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General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: bosk1 on June 05, 2009, 02:14:32 PM
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Can't believe there isn't a Within Temptation thread on the new iteration of the forum. Wow. Well, there is now. :biggrin:
I just scored the U.S. re-release of Mother Earth at Best Buy. Listening now, and so far, it does not disappoint AT ALL! (and I know a few of the songs already from the Black Symphony release) So far, I REALLY like everything I've heard from them except the stuff on Enter. The other three albums are all REALLY good.
Appreciate, discuss, etc. Now.
BTW, does anyone know where the song "The Other Half (Of Me)" comes from? I assumed it was this album, since this is the only studio album I didn't previously have, but it's not on here. They perform it live on Black Symphony and, apparently, their other live DVD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojkHVVtYeJg
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They're awful.
Seriously, what do you like about them? (other than the fit singer)
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Did you not read the thread title, or are you intentionally trying to get banned for trolling?
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Did you not read the thread title, or are you intentionally trying to get banned for trolling?
Sorry, I missed 'appreciation'.
I did try to delete my post.
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Love em. I basically agree with the OP.
Enter is rather lame, with a few good ballads. Mother Earth is brilliant, Silent Force is...good I guess, just lacking something. Uhh the one after Silent Force, forgot it's name, well it's what silent force should have been. And black symphony is amazing in every way.
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*Appreciates*
I love them too. Sharon has such a beautiful voice. Agrees with Bosk. :heart Sharon.
The Other Half of Me comes from The Dance EP, along with two other original songs and a couple remixes.
Recently I've been hooked on Our Farewell. I still need to get Black Symphony, but can't find it anywhere.
Did I mention I :heart Sharon?
Some of my favorites:
Ice Queen
Our Farewell
Deciever Of Fools
Dark Wings
See Who I Am
Memories
Somewhere
The Howling
Hand Of Sorrow
All I Need
I was actually planning on making a new Best of CD today, but fell asleep. I think that there's still time.
He'd seem hopeless and los-
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How can I explain my love to them? :heart
From the album ENTER to their last masterpiece THE HEART OF EVERYTHING make them adorable gothic-senfonic metal group.
And Sharon Del Adel my very lovely lead singer, having very emotional, touching voice.
Exactly; I can listen RESTLESS forever, especially when i make myself ready to sleep, i just open that song, closed my eyes, touch WT's every wonderful notes and feel Sharon's lovely voice :heart :heart :heart
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Here's my Best Of:
1. Running Up That Hill
2. Mother Earth
3. Ice Queen (First I typed Iced Earth without thinking...)
4. Our Farewell
5. Dark Wings
6. Deciever Of Fools
7. See Who I Am
8. Stand My Ground
9. Memories
10. It's The Fear
11. Somewhere
12. The Howling
13. Hand Of Sorrow
14. All I Need
15. The Truth Beneath The Rose
I wish CDs were longer than 80 minutes.
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I love Mother Earth and really like The Heart of Everything. I like Silent Force quite a lot as well, but I agree with Adami that it lacks a certain something, not sure what but I just see it as less exciting.
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I love The Heart of Everything, Like The Silent Force a lot, but don't like the other albums much. I should probably give Mother Earth a better chance, but as far as female-fronted metal bands I much prefer Epica.
forgiven = best song amirite?
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Ice Queen is such a great song!
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Yay, dutch band.
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I only own Black Symphony, but I will say it is the only convert DVD I’ve ever seen that is able to perfectly balance being a cinematic experience and having the feel of actually being at the show in person.
Their music is not anything stellar. They just write good, solid, enjoyable music. My next major haul will be including one or two of their studio albums.
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I never really loved Mother Earth, but The Heart of Everything is Killer. Those are the only two albums of theirs that I've got. Maybe I should look into their back catalog some more.
Do you have Ayreon's "Into the Electric Castle"? That's the album that actually introduced me to Within Temptation. I loved Sharon's performance on it so I had to go out and find more stuff featuring her.
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Just discovered this band through Pandora. I really enjoyed the few songs I have heard from them and I have never really been into female vocalists in metal music, but something about this band is really catchy. I just got The Heart of Everything so I will have to listen and decide how much I actually like this band.
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So, anyone heard their new acoustic live album? Listening on Spotify right now and it's ace!
The version of Somewhere with Anneke Van Giersbergen in a duet is sooooooo nice!
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Not out until next week. Haven't heard it yet. Not that I mind since I'm busy listening to The Whirlwind, but just saying.
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Not out until next week. Haven't heard it yet. Not that I mind since I'm busy listening to The Whirlwind, but just saying.
You did well to add that last sentence, as I was about to start laughing at you.
Dammit why can't The Whirlwind come out. :(
But yeah this CD is really good, the arrangements are done very nicely!
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I've never heard them, what're they like?
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Kind of like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw4TsL8YgD4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqRn0rLq1c
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They're pretty similar to Nightwish, aren't they?
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In some ways. Same genre, but I would say they have a much different style and a much stronger singer.
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I'll have to check them out on Lala or Rhapsody sometime.
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I love me some Within Temptation!! Black Symphony is just an amazing album/concert DVD and what can I say about Sharon? I love everything about her, and I do mean EVERYTHING!
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I'll have to check them out on Lala or Rhapsody sometime.
Or...you could start by clicking on the two videos I posted links to.
I love me some Within Temptation!! Black Symphony is just an amazing album/concert DVD and what can I say about Sharon? I love everything about her, and I do mean EVERYTHING!
Best concert DVD in my collection, hands down. The music, the performance, the cinematography...it is all just about perfect.
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It's one of the best DVD I've ver seen! Right up there with Snakes & Arrows.
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Damn I'm going to have to get that DVD, it sounds amazing!
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Damn I'm going to have to get that DVD, it sounds amazing!
It is!!! GET IT NAO!!!!
By the way, anyone have any information on their new album?
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The accoustic one, or the new studio album? The last thing I heard about the studio album is some unspecified time next year. I think very early in the year, they said they planned on working on it in '09, but Sharon getting pregant and giving birth put that off. I haven't heard any more recent news, and there's nothing on their website.
I did notice that they have some tour dates scheduled in Europe in March and April. And according to Wikipedia, "In an interview on the dutch website Nu.nl the band announced that their new album would probably be release in the autumn of 2010, after finishing their second accoustic theatre tour, planned in April 2010." I'm certainly hoping they bring the tour over here to the U.S. Sucks that it looks like a new studio album won't be out for about another year though.
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Thanks Bosk.
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Released earlier today:
By WT official 189 comments Sharon: Important news…
Hello everyone,
As we are all gearing up for the release of our new album I have news which might come as a surprise:Robert and I are expecting a child. To be honest, this was not planned at all, but we’re very happy about it as we experience our kids as an enrichment of our lives.
I’m happy to tell you that the release of our new album will not change: March 2011! The recordings for the album are completed and the songs are being mixed right now, all preparations for the release are in full swing, so there is no reason to put things on hold.
However, we couldn’t avoid rescheduling our tour as it will be impossible for me to deliver a great show for you while being in the final months of my pregnancy. Also due to the complications during the previous pregnancies it is dangerous for our baby and for me to be very active in these final months.
The tour dates have already been re-scheduled to the fall of 2011. The tickets you have bought will remain valid for the new dates which can be found on this page. We understand that the re-scheduling of our tour is a blow for you and we can only sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused as we very much appreciate the fact that so many of you have bought tickets for the shows early on.
We hope for your understanding and support and we’ll do everything to make the up-coming tour the best you’ve ever seen from us yet!
All the best from Sharon & Within Temptation
I had to read this three times to make sure it wasn't an old release since Robert and Sharon just had a baby a few months ago. Wow. Be fruitful and multiply, indeed. :lol Can't wait for the new album. Obiously, I understand and support the reasoning for delaying the tour, but I'm bummed that I will apparently NEVER get to see them live in the U.S.
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Awesome news about the album! :caffeine:
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Oh, and more specifically about the album itself (this one was I think released a couple of weeks ago):
next album
The Unforgiving
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Recently we’ve started giving clues on the website about our concept album. As you might have noticed our concept album is going to be based on a comic book series, written by Steven O’Connell (BloodRayne & Dark 48). We’ve asked comic artist Romano Molenaar (Witchblade, Darkness and X-men) to draw the characters and scenery.
The new album and comic will be titled: “The Unforgiving”.
On this album, we’ve taken a totally different approach. Each song on “The Unforgiving” was written along Steven’s narrative. The main characters of the comic are reflecting the characters of our songs. The concept pushed us and gave inspiration to come up with a new approach in our sound. It resulted in writing our best songs so far.
We have been big comic fans since our childhood. With this album we felt the time was there to take a new step in our creative development, take it further and broaden our horizon. Next to the concept form of the album, the songs are more divers than ever before. In addition, the music of the late 80ies, that’s when we started to read comic books, certainly has left a mark on our new sound.
For the new album which will be released March 2011, we’re working together with producer: Daniel Gibson. Daniel worked also on “The Silent Force” and “The Heart of Everything”.
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New WT album :tup
Thinking about someone boning Sharon other than myself :tdwn
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To be fair, if Sharon was my wife/girlfriend, I'd be banging her every few hours as well.
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Yeah, if she was my wife or girlfriend, ...well, she'd be almost as hot as my actual wife. :)
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Yeah, if she was my wife or girlfriend, ...well, she'd be almost as hot as my actual wife. :)
Looks like you gotta get your wife pregnant then.
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Oh, don't worry. We've been down that road. We just had our third this summer, remember?
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Oh, don't worry. We've been down that road. We just had our third this summer, remember?
I don't remember a damn thing about summer. Sadly. :(
But a late congrats.
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Yeah, if she was my wife or girlfriend, ...well, she'd be almost as hot as my actual wife. :)
Looks like your wife was looking over your shoulder as you typed. :p
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Yeah, if she was my wife or girlfriend, ...well, she'd be almost as hot as my actual wife. :)
Looks like your wife was looking over your shoulder as you typed. :p
:lol I can vouch for the fact that she wasn't.
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I had no idea Mrs. Bosk was a DTF member. Howdy. :)
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So, they released their new single, Faster, a couple of weeks ago. Anyone else heard it?
Official promo vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDJpf2mQ0w4
Love the chorus, and Sharon is sounding amazing!
EDIT: Figured I'd merge the two threads together, keep the discussion in one place. :)
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Not a terrible song... but they can do better than that..
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Can't wait for this new album and the new single is sounding amazing IMO. Listening to Silent Force at the minute; not listened to this album in ages...love it! ;D
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I just got an e-mail that they're playing Terminal 5 in NYC in September. Since when are they big enough to play a 6,000 capacity venue?!
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Just listened to 'Faster.' Missed the update in this thread somehow. Great song, anxious to hear the rest of the album!
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I want to hear the rest of the album, as it's less choiry and more straight-foward rockish.
