Within Temptation
Gothic Metal
Netherlands
Active
One of today's most popular gothic metal groups both in Europe and in the US, Within Temptation has risen to prominence quickly despite having a fairly small catalogue for their ten-year career, thanks to the beauty of Sharon den Adel's soprano vocals. She is truly a treasure, measuring up on par with female singers like Liv Kristine (Leaves' Eyes, ex-Theatre Of Tragedy) and Floor Jansen (After Forever).
Within Temptation's first release, Enter, is by far their darkest release, featuring doomdeath vocals alongside den Adel's soprano and gloomy, atmospheric melodies that could easily be mistaken for some of Theatre Of Tragedy from the same period. Mother Earth is a bit softer and more contemplative, heavily emphasizing the vocals and brightening the overall tone of the album. Gone also are the doom vocals, replaced by choral accompaniment on a number of songs.
The Silent Force and The Heart Of Everything take this evolution another step further. While the choral backing, heavy keyboards and symphonic elements still retain the character of previous releases, they've kicked the tempo up a notch and introduced more of a hard rock vibe in some of the guitar work, added an additional track of den Adel accompanying herself on some songs, and overall produced a more popular sound that should continue to attract new fans.
Darktronica favorites are "Ice Queen," "Restless (Classical Version)", "Mother Earth," and "See Who I Am."
Members
Jeroen van Veen - bass
Martijn Spierenburg - keyboards
Robert Westerholt - guitars
Ruud Jolie - guitars
Sharon den Adel - vocals
Stephen van Haestregt - drums
Former members:
Ciro Palma - drums
Ivar de Graaf - drums
Michiel Papenhove - guitars
Band Links
Official website
Myspace profile
Within Temptation Discography
Enter
(1997, DSFA)
1. Restless
2. Enter
3. Pearls of Light
4. Deep Within
5. Gatekeeper
6. Grace
7. Blooded
8. Candles
9. Restless (Classical Version)
The Dance (EP)
(1997, DSFA)
1. The Dance
2. Another Day
3. The Other Half (Of Me)
4. Restless (Remix)
Mother Earth
(2001, DSFA)
1. Mother Earth
2. Ice Queen
3. Our Farewell
4. Caged
5. The Promise
6. Never-Ending Story
7. Deceiver Of Fools
8. Intro
9. Dark Wings
10. In Perfect Harmony
11. World Of Make Believe
Running Up That Hill (EP)
(2004, BMG)
1. Running Up That Hill
2. Running Up That Hill (Live At The Edisons Amsterdam)
3. Deceiver Of Fools (Live At Lowlands 2002)
4. Caged (Live At Lowlands 2002)
5. Never Ending Story (Live At Lowlands 2002)
The Silent Force
(2004, BMG)
1. Intro
2. See Who I Am
3. Julian (I'd Give My Heart)
4. Stand My Ground
5. Pale
6. Forsaken
7. Angels
8. Memories
9. Aquarius
10. It's The Fear
11. Somewhere
12. A Dangerous Mind (Bonus Track)
13. The Swan Song (Bonus Track)
The Heart Of Everything
(2007, Roadrunner)
1. The Howling
2. What Have You Done
3. Frozen
4. Our Solemn Hour
5. The Heart Of Everything
6. Hand Of Sorrow
7. The Cross
8. Final Destination
9. All I Need
10. The Truth Beneath The Rose
11. Forgiven
12. What Have You Done (Rock Mix)
Black Symphony (Live)
(2008, GUN Records)
Disc 1
1. Ouverture
2. Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)
3. The Howling
4. Stand My Ground
5. The Cross
6. What Have You Done
7. Hand Of Sorrow
8. The Heart Of Everything
9. Forgiven
10. Somewhere
11. The Swan Song
12. Memories
Disc 2
1. Our Solemn Hour
2. The Other Half (Of Me)
3. Frozen
4. The Promise
5. Angels
6. Mother Earth
7. The Truth Beneath The Rose
8. Deceiver Of Fools
9. All I Need
10. Ice Queen
Forgiven (EP)
(2008, GUN Records)
1. Forgiven (Single Version)
2. Forgiven (Album Version)
3. The Howling (Live)
4. Hand Of Sorrow (Live)
5. The Heart Of Everything (Live)
An Acoustic Night At The Theatre (Live)
(2009, Sony)
1. Towards The End
2. Stand My Ground
3. Caged
4. All I Need
5. Frozen
6. Somewhere
7. The Cross
8. Pale
9. What Have You Done
10. Memories
11. Forgiven
12. Utopia
Last updated November 29, 2009.
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