ALIEN ANT FARM is back with a new album "Always and Forever" slated to release on February 24, 2015. The band began gaining world wide attention in 1995, but their careers shot off with their version of MICHAEL JACKSON's "Smooth Criminal" in 2001, when music television stations all over the world put AAF's video on a heavy rotation. After four releases and some struggles with record labels, the band felt maybe fans weren't interested in a fifth album. However, fans across the globe proved that thought wrong and now AAF is here, after almost two decades, with their fifth full-length album.

This isn't typically the music I listened to in my pre-teen to teen years, but I loved them then and still rock out every now and then.  Their 2003 release "TruANT" is my favorite album released so far so lets see what "Always and Forever" holds. The album comes in with 13 tracks and a listening time of right at 48 minutes.

This Alternative Rock band has their sound figured out, and has so for many years. The vocals are always as unique as the band itself is. The lyrical content is mostly fun, sometimes heavy, but always has rhyme. The musical content is a bit harder in this album with the exception of the track four "Let Em Know". Which is a Techno meets Rock with Pop and Rap elements; kind of different, but a bit edgy. "Our Time", track five has a Rap cameo towards the end of the track.

It's been awhile since I've heard AAF's newer albums, but this album is in a completely different direction than what I remember. The over all sound is new Rock, see IMAGINE DRAGONS (or the like). I always felt like these guys were Grunge meets Alternative Rock. "Homage" gives us a glimpse at a more sung vocal from the guys.

This is such a new sound to me from them; a much happier version all in. Not all change is bad; in fact, I am a big advocate for bands to create music they are happy with and to create music that they feel fulfilled with their creativity. Because, at the end of the day, that's what making music is.

Overall, I liked the album. It was creatively different from what I remember from them. It has an upbeat passionate tune and it will really appeal to the masses with its mixes of Techno, Rap, Rock, and Pop. Even more so then their older albums will. It's a fun album, which AAF is know for, and it's a laid back listen.