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Loved it
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wow, the chorus :metal
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New album out today. Discuss! Haven’t bought yet as I am completing an amazon.com order – and haven’t decided on which version to get.
Reading comments on amazon (yes, I know I’m not supposed to do that…), there are three songs available for download only. Is this the future of b-sides? Why aren’t they on the album proper? Marketing them as ‘bonus’ songs is bs. A bonus is something including as part of something purchased, not something you pay extra for.
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Awesome album. Bought it last night. Definitely their best. Sentence fragment.
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Bought it yesterday and only have one listen in so far. I'm mostly liking what I hear. The album starts off a little slow, IMO, but builds. Sonically, it is a logical progression from The Heart Of Everything. There is at times some really cool riffage. For example, I think it was the third song (In The Middle Of The Night) where the who first verse was just a chunky chugging away on a muted chord. That contined through the first verse, and I was actually getting impatient thinking "this sounds cool, but I'm really disappointed that they are basing the entire song around something so simplistic." Then, bam! Second verse: they throw in some really sinister riffing out of nowhere and change it up a bit before going back into the chorus. When they later went back into the chugging riff, it was a lot more satisfying in context with the other parts. Anyway, some cool stuff going on.
Sharon's vocals may be a bit stronger this time around, but not as dynamic. The lyrics on the first couple of songs were pretty disappionting. THOE had some terrific lyrics. But on the first couple of tracks on this album, they're almost vapid. But some of the stuff later on seemed a lot better. I still have no clue what the story is about. Not sure whether that's because I just haven't listened closely, if it is intentionally vague, or if the lyrics just aren't written that well. I got the SE with DVD, so maybe watching that will shed some light as well.
EDIT: Yeah, it was definitely In The Middle Of The Night that had that riffing. Perhaps some of the best riffage on the entire album.
Iron is incredibly catchy. Big, memorable, simultaneously upbeat yet dark chorus. Nice guitar soloing. They pull off the ultimate anthem cliche in this song: Chorus after the guitar solo => repeat chorus half a step higher. Clicke, but it works.
:metalol: at the Phantom of the Opera riff in A Demon's Fate. Not sure if they were doing an intentional reference or not. If it was intentional, it's strangely appropriate in this song.
EDIT2: Where is Adami? I thought for sure he would have built a time machine, gone forward in time to the release date to buy the album, and then gone back, thus having the album before any of us. Why no commentary?
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Great album, but I still miss Tarja. :(
Oh, wait. Wrong band. :biggrin:
So as far as the extra "bonus tracks," they are NOT on the special edition, in case anyone was wondering. >:( The only ones I know of are Empty Eyes, I Don't Wanna, and The Last Dance. Does anyone know if that is all of them?
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Sorry Bosk, no time machine for me. :(
But I haven't heard the album yet, I have been crazy busy with too many things and haven't had time to go buy it. I heard Faster though, it was well played but it didn't really do anything for me. However once I get some free time I'll go get it, I'm sure it will be lovely. :)
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Easily their best.
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I wouldn't call it their best, but it is definitely very good. I wish the story was a bit easier to follow though. I'm still not really sure what's going on at all.
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Need to get this new album.
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Bought it today (digital download, running out of space for actual CDs so having to limit that to my favourite bands or albums that really excite me!).
About half way through so far, really really liking it. Seems maybe a bit less diverse than the last album, so far anyway, but the choruses are amazing and Sharon is sounding really fantastic!
Oh man Iron is such an epic song!
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Some random notes...
***concept plot spoilers***
I'm struggling a bit with the "concept" part of this as a concept album. It's a lot more clear now after watching the videos on the DVD, but there is still a lot of grey. Kind of a neat idea, but I have mixed feelings about the whole "multimedia experience" part of this concept album. What I mean is, best I can tell, it's virtually impossible to get a very good sense of any story or what is going on just from the lyrics because the lyrics simply don't tell a linear story. You have to read the comic and watch the short films on the DVD to really get the full picture. (Speaking of the comic, does anyone know whether they are selling a paper version, or is it only the electronic version on the DVD?) On one hand, this really pushes the boundaries of what a "concept album" is and adds another dimension where the listener can't help but have images evoked from the comic and films when listening to the music. On the other hand, the story just flat-out isn't told well from a lyrical standpoint. Some of the lyrics on the album are fantastic because they are just well written or at least move the story forward. Some are horrible because they are vague and/or overly simplistic and have me wondering how the same band that wrote lyrics for The Heart Of Everything could have written some of these. Anyhow, like I said, this isn't necessarily a knock on this album. I'm undecided about how I feel about this and how it works.
As far as the short films themselves, they are pretty cool. Overall, I think they're well-done. Some of the acting isn't tip-top quality, and some of the shots are cliche. But I still think they work well with the album concept. My only complaint is that I wish they would have done something to show a bit of the resolution of the story. We've got Mother Maiden, who she is, and a little bit about why she does what she does. We've got Sinead's origins and, in the Sinead video itself, Sinead acting as the resurrected assassin. And we've got the triplets, both in origin, and as Mother Maiden's minions. That's all very cool, and I have no complaints about what is there. But I found myself wanting more meat about whatever the major conflict and resolution are for these characters. I'm assuming that is in the comic (and maybe there is no resolution there because maybe this is only the beginning of Sinead's character), which I haven't read yet. But another short film with some of that would have been much appreciated.
Oh, and as far as the videos: As a DT fan, while watching those, I was having MAJOR LOL moments whenever they would flash to the drummer. I've you've watched these videos, you know why. :lol
Lastly, I just have to comment on Sharon's voice. Yeah, it's a studio recording, and you can pretty much do whatever you want in the studio to pretty much make anyone sound great. But I haven't heard Sharon sound this fierce EVER. Everything she does is so smooth on this album. I hope I get a chance to see them on this tour.
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it's a studio recording, and you can pretty much do whatever you want in the studio to pretty much make anyone sound great.
Apart from Rebecca Black, apparently.
Regarding your issues over the concept album side of things, I really can't see the problem. I only bought it on download so I don't get all the vids and comic book stuff, but the music is great and the lyrics are pretty neat. In terms of the concept itself, I don't feel that linear story-telling is mandatory; indeed I actually think making it more unusual and letting us use our imagination a bit is a nifty idea, and one that many bands have utilised before.
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I'm not saying it's a "problem," necessarily. But after reading through the lyrics again, I'm 100% convinced that you canNOT figure out anything significant about the story from the song lyrics. Maybe that's a problem and maybe it isn't. But it is "unusual" as far as concept albums go.
Here's a sort of premature "review" of the album that I posted somewhere else. It incorporates a lot of the last post toward the end, but there is lots of other info as well.
There are no spoilers in the first part of this "review." Since this is a concept album and some may not wish to know some of the details, I will post spoiler tags when I get into spoiler-type territory. And I hesitate to call this a "review" since I'm not really going to undertake what we would normally consider a detailed review of the album. This is just some of my initial stream-of-consciousness reaction and attempt to generate some discussion after having the album for a week.
First off, this was labeled a "concept album," but departs somewhat from what a traditional concept album has always been about. Traditionally, a concept album will not only have a well-defined concept or theme, but will also generally have a cast of characters moving through a formal plot of some sort, ala Operation: Mindcrime. In contrast, albums like Dark Side Of The Moon and Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, for example, are better examples of theme albums where there is a concept, but no story. This definitely is a concept album. However, the story is not completely told in the lyrics. In fact, taking the song lyrics in isolation, the album is somewhat similar to Symphony X's Paradise Lost, which was based on a work of fiction and loosely had some narrative, but no clear plot a listener could follow. On The Unforgiving, there are three distinct parts of the multimedia storytelling experience, and they are all interdependent on one another to tell the story. You not only have the music, but on the DVD that comes with the special edition, you also have the two other essential pieces: (1) the video short films; and (2) the comic/graphic novel. After having listened to the CD and read through the lyrics twice, I am convinced that you absolutely have to have the other two pieces to make any kind of sense of the story. But I will come back to this in just a bit.
First off, let me say that I really like this album. I think the band did a terrific job of creating good, catchy, well-written songs. I read a recent review where the reviewer was going on endlessly about how the band had taken their sound into a brand new territory and how different this album is. I strongly disagree. Other than a couple of songs adding in some dance-able beats, this album is a logical progression from The Heart Of Everything and does not really push out into any new territory not covered on that album. But that's fine and dandy. This band knows what they do well, and they mostly execute it very, very well.
I was nervous about the album when I first popped it in. The band had taken a long time off, was trying out an ambitious concept album, and had revealed in its first single, Faster, that at least part of the album would have pop-metal appeal. I thought to myself, "this could either be really good or a complete disaster."
The first track, and intro narrative titled Why Not Me did not convince me one way or the other. [*Don't worry--there still aren't any real spoilers coming*] The track introduces one of the characters and sets a dark stage for the story. I still couldn't decide whether this was cheesy or well-done.
Next up, Shot In The Dark. This one starts off slower than I was expecting. Kind of a dancy beat in the beginning, but it definitely started rocking. Not as bombastic a start as I might have expected for the first musical track on a concept album, but I was reserving judgment until I heard more.
In The Middle Of The Night was the next track, and this is where I really started to get nervous. The intro riff was okay, but didn't really do much for me. Then into the first verse, and it is just chugging away on muted power chords in a very simple, predictable way. In and of itself, it wasn't bad. But I really started to feel like maybe this album was NOT worth a 4-year wait. The song was just sounding far too simplistic. And based on the pop-metal first single and Shot In The Dark, I was not feeling very optimistic. Then after the first chorus, everything changed. Some of the most sinister and aggressive riffing I have ever heard from this band kicked in at about 1:45 and continued on. Then when they went back into the chugging, muted riff, it fit perfectly in the overall context of the song. This has become perhaps my favorite song on the album.
I'm not going to go song-by-song through the rest of the album. Suffice it to say, this album really has everything the band is known for. It has a good mix of up-tempo songs and slow songs. It has heavy. It has soft. Sharon's voice absolutely soars and sounds better than ever. The orchestration is beautiful and fits the songs very well. And the guitars are up front when they need to be, and take a back seat when called for. Overall, the word that probably best describes this album is "balance." It really does a fine job of incorporating lots of different things in just the right amounts.
Now on to a bit of criticism. Some of the lyrics are really, really good. Others I find really lacking. There are times when I seriously question how the band that penned some of the best lyrics on The Heart Of Everything could have written some of the lyrics on this album. And what's with the extreme overuse of the band's apparent new curse word, "damn?" Not that there's anything outright objectionable about it--it's probably the mildest form of profanity one could choose. But that's perhaps the problem. Why does it show up, not to describe damnation, but as a curse word, at least sixteen times? It's already weak as far as curse words go. And as far as creating any kind of impact, its overuse really dilutes any kind of impact it might otherwise have. Maybe the point is to convey a double meaning through overuse. But it just feels like they were trying to be edgy, but were worried about going too far by using some "real swear words."
