Good day Metal-Temple. Over the last 15 years there has been a slew of female vocalist that took the scene and inflamed the Symphonic Metal crowds; so much that it feels a bit diluted as of late. This is, however, ceetainly not the case with FOREVER STILL, for with their debut album "Tied Down" they are offering us a refreshing sound that really stands out amongst the rest.

Maja Shining voice is made for this; and it looks natural for her to grab those hard-to-reach notes across the spectrum. You can even compare her voice to the biggest names around; such as Simone Simons, Tarja Turunen, etc... Her clear and vibrant tone is simply incredible, but she also gives us some growls throughout the album. It seems that there is no limit to what she can do.

The album opens up on "Scars", and right away we get to see the range of Maja's voice; the band really are making a huge effort to put her vocals at the front of their music. The complexity of the song is beautiful, and it gifts us with such a beautiful melody; an elemnt that is also mirrored in a similarly paced song "Once Upon A Nightmare". The latter is where I really fell in love with Maja's voice. The range and complexity of tone she can reach is unbelievable. Throughout the slow parts she uses a deep and emotionally packed tone, and then changes to a clear and light voice during the song's hook. There is no point on this album where she was even near a bad note, her voice is flawless.

"Miss Madness", "Save Me" and "Alone" are 3 amazing ballads that, again, were sung to perfection. Musically, it is beautiful and flawless, and even got me closing my eyes to let my body drift off to the soothing music.

I also love how balanced this album is. Every time there is a ballad, the next song will be punchy and energized. "Awake The Fire", "Breathe In" and "Your Light" are exactly that; great melodic hooks on top of relentless beats. The musicianship is simply amazing; the guitar riffs are a great mix of Power metal and Rock. They also produced this album perfectly; the sound is sharp and you can hear every guitar string and drum hit.

"Tied Down" closes off the album with a bang and an unbelievable hook. The emotion in Maja's voice is gripping and the riffs are magnificent. I do think that they cut the album a bit short though; but they nonetheless did an amazing job with what they've given us.

FOREVER STILL is definitely a band to watch for, for they might just become the next NIGHTWISH in the near future. Maja's voice is unbelievable and she has such incredible charisma. I'm certain that this is not the last we've heard from this band.