Forevermore is the eleventh studio album by British hard rock band Whitesnake. It was first released on 9 March 2011 in Japan through Warner Music Japan,following an European release on 25 March and 29 March in North America through Frontiers Records. This album features Doug Aldrich's second and final studio album appearance in guitar since joining the group in 2003. Forevermore showcases a blend of hard rock,blues,soul,and ballads that was more prevalent in the present-day Whitesnake lineup. After a moderately successful comeback album,Good to Be Bad (2008),Coverdale originally proposed to create a concept album that is more acoustic;however over time,the project was edged up to a heavier sound.
Commercially,Forevermore was successful in a handful of countries,but however was a commercial disappointment in their native UK,where it charted for one week at a spot at number 33. It peaked at number 49 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States,an improvement than their previous release,opening at over 12,000 copies. Its lead promo single,"Love Will Set You Free" premiered as a video on Whitesnake's social media accounts following its digital release. The song reached number 26 on Billboard Heritage Rock. Other singles,"Steal Your Heart Away" and "One of These Days" were released as promos,but neither of them charted in any airplay or mainstream charts. The album received a reissue in 2025 through Rhino Entertainment,which is considered their last set of box set reissue series from the Whitesnake catalogue.
Background
In 2008,Whitesnake released their first studio album in more than a decade,Good to Be Bad. The album was well-received,and charted in several countries. Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich revealed that he had started coming up with song ideas for a followup in 2009,a year after Good to be Bad was released. Aldrich also noted that "David [Coverdale,Whitesnake frontman] had said that he might wanted [sic] to make a record and maybe it could be more acoustic-based."[1]
David Coverdale has stated that he believes Forevermore is "still embracing all those elements that drew [the band's fans] to Whitesnake in the first place."[2]
Release and promotion
A special edition of the album,called 'Snake Pack' was released in the UK only,and contains two bonus live tracks,a 132-page magazine,a pin,as well as special artwork. The two live bonus tracks are a teaser for the upcoming live album,recorded in 1990 at Donington Park (Live at Donington 1990) and released in the summer of 2011.[3] On iTunes,the album also contains two different bonus tracks,an alternative mix of "Love Will Set You Free" and an acoustic version of "Forevermore". In addition,Amazon offered the album with the bonus track "My Evil Ways" on its digital store.[4]
A digital single for the song "Love Will Set You Free" was released on 21 February 2011,[5] while the video was released on 14 February. A free download of the song was made available on Whitesnake's Facebook page on 15 February.[6] The single charted on the Billboard Heritage Rock charts at number 26.[7]
Forevermore was reissued through Rhino Entertainment in a box set and a standalone vinyl set on 26 September. A video of the song,"Easier Said Than Done" featuring Hook City Strings premiered on the group's YouTube page on 14 August.[8]
Tour
Whitesnake performing at Irving Plaza,New York City,May 2011.
A world tour to promote the album was announced,[5] and American dates listed for May and August 2011,[9][10] and European dates are listed for June and July 2011.[11] Following the release of the album,a worldwide tour began on 11 May 2011 in Westbury,New York. The North American concerts were followed by concerts in Europe,South America and Asia. The tour went to thirty-five countries. It ended on 8 December 2011 in Wolverhampton,England.
Six songs from the album were performed live,namely "Steal Your Heart Away","Love Will Set You Free","One of These Days","Fare Thee Well","My Evil Ways" and "Forevermore". Two former Whitesnake band members,Adrian Vandenberg and Bernie Marsden,played as guests on four concerts.
Forevermore was met with generally positive reviews upon release. Thom Jurek of AllMusic rated the album 3.5/5 and stated that "the album's first single,Love Will Set You Free,is top-notch Whitesnake that nods back to the early years while grounding itself in the present." He also stated that the tracks "All Out of Luck" and "Tell Me How" "measure up in the same way".[12]
In the United States,the album debuted at number 49 on the Billboard 200,with 12,000 copies sold at its first week.[22] This was an improvement since their previous release Good to Be Bad (2008) opened at number 70,selling only 8,000 copies,eventually peaking at number 62.[23] In its second week,the album fell to number 127. It additionally reached number three and five on Top Tastemaker Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums,respectively. It also reached number 13 on Top Rock Albums and number ten on Independent Albums.[24] As of May 2015,Forevermore has sold 44,000 copies since its release.[25]
In Japan,the album debuted at number 18,spending 11 weeks on that chart.[26]Forevermore had similar successes across European markets. In Scandanavia,it performed better there,peaking at number six in Sweden,11 in Finland and 16 in Norway.[27] Overall,the album charted in 15 countries.
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