Another problem with the lyrics is that they are incredibly vague and don't do a good job of telling the story. And here's where we start getting into spoilers, so...
***concept plot spoilers***
I'm struggling a bit with the "concept" part of this as a concept album. It's a lot more clear now after watching the videos on the DVD, but there is still a lot of grey. Kind of a neat idea, but I have mixed feelings about the whole "multimedia experience" part of this concept album. What I mean is, best I can tell, it's virtually impossible to get a very good sense of any story or what is going on just from the lyrics because the lyrics simply don't tell a linear story. You have to read the comic and watch the short films on the DVD to really get the full picture. (Speaking of the comic, does anyone know whether they are selling a paper version, or is it only the electronic version on the DVD?) On one hand, this really pushes the boundaries of what a "concept album" is and adds another dimension where the listener can't help but have images evoked from the comic and films when listening to the music. On the other hand, the story just flat-out isn't told well from a lyrical standpoint. Some of the lyrics on the album are fantastic because they are just well written or at least move the story forward. Some are horrible because they are vague and/or overly simplistic, as I mentioned above. This isn't necessarily a knock on the album as a whole, but I'm undecided about how I feel about this and how it works.
As far as the short films themselves, they are pretty cool. Overall, I think they're well-done. Some of the acting isn't tip-top quality, and some of the shots are cliche. But I still think they work well with the album concept. My only complaint is that I wish they would have done something to show a bit of the resolution of the story. We've got Mother Maiden, who she is, and a little bit about why she does what she does. I wonder from the song lyrics and some potential hints in the videos whether she is ready to "retire" and plans on having Sinead take her place. Hmm... We've got Sinead's origins and, in the Sinead video itself, Sinead acting as the resurrected assassin. And we've got the triplets, both in origin, and as Mother Maiden's minions. That's all very cool, and I have no complaints about what is there. But I found myself wanting more meat about whatever the major conflict and resolution are for these characters. I'm assuming that is in the comic (and maybe there is no resolution there because maybe this is only the beginning of Sinead's character), which I haven't read yet. But another short film with some of that would have been much appreciated. And who is the "he" in the lyrics in A Demon's Fate? Is there a demon pulling the strings behind Mother Maiden? Is he Mother Maiden's (and Sinead's) adversary? There is much to be explained here.
Oh, and as far as the videos: As a DT fan, while watching those, I was having MAJOR LOL moments whenever they would flash to the drummer. I've you've watched these videos, you know why.
Lastly, I just have to comment again on Sharon's voice. Yeah, it's a studio recording, and you can pretty much do whatever you want in the studio to pretty much make anyone sound great. But I haven't heard Sharon sound this fierce EVER. Everything she does is so smooth on this album. I hope I get a chance to see them on this tour.
Anyhow, that's it for now. Hopefully, the one or two other fans of this band on the forum will want to have some discussion and we can see where this goes...
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I can completely see what you're saying about In The Middle of the Night; it's fairly catchy but I do find it a little... nothingy I guess. It gets better half way through but it's still one of my least favourites.
Whereas Shot in the Dark I really enjoy, I dig the dance (ish) vibe at the start and I love the chorus. In fact, the choruses on this album are just immense, probably their best to date! The only reason I still slightly prefer The Heart of Everything is that I think that had a little more variety in tone - as much as I love the choruses on The Unforgiving, they're all pretty similar.
As for the lyrics, to be honest I haven't paid all that much attention to them yet. Again, I only bought it on download, and so I don't have the booklet or any of that, but they're probably online by now so maybe at the weekend I'll take the time to really read through them while listening.
Finally, back to the concept thing, I agree that it's much less common for the story of a concept album to not be clear/explicit/linear, but it does happen fairly often still. Can't think of many examples off the top of my head, but Pain of Salvation's albums definitely fall under this category.
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So apparently, after a little digging, the films (and I think the comic on the DVD) are the prequel story to the storyline on the CD and in the 6-issue comic series that will be coming out shortly. This is kind of a neat idea, although some may find it gimmicky. Well, I guess there's no denying that it's gimmicky. :lol But if it works, who cares? Ariich, you really should get the SE. The short films on the DVD are eery and really pull you into the darkness of the story. The commercial videos that are on YouTube are different versions than the videos on the DVD and cut together scenes from the shorts in a way that doesn't really tell you what's going on.
Anyhow, some song-specific comments:
Fire and Ice: Nice ballad. Not much more I can say than that. It doesn't really seem to fit the "concept" story, but it's a solid song. Nothing that departs radically from any other WT ballad.
Iron: Nice mid-album rocker. This song pulls the classic rock-anthem cliche of coming back to the chorus after the solo (and did I mention this album has some really tasty guitar solos?) and then taking it up half a step to add tension. ...and it TOTALLY works.
Where Is The Edge?: Big, soaring song that kind of typifies WT's sound. Nothing surprising here. But as with other songs, it just works. The string arrangements are just gorgeous. If you liked The Heart Of Everything, you will like this song.
Sinead: Dance beats. But...the song still works. The band venture off into pop/dance territory, but still manage to rock. I would be surprised if this song didn't garner a LOT of airplay and exposure. I also would not be surprised if a club mix surfaces at some point. The song just has hooks for days.
Murder: The return of Sharon's effects-laden vocal snarl (think The Heart Of Everything and The Cross). She sounds outright wicked on this song. The big string orchestration in the intro coupled with the title momentarily gave me Mindcrime II flashbacks when I first heard the song, but that quickly passed once Sharon's vocals kicked in. This is probably my second favorite on the album behind In The Middle Of The Night. The song starts a nice 3-song wrapup of the album.
A Demon's Fate: Some of Sharon's best singing on the album, and that's saying a lot. A fun, dark rocker that packs a lot of feeling. There is a moment in the song after the solo, however, that once you listen, you can never unhear ever again. Right before the main guitar solo, there is a moment that incorporates the Phantom of the Opera riff, which is strangly appropriate. And at the same time, there is a vocal line underneath that is eerily reminiscent of the keyboard part underneat the big power chords after the guitar solo in Separate Ways (Worlds Apart). It's not exact, but, again, the similarity is strong enough that I simply can't NOT hear it every time I listen now. :lol
Stairway To The Skies: A very moody, brooding piece. I've come to expect big, bombastic finales where concept albums are concerned. This is a surprising departure from that. But despite being a softer ending and having some similar thematic elements to All The Promises, this song is just gorgeous and is a fitting album closer. I really wish it were a bit more clear what's going on with the story at this point, but I think that when the last issue of the comic is released, we will know all. It seems that...
*spoiler alert!*
...the overall plan that Mother Maiden's assassins earn an entrance into heaven by paying their penance somehow goes wrong with Sinead. There are a few possibilities that seem supported by the lyrics, but I'm not sure. One is that perhaps she comes to focus more on the vengeance aspect of her assassin duties, comes to like or crave it, and becomes a dark soul herself, thereby losing the possibility of salvation. But the lyrics also seem to hint that she chooses to stay behind for somebody. Her daughter, perhaps? Not clear. It seems as though she is staying behind for somebody, but that she is also separated from someone who has gone to heaven and is waiting for her. Perhaps the latter is her father? Hmm...it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
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you really should get the SE.
I'll be keeping this in mind for when I really pick up the album. All too often I've just gone with iTunes or Amazon MP3, only to find that there's actual relevant things included in the booklet.
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Great album, but I still miss Tarja. :(
Oh, wait. Wrong band. :biggrin:
Oh my God. As I was reading this exact reply, the WI playlist on Youtube switched to Nightwish (Bye Bye Beautiful). That was insane!
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Ok....after all the gushing..I had to find out what was going on.
Im not a big "chick" vocal band.
This stuff really sounds like Heart to me, but spead up, a bit more crunch.
I like.
It's catchy.
I think the wife will dig it too.
So much for the June release date in the release date thread. At least I think that's what it said.
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Yeah I always think of most of WT's stuff as great pop music with an infusion of rock/metal.
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Was geared up to get this today, enter the store, and viola! No special edition. Since this is Hong Kong and everything's imported, I refuse to pay the equivalent of like 18 US dollars for the single disc version, especially when the other parts seem so central to the story.
Guess I'll be getting this some other time.
Did I mention Amazon and iTunes don't accept my HK bank card, either? Sometimes I really do just feel like I oughtta just steal everything off the internet ;D
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Welcome aboard PC.
YAR!!
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This album is incredible. I don't care that there's a more poppy sound to it, it's just damn awesome... possibly their best album?
It's kind of like SFAM though in that it's way better if you listen to it all at once.
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Special Edition arrived today! I'm going to be delving into it for the next couple hours. Will be sharing my thoughts later!
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I'm on my first listen now, I'm liking it so far - huge choruses! :tup
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Yeah that's the strong point, the choruses are just brilliant, and the pre-choruses.
My fave part at the moment is the "angels have faith..." bit in A Demon's Fate :metal
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Just listened to it for the first time. Loved it. This is the first time in a LONG time I've sat down with a new record and followed along with the lyrics as it played. Gotta love that feeling. Don't know why I don't do it more often!
Sadly, I still don't get the story. I guess that's what the extra DVD is for!
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almost done with first listen....get the feeling I will love it as much as their last release
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I think it's absolutely fantastic.
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Just watch the movies on the second disc. Were cool. I have a better idea of the story now, but still don't completely get it. Gotta read the comic, too.
I love the sound of this album.
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Still have only listened to "faster", but I freaking love it and keep playing it on Youtube.
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GET THE ALBUM, NOOB!
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I AM KINDA POOR RIGHT NOW YOU NAME CALLING SISSY PANTS
WAIT I AM A HYPOCRITE
Ahem, yeah, I'll get it ASAP. Is it every bit as good as Faster?
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Faster is, IMO, the weakest song on the album. Yeah, it's THAT good.
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*giggles* You're just SAYING that to make me get the album
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Faster is one of my favorite songs on the album, actually. I love the intro... but they're all great. I can't even pick a least favorite one to be honest.
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Faster is one of my favorite songs on the album, actually. I love the intro... but they're all great. I can't even pick a least favorite one to be honest.
That.
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*giggles* You're just SAYING that to make me get the album
No, I'm saying it because the album is really that good. This is one of very few albums I've bought from any band where I can say there truly isn't even a single weak track on the entire thing.
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The only songs I don't like are some of those bonus ones on the DVD. The one with the male singer doesn't really do anything for me. I've listened to the bonus stuff maybe one time, though.
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Obtaining a copy of it now, will listen when I get back from work
Edit:
*giggles* You're just SAYING that to make me get the album
No, I'm saying it because the album is really that good. This is one of very few albums I've bought from any band where I can say there truly isn't even a single weak track on the entire thing.
