REVIEW: WHITESNAKE - Forevermore

 

WHITESNAKE - Forevermore

Frontiers Records

WHITESNAKE’s comeback album, 2008’s Good to Be Bad, came as a very pleasant surprise. After so many years away from the spotlight, not many people expected David Coverdale and his band to return with such a strong and convincing hard rock record. It proved that the legendary frontman still had plenty of great songs and ideas left in him.

When the release of a new WHITESNAKE album was announced for 2011, I have to admit that my expectations were rather cautious. My initial thought was that, after such a long and successful career, the band might have already reached the end of its creative road. I could not have been more wrong. Forevermore is not just a good album — it is an absolutely stunning hard rock statement. Few could have imagined that in 2011 WHITESNAKE would deliver a record of such quality and power.

The guitar work throughout the album is simply immense, with Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach delivering performances full of energy, feeling, and class. The rhythm section is equally impressive, providing a solid foundation that drives every song forward. As for David Coverdale, his voice may not possess the same range and power it had 25 years earlier, but his passion, personality, and unmistakable delivery remain intact. He gives everything he has, and that authenticity is what makes his performance so enjoyable.

One of the album’s greatest strengths is the way several songs bring back the classic WHITESNAKE feeling of the Saints & Sinners and Slide It In eras. The opening track, “Steal Your Heart Away”, immediately sets the pace, introducing a collection of powerful hard rock songs that capture the spirit of the band’s golden years. Tracks such as “All Out of Luck”, the first single “Love Will Set You Free”, “Tell Me How”, the simply breathtaking “Love and Treat Me Right”, the more 1987-influenced “Dogs in the Street”, “Whipping Boy Blues”, and “My Evil Ways” showcase a band that still knows exactly how to write memorable, riff-driven rock songs.

The album also includes a beautiful ballad in “Easier Said Than Done”, while the closing title track, “Forevermore”, is an epic composition that immediately recalls the atmosphere and emotion of classics like “Sailing Ships”. It is a fitting conclusion to an album that celebrates everything WHITESNAKE has always represented.

Of course, like most albums, Forevermore may contain a couple of moments that are not quite as strong as the highlights. However, these minor imperfections do little to affect the overall quality of the record. If you consider yourself a fan of hard rock, this album is simply essential. Forevermore is a celebration of everything great about the genre — powerful guitars, memorable melodies, and timeless rock attitude. It is pure hard rock heaven.

Kostas Rigas