Within Temptation's "The Unforgiving"

To say Within Temptation’s upcoming CD, The Unforgiving (release date March 29, 2011), is a good album is an understatement.  Simply put, it is a masterpiece of the prog metal, symphonic rock genre.  There are no fillers or afterthoughts here.  If anything, the only let down is that as the album reaches its climax with Demon’s Fate and Stairway to the skies, it suddenly concludes.  The 50-some minutes of songs most definitely leaves one wanting for more. 

Within Temptation said in an interview recently that they were trying to make an “80s rock album,” borrowing musical ideas from a by-gone era they (and myself included) fondly grew up in.  However, it’s more fair to say that Within Temptation took the best elements from the 80s rock universe – over the top guitar solos, slick production, and soaring melody lines - and added to the mix sprinkles of dance, techno, and electronica.  Fortunately, of all the band members only the exquisite and ever-so-lovely Sharon Den Adel has the Pantene Pro V-worthy hair reminiscent of 80s hair bands, as most of the band members are bald.  Seriously, with numbers like Shot in the Dark and Sinead, remove the guitar tracks and voila, you have dance-ready hits suitable for the club scene. 

It has been a thrill to witness the evolution of this band.  With its inception in 1996 as a raw, rough, unreconstructed Goth metal outfit, then finding its true voice with the help of producer/teen pop guru Daniel Gibson as a symphonic rock band in The Silent Force, and finally coming full circle as a symphonic metal ensemble with The Heart of Everything, Within Temptation seems to have reached the pinnacle of its international success – as well as of its trademark sound and music.  Within Temptation set a very high bar for itself when it last left us with the 2008 live album/concert video Black Symphony, where the band was backed by the Dutch national orchestra, Metropole Orchestra, and in which every one of their hits got a makeover and a shot of adrenaline via strings, horns and choir. 

Within Temptation has managed to up the ante in The Unforgiving by pushing through the boundaries of symphonic metal with the addition of the aforementioned elements, as well as placing the lyrical and musical content in the structure of a “concept album.”  Lesson of the day:  a concept album (usually released by prog rock/metal bands) is one that is unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical, unlike most albums that have unconnected (lyrically or otherwise) songs.  Only a few prog metal bands have successfully executed “concept albums.”  By my last count those were Dream Theater’s Scenes from a Memory (1999) and Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime in 1988 (not to discount the great concept albums from bands like Pink Floyd, Genesis, Rush, etc., but those were in the 70s).  Interestingly, all three albums revolve around the themes of death, redemption, and rebirth, common motifs in the endeavors of human struggle. 

The creme de la creme of this work of perfection is without a doubt Demon’s Fate.  A song with lyrics that read as if it came from the Book of Revelations (see here for lyrics), Demon’s Fate begins with synth beats and a filtered chant from Sharon, and then unleashes the awesome melding of the quintessential 80’s rock vibe with Within Temptation’s trademark sound.

With The Unforgiving, gone are the upper, stratospheric reaches of Sharon Den Adel’s meso soprano range.  Also gone are the duets with guest vocalists (which worked wonderfully, as Keith Caputo and Anneka van Giersbergen’s lower vocal range complemented Sharon’s higher register beautifully). Instead, we have more synthesizers and guitar solos – as a guitar player who appreciates virtuosic shredding, definitely a thumbs up.  Never knew you had it in you, shred meister Ruud Jolie!

Where does this leave Within Temptation?  A cynic would say that Within Temptation is nothing more than a chameleon, trying to predict the changing fads of the music scene to stay relevant.  However, looking at the evolution of the band, one can see the logical growth and maturation of Within Temptation and its inevitable journey down the path that this band has traveled on.  Has Within Temptation finally found its true calling as a symphonic metal band+?  Only time will tell.