I know, hence my girlish giggling. *clears throat*
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Just downloaded the bonus tracks from Amazon, and I have a long roadtrip ahead of me. I r excite.
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Just downloaded the bonus tracks from Amazon, and I have a long roadtrip ahead of me. I r excite.
Why? Aren't they all included in the special edition bonus dvd?
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Listened to the first 7 songs in my for the first time today.
Wow. Not quite as good as their second album, but just as good if not better than the last two cd's they made. The production is outstanding and Sharon's voice is on fire. I'm actually quite jealous that they can write such amazingly strong and catchy melodies in every single song while I have problems writing any to my music.
I look forward to listening to the rest of it.
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Just downloaded the bonus tracks from Amazon, and I have a long roadtrip ahead of me. I r excite.
Why? Aren't they all included in the special edition bonus dvd?
Nope. They're on various non-U.S. editions only. But I can't complain about paying $.99 each on Amazon. Listened to them a couple of times on the drive today. Good songs, but overall not as strong as the regular album tracks. The Last Dance has some really interesting vocals from Sharon. This is almost completely a folk song--no metal at all. But still pretty neat. The other two are pretty good, too.
Listened to the first 7 songs in my for the first time today.
Wow. Not quite as good as their second album, but just as good if not better than the last two cd's they made. The production is outstanding and Sharon's voice is on fire. I'm actually quite jealous that they can write such amazingly strong and catchy melodies in every single song while I have problems writing any to my music.
I look forward to listening to the rest of it.
The last three are amazing to close the album out.
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This is a great album upon first listen, though I will need more time to digest. Love it.
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Did you get the SE or regular edition?
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Um...I don't know, I obtained this copy...from a friend.
There are 15 tracks on it.
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>:(
Okay, so you have the album tracks plus the three bonus tracks, but you don't have the DVD. That's what I was trying to find out.
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Haha I will buy it once I get the funds ;)
Listening again, really great homework music :metal
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Sharon Den Adel is watching you...
...do homework.
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Now it's not just my grades going up
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Nope. They're on various non-U.S. editions only. But I can't complain about paying $.99 each on Amazon. Listened to them a couple of times on the drive today. Good songs, but overall not as strong as the regular album tracks. The Last Dance has some really interesting vocals from Sharon. This is almost completely a folk song--no metal at all. But still pretty neat. The other two are pretty good, too.
Yeah, I think videos for them are on my DVD. I didn't buy it inside the US, so that might explain why mine is special. I don't get why they'd shoot videos for songs that weren't included on the normal and even most of the special editions of the album though.
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Wait...you have videos for I Don't Wanna, Empty Eyes, and The Last Dance?
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Wait...you have videos for I Don't Wanna, Empty Eyes, and The Last Dance?
Hm, actually I don't. I have a video for some song called "Utopia" which wasn't on my album. I hadn't looked at the DVD since I bought the album.
Are all 3 bonus songs worth getting in your opinion?
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If you're a fan of the band, yes, definitely. They aren't as strong as the album tracks, but still good. Here are some comments I wrote about them on Samsara's forum:
Anyhow, I can't believe how consistent this album is. I can honestly say there isn't even a single weak track. I began wondering to myself today whether that's just my inner WT fanboy blinding me to some of the weaker songs. But, honestly, I just don't think there are any. A good comparison was the bonus tracks, which I downloaded this morning and listened to a few times on a road trip I had to take out of the office. They are good, but are definitely a tier below the album tracks. I'm glad the band kept all of the strongest tracks for the album and used the weaker tracks as the bonus material for the various non-U.S. editions. Still, they're not bad at all. I Don't Wanna is standard, middle-of-the-road WT fare (which is to say it is a good song, but nothing out of the ordinary). The Last Dance is a straight up folk song, but has some really neat, creative vocals by Sharon. Dare I say it...she's...yodeling. Yes, you read that correctly. But don't write it off until you've heard it. She makes it work. And I once again have to give her props for being one of the most creative metal vocalists out there and one who truly treats her voice as an instrument that she can experiment and achieve all kinds of different results with. Empty Eyes is probably my favorite of the three. Good song.
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Well, I love The Silent Force, Heart of Everything, and this one. Anything before that, not so much. Sorry, but I think Sharon's voice sounds really... strange on the earlier stuff. I also didn't like the Utopia song very much even though the album is awesome, but after listening to these others on amazon I think I'm gonna have to check 'em out.
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Oh yeah. I forgot about that video. Yeah, I have that too. That was actually done before the Unforgiven sessions and isn't really part of this album (other than the fact that they decided to include it on the DVD).
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During our fifth show of 'PROGress on Radio Monashh' we were lucky enough to interview Ruud Jolie from Within Temptation about his new solo project, 'ForAllWeKnow'. We discussed the creation of the album, the incredible musicians playing with him on the album, what it's like to release an album independently as well as the breif tour he has planned in support of the album. We also featured one of the songs from the 'ForAllWeKnow' album called 'Busy Being Somebody Else'.
You can find the link to the show and inteview here: https://soundcloud.com/progress-on-radio-monash/show-5-progress-on-radio
Thanks and enjoy the interview!
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So I've listened to the whole album now minus the bonus tracks. And while the album is very good, it feels a bit too.....poppy for me, if that makes sense. Murder is the one dark song on the entire CD, and maybe it works only in contrast, but I was hoping for some more diversity or experimentation, but a lot of the songs kind of sound samey and there's a bit too much..........I dunno, electro popness to them? If that makes sense.
Still a good album though.
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So I've listened to the whole album now minus the bonus tracks. And while the album is very good, it feels a bit too.....poppy for me, if that makes sense. Murder is the one dark song on the entire CD, and maybe it works only in contrast, but I was hoping for some more diversity or experimentation, but a lot of the songs kind of sound samey and there's a bit too much..........I dunno, electro popness to them? If that makes sense.
Still a good album though.
A few more listens and this is about how I feel. Still will get rotation from me.
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Listening to the album again for the first time in a couple of weeks, and it's still so good!
And Iron is still my favourite. Great anthemic choruses and absolutely epic bridge/solo section!
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Bumping this thread because I've been listening to a lot of Within Temptation in the past few days. Great, great band, and Sharon is sexy as hell. :heart
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Great, great band, and Sharon is sexy as hell. :heart
Both of those points are correct, but I won't tell you which one.
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What.
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The new album simply put has had no staying power with me. The poppy songs were nice but the luster wore off quick, whereas the less poppy ones never really grew on me after a number of listens.
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I think I only like Faster. :(
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With an album like this, I usually expect at least a mix of two things:
1. Straight forward, poppy-metal songs.
2. Longer, more symphony or proggy metal songs.
The Unforgiving has the first category down, but in the second arena it just not deliver. It does have some kind of nifty concept, I haven't really gotten too deeply in that but, from what I have heard just listening to the record and watching the videos, the story hasn't been executed particularly well. Like Trail of Dead's new record, there's something going on here but they took the easy way out and, instead of telling a story through an album, they made an album themed around a story presumably to come.
Now, the extras are all nice. They give you a lot of bang for your buck and the production (both sonically and materially) is great. It's just a shame all that seems to be compensating to make (what feels to me like a very shallow album) appear deeper.
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It does have some kind of nifty concept, I haven't really gotten too deeply in that but, from what I have heard just listening to the record and watching the videos, the story hasn't been executed particularly well. Like Trail of Dead's new record, there's something going on here but they took the easy way out and, instead of telling a story through an album, they made an album themed around a story presumably to come.
Now, the extras are all nice. They give you a lot of bang for your buck and the production (both sonically and materially) is great. It's just a shame all that seems to be compensating to make (what feels to me like a very shallow album) appear deeper.
I'm not sure the album fails in that regard. Maybe I'm just giving the band too much credit, but I think it is intended to be a "multimedia experience" where the album intentionally doesn't tell the whole story, and you have to see the prequel videos and read the comics to get it. I wouldn't necessarily call that "taking the easy way out" if that's what is intended. It certainly isn't the traditional way of doing a concept album. It's an experiment in doing something different. Not sure whether or not we can call the experiment a success or not, but I think it's a bit unfair to write it off as simply taking the easy way out.
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@PC, like what PT did with Deadwing.
I want to get this but no funds makes it pretty difficult
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I heard the single so I gave this band a shot and got the new album...
I def. made the right decision. I love the symphonies and the female vocals. Production is great and there are some epic chorus' in many of the songs. There is not really a single weak track in my opinion.
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There is not really a single weak track in my opinion.
That is a great point. This album may not have as many huge highs as some of their previous, but it's as consistent an album as you could possibly ask for.
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Yeah that's definitely its main selling point for me. I still prefer The Heart of Everything overall because the highs are REALLY high, but the new one is a little more consistent.
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Man, Murder is such a good song. Was just listening to this album for the first time in a little while (so much good music this year!), and was again impressed by how good this is.
Anyone following them closely enough to know why they STILL apparently have no plans to come to the U.S. in the forseeable future? Incredibly frustrating.
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Anyone following them closely enough to know why they STILL apparently have no plans to come to the U.S. in the forseeable future? Incredibly frustrating.
Still nothing, and they're pretty booked through summer of this year. :( I don't understand how a band this big could not tour the U.S. at all.
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Anyone following them closely enough to know why they STILL apparently have no plans to come to the U.S. in the forseeable future? Incredibly frustrating.
Still nothing, and they're pretty booked through summer of this year. :( I don't understand how a band this big could not tour the U.S. at all.
Still this. I am sad. :sadpanda:
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Not sure if this is the "official" WT thread but ....
“Paradise (What About Us?)” will be released as an EP, containing four new songs.
In addition to Paradise (What About Us?), the EP will contain demo versions of three brand new songs:
“Let Us Burn”, “Silver Moonlight” and “Dog Days”.
By releasing these demos we want to invite you in our home studio and show how we capture song ideas at an early stage of creating a new album. These demo versions are far from their final sound on the album, but will give you a hint of what we’re working on. It will be fascinating to hear how the end result will sound like, once the album is released.
We hope to make the waiting time for the new album a little shorter and sweeter with this release. It’s so exciting to share the different stages of our music with you. Stay tuned for more important news on the EP.
The EP Paradise (What About Us?), will be released on Friday September 27th world wide and on October 1st in North America.
Something is better than nothing I suppose.
Bosk... perhaps changing the thread title?
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Anyone following them closely enough to know why they STILL apparently have no plans to come to the U.S. in the forseeable future? Incredibly frustrating.
Still nothing, and they're pretty booked through summer of this year. :( I don't understand how a band this big could not tour the U.S. at all.
Still this. I am sad. :sadpanda:
Because the US sucks....people don't appreciate music here.
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Fuck music. More Miley Cirus plox.
