apple stuff

 

Oh the review on the last page. Yeah it’s always a pain when stuffs not on Spotify as well.

 

Yeah, I've been listening on YouTube because it's not on Amazon Unlimited either. I have the CD soooomewhere in my room, though, hahahah

 

I will bribe you with....THE TRUTH!

 

That’s not valid currency for him sadly.

 

Hey now, I was right about Blink being just a glorified cover band now. Give me more credit.

 

See? Doesn’t deal in truth, @Chase Tremaine . Sorry. He’s all about the LIES

 

It's the best!!!! My very favorite!!

 

It’s between Pneuma and the S/T for my fav, purely depends on my mood. I really enjoyed that EP on first listen, I’ll have to give it some more spins over the next few weeks.