Within Temptation

[Omega Weapon]

From left to right: Robert Westerholt, Stephen van Haestregt, Sharon Den Adel, Martijn Spierenburg, Ruud Adrianus Jolie and Jeroen van Veen.

Within Temptation is...:

Within Temptation is a Dutch rock band. The band was founded in 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. Their music is variously described as symphonic metal, as well as gothic metal in some media, although in an interview, Den Adel said they fell into a symphonic rock genre with various influences.

Directly after the release of their first album Enter, the band became prominent in the underground scene. It would however take until 2001, when they became known by the general public, with the single "Ice Queen" from the album Mother Earth, which reached #2 on the charts.Since then, the band won the Conamus Exportprijs five years in a row. Their next album The Silent Force debuted at #1 on the Dutch charts. Their latest album, The Heart of Everything, also debuted at #1.

Well, I discovered Within Temptation very much by accident and wow! This band is surprisingly brilliant. It's been a long time since I haven't heard a group with such enthusiastic and excellent balance. I'm not exaggerating here, Within Temptation has absolutely blown me away. I fell completely in love with their music, it is dark, powerful, gorgeous and at times very disturbing. Their mix of orchestral music and heavy mettle riffing along with Sharon's amazing voice range landed their music as an instant staple in my collection.

Sharon is clearly the star of the band, She is truly a talented singer, her voice sounds so smooth and powerful. I have to say that she has the best female voice I've ever heard in my entire life. Thankfully, her band supports her with good guitar rifts, base lines and beats, letting her navigate the music with her voice.

I have all their studio albums, Enter, Mother Earth, The Silent Force and The Heart of Everything. My favorite is The Heart of Everything, It is definitely the best work Within Temptation has done.

The band's live performance is incredible, I think here's where the true quality and talent of Within Temptation becomes apparent. It's safe to say that Sharon is by far the best female singer I've ever heard live. If you haven't seen them live on YouTube yet you should definitely do so! You won't believe it but they sound even better live than in their studio work.

My favorite songs by Within Temptation are:

Enter (1997):

• Restless
• Pearls of Light
• Deep Within
• Grace
• Blooded
• The Gatekeeper

Mother Earth (2001):

• Mother Earth
• Ice Queen
• Dark Wings
• Our Farewell
• In Perfect Harmony
• Never-Ending Story
• Deceiver of Fools

The Silent Force (2005):

• Angels
• A Dangerous Mind
• It's the Fear
• Memories
• Pale
• Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)
• See Who I Am
• Stand My Ground
• The Swan Song
• Somewhere
• Forsaken

The Heart of Everything (2007):

• What Have You Done
• Our Solemn Hour
• The Howling
• Frozen
• The Heart of Everything
• Hand of Sorrow
• The Cross
• Forgiven
• Final Destination
• The Truth Beneath The Rose

Bottom line: Within Temptation has become one of my all-time favorite bands. They are by far the best symphonic rock band I've ever heard in my entire life and now I have all their albums I can say they have matured as artists in ways that most bands don't. They are just brilliant.

So yeah, Do you like Within Temptation?