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I picked up The Unforgiving a few months ago (after watching an AMV of A Demons Fate) and love it. It's one of my most listened to albums this year. So I picked up Mother Earth to give it another shot (I had previously checked it out and wasn't impressed then). I've come to this conclusion: While the music is good, I prefer Sharon's rock vocals more than her symphonic vocals. There are some cool vocal moments on ME, but for the most part I don't really care for them. Maybe because it lacks power (she does seem to stick to falsetto a lot) or too low in the mix.
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I picked up The Unforgiving a few months ago (after watching an AMV of A Demons Fate) and love it. It's one of my most listened to albums this year. So I picked up Mother Earth to give it another shot (I had previously checked it out and wasn't impressed then). I've come to this conclusion: While the music is good, I prefer Sharon's rock vocals more than her symphonic vocals. There are some cool vocal moments on ME, but for the most part I don't really care for them. Maybe because it lacks power (she does seem to stick to falsetto a lot) or too low in the mix.
Agreed. Her symphonic range just feels thin and weak. She's no Tarja or Floor in that regard. Feels the same on The Black Symphony too. Nothing wrong with it, and it doesn't make me cringe or anything... but it is a little underwhelming.
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I like her vocals either way. Neverending Story is the song that made me instantly fall in love with the band, so that stands for something. And I think they've had some really stellar rock songs on Mother Earth and The Silent Force. All in all, I think their whole discography is very consistently really good. There's rarely a song that feels like a filler, IMO.
And yeah, the thread title caught me off guard. Needs to be changed.
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The new video is out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBQx-FvQzaA
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Yummy. Did not get my full attention as I am at work, but sounded good to my ears.
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Yummy. Did not get my full attention as I am at work, but sounded good to my ears.
And eyes.
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I picked up The Unforgiving a few months ago (after watching an AMV of A Demons Fate) and love it. It's one of my most listened to albums this year. So I picked up Mother Earth to give it another shot (I had previously checked it out and wasn't impressed then). I've come to this conclusion: While the music is good, I prefer Sharon's rock vocals more than her symphonic vocals. There are some cool vocal moments on ME, but for the most part I don't really care for them. Maybe because it lacks power (she does seem to stick to falsetto a lot) or too low in the mix.
Agreed. Her symphonic range just feels thin and weak. She's no Tarja or Floor in that regard. Feels the same on The Black Symphony too. Nothing wrong with it, and it doesn't make me cringe or anything... but it is a little underwhelming.
I've been a fan of WT for a long time, but I do share your sentiments. I always felt Sharon's power was a bit on the thin side. While I think her vocals are a bit underwhelming and I think Tarja's are sometimes overwhelming, Simone is where I find my happy medium. :heart
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Not bad. I'm so frustrated with this band. But who am I kidding? I'll still buy anything they put out.
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I picked up The Unforgiving a few months ago (after watching an AMV of A Demons Fate) and love it. It's one of my most listened to albums this year. So I picked up Mother Earth to give it another shot (I had previously checked it out and wasn't impressed then). I've come to this conclusion: While the music is good, I prefer Sharon's rock vocals more than her symphonic vocals. There are some cool vocal moments on ME, but for the most part I don't really care for them. Maybe because it lacks power (she does seem to stick to falsetto a lot) or too low in the mix.
Agreed. Her symphonic range just feels thin and weak. She's no Tarja or Floor in that regard. Feels the same on The Black Symphony too. Nothing wrong with it, and it doesn't make me cringe or anything... but it is a little underwhelming.
I've been a fan of WT for a long time, but I do share your sentiments. I always felt Sharon's power was a bit on the thin side. While I think her vocals are a bit underwhelming and I think Tarja's are sometimes overwhelming, Simone is where I find my happy medium. :heart
Sharon's style is completely different, and perfectly fitting for the music WT are making, which is much more poppy than bands like Epica or Nightwish.
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Not bad. I'm so frustrated with this band. But who am I kidding? I'll still buy anything they put out.
I know how you feel. There are some bands I don't feel attached to at all. I buy their stuff, I listen to it regularly, but I don't follow them like other bands. I wouldn't get any info about them if it weren't for this forum. Some bands I connect well with, like DT and their recent google hangout chat. I know all about their releases, their tours, their favorite colors.... and bands like WT I just listen to their music.
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I picked up The Unforgiving a few months ago (after watching an AMV of A Demons Fate) and love it. It's one of my most listened to albums this year. So I picked up Mother Earth to give it another shot (I had previously checked it out and wasn't impressed then). I've come to this conclusion: While the music is good, I prefer Sharon's rock vocals more than her symphonic vocals. There are some cool vocal moments on ME, but for the most part I don't really care for them. Maybe because it lacks power (she does seem to stick to falsetto a lot) or too low in the mix.
Agreed. Her symphonic range just feels thin and weak. She's no Tarja or Floor in that regard. Feels the same on The Black Symphony too. Nothing wrong with it, and it doesn't make me cringe or anything... but it is a little underwhelming.
I've been a fan of WT for a long time, but I do share your sentiments. I always felt Sharon's power was a bit on the thin side. While I think her vocals are a bit underwhelming and I think Tarja's are sometimes overwhelming, Simone is where I find my happy medium. :heart
Sharon's style is completely different, and perfectly fitting for the music WT are making, which is much more poppy than bands like Epica or Nightwish.
She's fits better, this is true. I'm just speaking of her voice in general.
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In a general sense, yeah I definitely agree. I think a part of why I love WT's most recent albums but am less excited by their earlier stuff is that they write to suit her voice much better. The style of Mother Earth called for something more powerful/operatic vocally and she's just not the singer to do that.
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In a general sense, yeah I definitely agree. I think a part of why I love WT's most recent albums but am less excited by their earlier stuff is that they write to suit her voice much better. The style of Mother Earth called for something more powerful/operatic vocally and she's just not the singer to do that.
I hear that too, especially when listening to some of the Mother Earth tracks live. It seems she is struggling to get it to where it needs to be. On an album like Enter, I think Simone or someone with a more powerful voice would have suited that music better. However, listening to a track like Faster or Sinead, Sharon fits it perfectly.
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I like how she sounds on Mother Earth. Very "pretty". As for the new song... Eh, I don't know. Only listened once, but... Have I heard it before?
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I´m really starting to dislike the keyboard sound.
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Their new video was pretty great. Tarja and Sharon have a nice harmony that I really enjoyed....immensly.
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All I Need is being played at my store. Did the world end?
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I just hope they plan on touring extensively in the States and hit Texas.
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I just hope they plan on touring extensively in the States and hit Texas.
Yes, this needs to happen already. I've been into them for about 10 years now. So, it's long overdue. Not to mention, I need to see if Sharon is as devastatingly beautiful in person.
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I wouldn't hold your breath. I'm pretty sure they will continue to ignore their fans over here. I have lost so much respect for this band for how they have treated us over here. If they truly do not want U.S. fans, I'm happy to oblige.
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Yeah, it's rather shitty. Bands like Lacuna Coil and Nightwish (even Delain now) have all been here.
Have they ever publicly addressed the matter at all??
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I´m sure it´s a money thing.
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I agree, it probably is a money thing. Though they may have a good US following, i'm thinking that maybe we're in such disparate areas that a full-fledged tour of the US wouldn't sell as well as they would hope. I hope i'm wrong and they'll decide to come here, but the reality is that i know it's expensive to mount a US tour.
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The touring issue is a big part of it, but it's not just that. We get snubbed in just about every way. Black Symphony: none of the U.S. versions contained the bonus DVD with the Wacken show. An Accoustic Night At The Theater: no U.S. release at all. The Q Music Sessions: no U.S. release. What About Us?: U.S. release, but distribution is so poor you can't find it anywhere. They just aren't supporting this market at all.
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The touring issue is a big part of it, but it's not just that. We get snubbed in just about every way. Black Symphony: none of the U.S. versions contained the bonus DVD with the Wacken show. An Accoustic Night At The Theater: no U.S. release at all. The Q Music Sessions: no U.S. release. What About Us?: U.S. release, but distribution is so poor you can't find it anywhere. They just aren't supporting this market at all.
Maybe because this market is pretty shit at supporting prog-metal in general, let alone symphonic-metal?
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The touring issue is a big part of it, but it's not just that. We get snubbed in just about every way. Black Symphony: none of the U.S. versions contained the bonus DVD with the Wacken show. An Accoustic Night At The Theater: no U.S. release at all. The Q Music Sessions: no U.S. release. What About Us?: U.S. release, but distribution is so poor you can't find it anywhere. They just aren't supporting this market at all.
It won't be the band making those decisions, it'll be their label. If they don't think the US market is strong enough to make it worth it, then they won't bother.
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It's hard to say who ultimately makes the decision, as that can vary significantly from band to band. But that doesn't matter. No matter who is making the decisions, the result is that the band is pratically invisible in the U.S., which is frustrating to U.S.-based fans. And it is a trend that has increased rather than decreased, which is all the more frustrating. Whoever is to blame, some of us over here are very frustrated.
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Aren't they signed to Century Media? In that case... say no more.... :(
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The touring issue is a big part of it, but it's not just that. We get snubbed in just about every way. Black Symphony: none of the U.S. versions contained the bonus DVD with the Wacken show. An Accoustic Night At The Theater: no U.S. release at all. The Q Music Sessions: no U.S. release. What About Us?: U.S. release, but distribution is so poor you can't find it anywhere. They just aren't supporting this market at all.
Nuh, and the cd for Black Symphony cut the best songs from the tracklist.
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Delain featuring Sharon den Adel 'Restless' Live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU_3OIQK82w&hd=1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU_3OIQK82w&hd=1)
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New album 'Hydra' 'trailer' and pre-order link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMyF2LvUGuo&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMyF2LvUGuo&feature=youtu.be&hd=1)
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New album 'Hydra' 'trailer' and pre-order link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMyF2LvUGuo&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMyF2LvUGuo&feature=youtu.be&hd=1)
Looking forward to this!
Delain featuring Sharon den Adel 'Restless' Live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU_3OIQK82w&hd=1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU_3OIQK82w&hd=1)
Overall pretty good, but the guitar solo sounded terrible.
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Whoa, new album :caffeine:
Within Temptation collaborated with several special guests on ‘Hydra’.... as well as US hip-hop icon Xzibit.
:|
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Whoa, new album :caffeine:
Within Temptation collaborated with several special guests on ‘Hydra’.... as well as US hip-hop icon Xzibit.
:|
Thats awesome.
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I'm interested in the Radioactive cover and the song with Xibit.
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Sorry for the odd triple post....
But Murder is a great song that really showcases her poppy vocal melodies, if the pop vocals sang different lyric subjects other than love and sex then I'd be glad to buy an album.
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New album "Hydra" includes a featuring with Tarja called "Paradise". Two amazing voices united and can't wait.
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Delain featuring Sharon den Adel 'Restless' Live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU_3OIQK82w&hd=1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU_3OIQK82w&hd=1)
Sorry for double post but aside from the solo Sharon's voice is just majestic.
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I thought The Unforgiving was fantastic but I hope they do something about the wall of mud guitar sound - hard to tell it's even there sometimes.
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Am I blind, or do they never post any of these news updates on their Facebook? Anyway, awesome news, can't wait for the new album!
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Good luck finding ANY woman who wants constant sex, they don't exist :eek
Yes The Black Symphony is easily the best live concert vhs/dvd/blu-ray that I have ever seen and the benchmark for everyone else.
That said as good as the 5.1 sound is, the audio of the concert isn't the best.
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Good luck finding ANY woman who wants constant sex, they don't exist :eek
Maybe you're doing it wrong.
Yes The Black Symphony is easily the best live concert vhs/dvd/blu-ray that I have ever seen and the benchmark for everyone else.
That said as good as the 5.1 sound is, the audio of the concert isn't the best.
I love pretty much everything about that disc, sound included.
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I wouldn't hold your breath. I'm pretty sure they will continue to ignore their fans over here. I have lost so much respect for this band for how they have treated us over here. If they truly do not want U.S. fans, I'm happy to oblige.
I doubt if it has anything to do with the band.
Unless your a mega band such as The Rolling Stones, U2, Bon Jovi and alike, bands usually do not decide where they tour.
Agents and promoters book tours and then offer them to band management for consideration.
If no one is offering WT gigs and tours in the USA, how is this the bands fault?
There is no money to be made slogging it out playing the USA to a few hundred people per night in small shitty venues.
The old days of touring to support an album are gone, touring the USA costs a lot and no one is buying albums these days.
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Good luck finding ANY woman who wants constant sex, they don't exist :eek
Maybe you're doing it wrong.
Yes The Black Symphony is easily the best live concert vhs/dvd/blu-ray that I have ever seen and the benchmark for everyone else.
That said as good as the 5.1 sound is, the audio of the concert isn't the best.
I love pretty much everything about that disc, sound included.
I'm doing nothing wrong, just ask my girlfriend.
I meant the audio version on the CD not the concert sound, that is stunning.
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Good luck finding ANY woman who wants constant sex, they don't exist :eek
Maybe Bosk was right. It's been my hand the whole time!
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Heard the song "Dangerous" from the new album. I like it a lot. Howard Jones' vocals work really nicely in it.
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Another new vid: Dangerous, featuring Howard Jones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAiV8RpqzME&list=PLB4brr7vf-P6tw-xEeIFqRWeNWd21oeeO
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Cool. I'm a bit surprised they didn't put a block on it to make it unviewable in the U.S. But then again, I'm sure they want to generate as much interest as possible so as to have the letdown only be that much bigger when we U.S. fans find that the album is possible, but very difficult to get, and after jumping through a ton of hoops to get the album, a supporting U.S. tour never happens.
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Cool. I'm a bit surprised they didn't put a block on it to make it unviewable in the U.S. But then again, I'm sure they want to generate as much interest as possible so as to have the letdown only be that much bigger when we U.S. fans find that the album is possible, but very difficult to get, and after jumping through a ton of hoops to get the album, a supporting U.S. tour never happens.
The Unforgiving was available on release day over here, but yeah, when is the last time they were in the US?
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Cool. I'm a bit surprised they didn't put a block on it to make it unviewable in the U.S. But then again, I'm sure they want to generate as much interest as possible so as to have the letdown only be that much bigger when we U.S. fans find that the album is possible, but very difficult to get, and after jumping through a ton of hoops to get the album, a supporting U.S. tour never happens.
The Unforgiving was available on release day over here, but yeah, when is the last time they were in the US?
Wasn't it back in 200-never?
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Not being up on all this "core" stuff the 80s boy in me thought it was a duet with this guy.
(https://www.hipstercrite.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/HowardJones.jpg)
:biggrin:
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So the new album sounds like ass, but the songs are pretty good. Except maybe Dog Days which kinda sucks. Also, Xzibit doesn't ruin the song he's in. It's actually done well.
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I haven't heard any of it yet, but what exactly does, 'sounds like ass' mean?
It is, the production, mix, mastering, and are you basing this on hearing the actual CD or mp3?
Thanks :yarr
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I haven't heard any of it yet, but what exactly does, 'sounds like ass' mean?
It is, the production, mix, mastering, and are you basing this on hearing the actual CD or mp3?
Thanks :yarr
Production in general. And I've compared mp3 and flac and they both don't sound very good. The Unforgiving was nice and clear sounding. Hydra sounds a bit faded and heavily compressed.
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Also, Xzibit
Uh... are you serious?
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Also, Xzibit
Uh... are you serious?
Yeah dawg
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Yo dawg, I heard you like symphonic metal, so we put an Xzibit in your... no, it doesn't work :(
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Also, Xzibit
Uh... are you serious?
Yeah dawg
:\ I guess I'll give it a listen first before criticizing it, even though the idea makes me cringe.
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The idea doesn't make me cringe, but it'll be tough for them to pull off well. But we'll see.
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They did pull it off well.
It's pretty much after the chorus he says
YEAH WE OUTTA HERE
DON'T BLINK YOU'LL MISS IT
LIFT UP YO HEAD
then the chorus again, then Xzibit does a little rap, only managing to say motherfucker once, and then repeat chorus
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I didn't know Sharon was at Vintage Vinyl in New Jersey!!!! WTF, why wasn't I there?!?!!? That's like 10 fucking minutes from my house... ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I MISSED IT ARGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
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I didn't know Sharon was at Vintage Vinyl in New Jersey!!!! WTF, why wasn't I there?!?!!? That's like 10 fucking minutes from my house... ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I MISSED IT ARGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
And because you didn't show up they decided not to do a US tour. YOU MOTHER FUCKER!
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:(
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Yeah you better be sad. Get outta here. Just go.
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I love that when you click 'more' under the emoticons, you get ONE MORE. :lol
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I love that when you click 'more' under the emoticons, you get ONE MORE. :lol
but it has a flamethrower, so that kind of makes up for only getting one
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I love that when you click 'more' under the emoticons, you get ONE MORE. :lol
but it has a flamethrower, so that kind of makes up for only getting one
Good point. There are craploads of other places online to get good emoticons anyway. I just found it funny.
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And there are craploads of other ones on this forum that don't show up in the menu.
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And there are craploads of other ones on this forum that don't show up in the menu.
True, true. :neverusethis: :footloose:
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:progsnob:
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:shadowninja:
:sad:
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:shadowninja:
:sad:
Careful what you ask for. bosk might just give you a steaming turd as an emoticon.
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...That would actually be awesome. :lol
....
:jingle.boy:
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You're doing it wrong ... :jingleboy:
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I have Hydra on the way but a bit :-\ to hear it sounds like ass from someone who thinks The Unforgiving was clear sounding. I thought the guitars sounded like a wall of mud on that (great) album and was my only real criticism . Everything I'm hearing about Hydra suggests to me that it's not a patch on The Unforgiving but I'll try not to jump to conclusions.
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Got my boxset yesterday...
So far the music is really really good, I can see what Zook means. Its the same shit compression DT12 has, but not as bad.
My favorite has to be Edge of The World.
Oh yeah, Sharon is top notch on this album.
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:progsnob:
:tdwn
:lol
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I like Silver Moonlight best until now....
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Man this album is excellent. Dog Years is alright, but doesn't really grab me like the rest of the album.
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Okay, I forgot there was an alternate version of Whole World Is Watching so I just watched the video. The guy singing..is interesting. I think he's doing Tai Chi throughout the video, but anyways.. I noticed this likeness.
(https://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y393/Prog_Snob/index_zps110742cb.jpg)
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The compression on Hydra pisses me off.
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I've only just listened to a bit of it, but so far, the sound of this album is terrible.
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It does. If it had The Silent Force mastering , it'd be better than TSF.
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I don't think the sound is THAT bad, it's just a bit overly compressed but I've heard much worse. The mix is pretty good though, so it's a shame the compression makes it feel a bit more closed in.
The music is great though, some really catchy choruses in particular!
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I don't think the sound is THAT bad, it's just a bit overly compressed but I've heard much worse. The mix is pretty good though, so it's a shame the compression makes it feel a bit more closed in.
The music is great though, some really catchy choruses in particular!
This is exactly how I feel.
Hoping for a NA tour!
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The album just doesn't work for me. As others have said, it sounds awful. But other than that, it sounds like they tried to do an album full of Sinead's. The poppier format is OK, except since every song follows that format now, the album feels way more monotonous than any Within temptation album yet.
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^I mostly agree. But to be fair, I have only listened through once so far. But what I did notice is that while I was honestly bored for most of the first half of the album, the second half sounded a lot more interesting. Silver Moonlight, Covered By Roses, Dog Days, and Tell Me Why at least caught my attention.
Sadly, I haven't liked anything I have heard from Tarja since she was ousted from Nightwish. Sadly, the song where she does a guest spot here falls into that category as well. I like Sharron's part on the song. And, interestingly enough, I like Tarja's as well. But the problem is, to me, their voices clash and do not sound good together.
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But other than that, it sounds like they tried to do an album full of Sinead's.
I don't hear that at all.
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I should add that, like Bosk, I have also only listened to the album once.
And I also agree about Tarja. I actually really liked "What Lies Underneath", but I always find myself wanting to like Tarja's post-Nightwish music way more than I ever do.
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But other than that, it sounds like they tried to do an album full of Sinead's.
I don't hear that at all.
Me neither.
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Well, I do. Every song sounds like a potential single to me, which is what I mean by that. Unfortunately, an album full of that gets pretty boring.
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But that's what all their recent albums are like. ??? They write catchy, accessible music, and have done since The Silent Force really.
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If anything, this album reminds me of The Heart of Everything
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But that's what all their recent albums are like. ??? They write catchy, accessible music, and have done since The Silent Force really.
This.
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But that's what all their recent albums are like. ??? They write catchy, accessible music, and have done since The Silent Force really.
Exactly. It's a far cry from Enter and even Mother Earth. I think they have a tremendous ability to make somewhat simple songs reel you in and keep you listening.
Sinead was an isolated song in that the drum rhythm reminded of some dance beat. The rest of that CD doesn't really give me that feeling.
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If anything, this album reminds me of The Heart of Everything
Yeah, same actually. It's most like that than any of their other albums, but not quite as good in my opinion. I love that album though!
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Reading this thread about the compressed sound has really put me off buying Hydra.
The recent Leaves' Eyes album is so compressed and brick walled, I can hardly bare to listen to it.
Is Hydra really that bad?
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It is that bad IMHO - it's not being exaggerated. Unlike many I thought the guitar sound on The Unforgiving was terrible but Hydra is on a whole new level ......the guitar,bass and keys sound like one compressed wall of muddiness.
Unlike The Unforgiving the songs aren't good enough to save it from that.
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But that's what all their recent albums are like. ??? They write catchy, accessible music, and have done since The Silent Force really.
Nah, I thought there was way more diversity on the last two records. Even if they were still very accessible, this just takes it to a new and more watered down level.
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But that's what all their recent albums are like. ??? They write catchy, accessible music, and have done since The Silent Force really.
Nah, I thought there was way more diversity on the last two records. Even if they were still very accessible, this just takes it to a new and more watered down level.
Fair enough, I don't agree at all, but each to their own.
Reading this thread about the compressed sound has really put me off buying Hydra.
The recent Leaves' Eyes album is so compressed and brick walled, I can hardly bare to listen to it.
Is Hydra really that bad?
I don't think it's that bad, no, but it depends on your own tastes. For context, I find Death Magnetic to be basically unlistenable, and DT12 was way over compressed which was why I had to buy the HD tracks. But in general things that are what I consider to be a bit overcompressed don't really bother me, and that's the case with Hydra, in my opinion.
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^Yup. Hydras compression isn't as bad as DT12, Not enough for me not to enjoy Hydra.
It might seem watered down because they took what they learned from the Q sessions and applied it to the writting of Hydra.
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I think Hydra sounds worse than DT12. I haven't listened to the CD version in ages, but I don't remember it being that distracting.
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I'd really have to listen to it again to point out the things I'm trying to say. Not sure I want to do that, though :lol
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I don't Hydra is a bad album, but it's not perfect. Production aside, a lot of the songs have the Iron Maiden chorus effect which makes the songs a little too repetitive. That's actually all I can think of.
Oh, and the album has Dog Days.
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IMO, Hydra isn't painful to listen to like, say, Queensryche's new self-titled, Death Magnetic or the latest Fleshgod Apocalypse. It just sounds... indistinct. Everything is mushed together and only the vocals stand out. It's pretty bad, but I've heard worse and I'd say Dream Theater's latest is worse sounding.
I think overall it's a good album with some catchy, ear-wormy songs a midst a few semi-mediocre songs. Paradise, Covered By Roses, Silver Moonlight and Tell Me Why are my favorites.
I don't Hydra is a bad album, but it's not perfect. Production aside, a lot of the songs have the Iron Maiden chorus effect which makes the songs a little too repetitive. That's actually all I can think of.
Oh, and the album has Dog Days.
Really? Dog Days has like the worst, most repetitive chorus on the album.
-
IMO, Hydra isn't painful to listen to like, say, Queensryche's new self-titled, Death Magnetic or the latest Fleshgod Apocalypse. It just sounds... indistinct. Everything is mushed together and only the vocals stand out. It's pretty bad, but I've heard worse and I'd say Dream Theater's latest is worse sounding.
I think overall it's a good album with some catchy, ear-wormy songs a midst a few semi-mediocre songs. Paradise, Covered By Roses, Silver Moonlight and Tell Me Why are my favorites.
I don't Hydra is a bad album, but it's not perfect. Production aside, a lot of the songs have the Iron Maiden chorus effect which makes the songs a little too repetitive. That's actually all I can think of.
Oh, and the album has Dog Days.
Really? Dog Days has like the worst, most repetitive chorus on the album.
I know, hence why I included it at the bottom. I really don't like that song.
-
IMO, Hydra isn't painful to listen to like, say, Queensryche's new self-titled, Death Magnetic or the latest Fleshgod Apocalypse. It just sounds... indistinct. Everything is mushed together and only the vocals stand out. It's pretty bad, but I've heard worse and I'd say Dream Theater's latest is worse sounding.
I think overall it's a good album with some catchy, ear-wormy songs a midst a few semi-mediocre songs. Paradise, Covered By Roses, Silver Moonlight and Tell Me Why are my favorites.
I don't Hydra is a bad album, but it's not perfect. Production aside, a lot of the songs have the Iron Maiden chorus effect which makes the songs a little too repetitive. That's actually all I can think of.
Oh, and the album has Dog Days.
Really? Dog Days has like the worst, most repetitive chorus on the album.
I know, hence why I included it at the bottom. I really don't like that song.
Then I just totally misread your statement. My bad. :lol
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What the hell is wrong with Dog Days?
-
What the hell is wrong with Dog Days?
It has a repetitive and lame chorus.
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I bought the new CD today (not listening the whole album on the net) and what the hell? The mix is pretty bad. Since I'm not not mix and mastering expert I can't explain what is exactly wrong but the sound is weird, especially vocals and drums.
I can't say anything about the songs I must listen much more but one thing is interesting. Their song's length is getting shortened by each album.
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I bought the new CD today (not listening the whole album on the net) and what the hell? The mix is pretty bad. Since I'm not not mix and mastering expert I can't explain what is exactly wrong but the sound is weird, especially vocals and drums.
I can't say anything about the songs I must listen much more but one thing is interesting. Their song's length is getting shortened by each album.
They were inspired by the Q sessions, which were short pop songs.
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Just got this and have been listening, albeit in car and through headphones at work. About what I expected: good music, nothing new or spectacular. Xhibit's lines remind me of Portnoy's tough-guy vocals in Prophets of War. Except they don't contribute as much to the song (I can't believe I just typed that).
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Xhibit's lines remind me of Portnoy's tough-guy vocals in Prophets of War. Except they don't contribute as much to the song (I can't believe I just typed that).
:lol That is actually a perfect description.
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I noticed something while listening to Paradise. The guitar sound reminds me of Nightwish. Is it just me or did anyone else pick up on that?
-
Well the day a lot of you have been waiting for has arrived!
Within Temptation is coming to the US! The band added 12 North American dates to the Hydra World Tour!
Sharon: "It's a great feeling that after so many years we are back with a coast to coast tour. The reception of our latest album Hydra has been overwhelming and we cannot wait to unleash the dragon overseas. Be assured that this time we'll bring our biggest and best North-American live show so far."
Tickets for most shows go on sale on April 4 via www.within-temptation.com/ontour. Keep an eye on the web
North American Dates
Date Place Venue Tickets
September 25 San Francisco (CA) The Regency Ballroom On Sale April 4
September 26 Los Angeles (CA) Club Nokia On Sale April 4
September 28 Denver (CO) Gothic Teatre On Sale April 5
September 30 Minneapolis (MN) Firts Avenue On Sale April 4
October 1 Chicago (IL) Vic Theatre On Sale April 4
October 2 Royal Oak (MI) Royal Oak Music Theatre On Sale April 4
October 3 Toronto (ON) The Sound Academy On Sale April 4
October 5 Montreal (QC) Metropolis On Sale April 4
October 7 Baltimore (MD) Ram’s Head Live On Sale April 4
October 9 Philadelphia (PA) Electric Factory On Sale April 4
October 10 New York (NY) Terminal 5 On Sale April 4
October 11 Worcester (MA) The Palladium On Sale April 4
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inb4 april fools ;)
but seriously, I hope not. I've seen them twice now and had a really good time both times.
-
Date Place Venue Tickets
October 10 New York (NY) Terminal 5 On Sale April 4
OOOO a friday night in NYC... may have to go to this and start to get into Within Temptation. I have the Heart of Everything which I like but am not crazy about.
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My God, I'm going for sure.
If this is an April Fools that's just mean.
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Nope, no april fools, as far as I can see. Otherwise this wouldn't be still on their FB page
https://www.facebook.com/events/624196240982374/ (https://www.facebook.com/events/624196240982374/)
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Date Place Venue Tickets
October 10 New York (NY) Terminal 5 On Sale April 4
OOOO a friday night in NYC... may have to go to this and start to get into Within Temptation. I have the Heart of Everything which I like but am not crazy about.
Try the Silent Force. It's my fave of them. If you don't like it, this band probably isn't for you.
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Cool. The San Fran date is just a couple days before I'm there for a conference that I attend every year. Guess it's gonna be the Toronto date.
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Hmm...this might be a possibility.
-
Love the band, but not 300 miles love the band.
-
Well the day a lot of you have been waiting for has arrived!
Within Temptation is coming to the US! The band added 12 North American dates to the Hydra World Tour!
Sharon: "It's a great feeling that after so many years we are back with a coast to coast tour. The reception of our latest album Hydra has been overwhelming and we cannot wait to unleash the dragon overseas. Be assured that this time we'll bring our biggest and best North-American live show so far."
Tickets for most shows go on sale on April 4 via www.within-temptation.com/ontour. Keep an eye on the web
North American Dates
Date Place Venue Tickets
September 25 San Francisco (CA) The Regency Ballroom On Sale April 4
September 26 Los Angeles (CA) Club Nokia On Sale April 4
September 28 Denver (CO) Gothic Teatre On Sale April 5
September 30 Minneapolis (MN) Firts Avenue On Sale April 4
October 1 Chicago (IL) Vic Theatre On Sale April 4
October 2 Royal Oak (MI) Royal Oak Music Theatre On Sale April 4
October 3 Toronto (ON) The Sound Academy On Sale April 4
October 5 Montreal (QC) Metropolis On Sale April 4
October 7 Baltimore (MD) Ram’s Head Live On Sale April 4
October 9 Philadelphia (PA) Electric Factory On Sale April 4
October 10 New York (NY) Terminal 5 On Sale April 4
October 11 Worcester (MA) The Palladium On Sale April 4
Just went to their website and read that Amaranthe is the opener... OMG I am there. Amaranthe was soo awesome when I saw them last fall. Now its time to get into everything Within Temptation.
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Seeing that they'll be in Chicago on Oct 1. I'm strongly considering going to this show, even if it is a Wednesday.
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Pic from last nite´s show....
(https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/10563190_673774419371848_2814724920981628284_n.jpg?oh=15b5cac62035f5dfc571a608e2bab946&oe=54765C6E)
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Great pic, Cy!!! Wish they were coming to Texas!
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Nice pic, I hate it when europe bands play these shows at larger venues and have pyros and great stage shows and then come to the states and have none of that. I need to get to europe and see some concerts there.
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Well, given Sharon´s history with pyrotechnic ´near misses´ in the past, let´s see how long this lasts... ;)
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Well, given Sharon´s history with pyrotechnic ´near misses´ in the past, let´s see how long this lasts... ;)
Not familiar with her history, but she is pretty far away from the pyros in that pic
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=619AjVwad0o
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Really bad timing for me. I'm going to be in SF the end of Sept/beginning of Oct - I won't be in SF in time for that show, and not back home in time to see the Toronto show.
:newman:
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=619AjVwad0o
Yeah that´s what I mean. There are loads of bloopers like that to be found on Youtube. One of them is when she starts to sing and a giant smokestream goes off right beside her. Dangerous profession, really!
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=619AjVwad0o
Yeah that´s what I mean. There are loads of bloopers like that to be found on Youtube. One of them is when she starts to sing and a giant smokestream goes off right beside her. Dangerous profession, really!
Wow, that was a close one.
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Amaranthe is supporting Within Temptation on their upcoming US tour. Will they add a Phoenix date? Probably not...
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Amaranthe is supporting Within Temptation on their upcoming US tour. Will they add a Phoenix date? Probably not...
Dayum! Now I'm especially peeved I'm going to be in the wrong cities for the tour dates that would be feasible. >:(
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At least they're going to Canada. They probably avoid this place like the plague, but I guess I can't blame them. Shit, Mike LePond told me Symphony X wont be coming back because they didn't draw enough. There was no date for PHX when they toured with Iced Earth 2 years ago.
I blame Nevermore.
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(https://scontent-a-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/1888451_10152401851102986_3708973681539647207_n.jpg?oh=38e13a74c300e32b695598b237d79cf5&oe=548FA3EC)
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Nice! I cant wait to see them in a couple weeks and Im a relatively new fan.
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No Phoenix, no care.
Ok I lied. I do care. Greatly. Fuck you Within Temptation, and fuck you Arizona, you mariatchi ridden wasteland. There's other kinds of music than mariatchi, you pricks!
Ok I fell better.
No I don't GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
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New DVD/BluRay and it sounds like a monster package!
https://www.within-temptation.com/headlines/within-temptation-reveal-new-live-dvdblu-ray2cd-let-us-burn/ (https://www.within-temptation.com/headlines/within-temptation-reveal-new-live-dvdblu-ray2cd-let-us-burn/)
‘LET US BURN – ELEMENTS & HYDRA LIVE IN CONCERT’
Dutch symphonic rock band WITHIN TEMPTATION are thrilled to unveil a new live DVD/Blu-ray/2CD. ‘Let Us Burn – Elements & Hydra Live In Concert’ is set for release on November 14 and features two of WITHIN TEMPTATION’s most talked about arena shows ever. The two dates are 2012’s resplendent 15th birthday ‘Elements’ concert and the final night of the ‘Hydra’ European arena tour at Amsterdam’s Heineken Music Hall in May 2014. When it comes to the live experience, Within Temptation’s status is of a league extraordinaire. These two performances showcase every nuance of their fierce reputation plus stunning imagery and special FX, including even giant fire-breathing dragons!
In November 2012, WITHIN TEMPTATION challenged themselves to create one of their most impressive arena shows ever, to celebrate the band’s 15th birthday. The result was the one-off symphonic ‘Elements’ show, held at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp. A dazzling event with 15,000 fans, the band’s dream came to life. Newly inspired, the group went forth to write their critically acclaimed sixth studio album ‘Hydra’.
In early 2014, WITHIN TEMPTATION unleashed ‘Hydra’. This monster record claimed more than 10 European Top-10 chart positions, a #2 position in the iTunes World Charts, and the band’s highest US Billboard Top-20 chart position to date. The album success was followed by a 33-date European arena tour, selling out noted venues like Wembley Arena in London, Le Zenith in Paris, and the legendary Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam (twice).
Over 15,000 fans joined the ‘Elements’ show celebrations and more than 120,000 fans witnessed the ‘Hydra’ beast on stage in Europe, but WITHIN TEMPTATION is far from done. The ‘Hydra’ world tour is currently in full swing in North America. With South America and Japan still to come, more than half a million fans will have seen WITHIN TEMPTATION by the end of this year.
WITHIN TEMPTATION is renowned for releasing impressive live DVDs. Previous release, the best-selling ‘Black Symphony’ DVD, helped make them one of the most popular bands in their genre. At their recent Awards show in Berlin, Metal Hammer Germany presented WITHIN TEMPTATION with the prestigious Best Live Band Award. The new DVD underlines this title.
‘Let Us Burn – Elements & Hydra Live In Concert’ will be released in four formats – DVD + 2CD, Blu-ray + 2CD, 2CD, and digital album. The DVD and Blu-ray contain 34 live audio visual tracks in HD, mixed in 5.1 Dolby Surround. The 2CD and digital album comprise 32 live audio tracks. The two shows have a running time total of approximately 170 minutes. ‘Let Us Burn – Elements & Hydra Live In Concert’ is a treat for rock fans all over the world.
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After the indifference shown to their American fans coupled with the substandard music quality after Black Symphony, I find it really hard to care about this band.
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Hydra was definitely a disappointment even though there are some really good songs on it, but I wont give up on them until they release a really terrible album. Because you know, when/if that ever happens, they will sure enough have a US tour, come to Phoenix and play mostly their new shitty crap. Granted, that's a worst case scenario.
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I wasn't a huge fan of Hydra until I saw them a few week ago play half the album and I really enjoy it now. I plan on buying the new blu ray when it comes out soon.
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After the indifference shown to their American fans coupled with the substandard music quality after Black Symphony, I find it really hard to care about this band.
Its probably hard to find a babysitter.
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I realized their cover of Skyfall sounds really similar to Jane Doe.
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As annoyed as I am with this band, I was in a mood to listen to them and stumbled upon this show from 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUzEE-GTlRE
Stunning. There were truly some awesome tracks on The Unforgiving, and some of them are showcased here along with some of their classics. Although I guess I shouldn't be, I am pleasantly surprised at how awesome In The Middle Of The Night is in a live setting.
Oh, and did Sharon and Robert break up, or is that him in black with the long(ish) hair and I am just not recognizing him?
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AFAIK (with the odd exception) Robert gave away live shows some time ago to play house husband..
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As of 2011, Westerholt has stepped down from touring with Within Temptation in order to take care of his and den Adel's children. He is still a recording band member, however, and will focus on songwriting and production. Stefan Helleblad, who has been working behind the scenes with the band, is his live stand-in.
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I had a feeling he wasnt touring with them. I got confused seeing live vids of them, and not seeing him there. Yet he's on the studio albums.
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Ah, okay. That makes sense.
Actually, that's a pretty good move on their part from a practical standpoint. Although Robert is one of the major creative forces behind the music, Sharron is the voice and face of the band. If one of them has to take a back seat, it obviously has to be Robert. And having him at home full time allows the band to be out touring more often. ...not that that does any of us in the U.S. any good.
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Well they did just tour the US and it was awesome...
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Oh. Did they do the typical 1 day in L.A. and 2-3 East Coast dates?
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After the indifference shown to their American fans coupled with the substandard music quality after Black Symphony, I find it really hard to care about this band.
What 'indifference's' are you referring to?
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As annoyed as I am with this band, I was in a mood to listen to them and stumbled upon this show from 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUzEE-GTlRE
Stunning. There were truly some awesome tracks on The Unforgiving, and some of them are showcased here along with some of their classics. Although I guess I shouldn't be, I am pleasantly surprised at how awesome In The Middle Of The Night is in a live setting.
Oh, and did Sharon and Robert break up, or is that him in black with the long(ish) hair and I am just not recognizing him?
Yeah pretty good show, although the drumming sounds very strange, I dunno just seems different to their albums.
Sharon is a beautiful woman, but this outfit is horrendous. Looks like something out of the original 1960's Star Trek series.
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Albums not being released here that are released elsewhere, and no ability for the U.S. fans to purchase them on the band's website. No tour dates here. And just a general attitude of "American fans? Eh, whatever."
EDIT: To elaborate on the albums:
-Black Symphony: Deluxe edition not sold in U.S. On their website, which was the only place to find it at the time, they would not ship it to the U.S. Not that the standard edition was bad, but still. I would love to have the extras, especially since it is a whole extra concert!
-An Acoustic Night At The Theatre: Letting go of the misspelling of "Theatre," not available in the U.S. and they will not ship it to the U.S.
-Q Sessions: Same thing.
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I'm upset about the Q sessions. I love their version of Skyfall, and Titanium.
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Just bumping to see if anyone has heard any new news with the band or saw any of the recent shows.
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I saw them in the fall but I believe they've been on break and prepping for a small venue tour that should be starting soon so not a whole lot in the news for them.
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Yes, they play in a lot of theaters, instead of regular concert venues. My mother is interested in seeing them, so maybe I can tag along ;D She saw them at vrienden van Amstel live once, which is all kinds of dutch artists (pop, rock, metal, folk, basically every succesful Dutch artist) doing their own songs with guests, covers and other special stuff.
Here is a pro shot Within Temptation covering Coldplay's Sky Full of Stars about a week ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmpgj1LyjKk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmpgj1LyjKk) (warning: very poppy :P Good performance and epic stage setup though).
Sharon also performed with the Golden Earring that night, but there is no pro footage of that. Wish they just released everything.
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Thanks for sharing and thats cool, but is that actually within temptation or just Sharon? Almost looks like the bass player but not sure about the rest of the band.
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Ah, good point. I think it is just Sharon with an orchestra and band, but not officially WT (could be some of them playing though). Within Temptation played twice before on this event, so I just kind of assumed it were them. Sharon performed more Coldplay songs even, but no pro shot footage (you can order a DVD to be released when buying Amstel beer, so maybe that includes more).
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I'll take anything with Sharon. Thanks for the link.
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Maybe you guys do not know these either. A few vids between last year and now, in case you might have missed those (some are relatively well known though). Most of them really Within Temptation, not just Sharon :P
Acoustic performance of Sinead at Ruud de Wild's broadcast a few weeks ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSRyTtSyJ6w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSRyTtSyJ6w)
Sharon performing a new (Dutch language) song with rapper Ali B (in his program) last year:
From 34:30 onwards, full song follows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0PQ36h2khs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0PQ36h2khs)
Within Temptation performing the whole World is Watching at the RTL4 Late Night Show last year, with Wudstik:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAwyofZrUnM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAwyofZrUnM)
Live performances in the studio of radio 538 in the morning broadcast last year (they did this before in 2012):
https://www.538.nl/programma/16/evers-staat-op/nieuws/757/within-temptation-live-in-evers-staat-op (https://www.538.nl/programma/16/evers-staat-op/nieuws/757/within-temptation-live-in-evers-staat-op)
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Maybe you guys do not know these either. A few vids between last year and now, in case you might have missed those (some are relatively well known though). Most of them really Within Temptation, not just Sharon :P
Acoustic performance of Sinead at Ruud de Wild's broadcast a few weeks ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSRyTtSyJ6w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSRyTtSyJ6w)
Sharon performing a new (Dutch language) song with rapper Ali B (in his program) last year:
From 34:30 onwards, full song follows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0PQ36h2khs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0PQ36h2khs)
Within Temptation performing the whole World is Watching at the RTL4 Late Night Show last year, with Wudstik:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAwyofZrUnM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAwyofZrUnM)
Live performances in the studio of radio 538 in the morning broadcast last year (they did this before in 2012):
https://www.538.nl/programma/16/evers-staat-op/nieuws/757/within-temptation-live-in-evers-staat-op (https://www.538.nl/programma/16/evers-staat-op/nieuws/757/within-temptation-live-in-evers-staat-op)
Awesome, thanks for sharing! By the way I only pointed it out that it wasnt WT because I didnt think it actually way, but I really enjoy these performances regardless.
Also, The Whole World is Watching is one of my favorite WT songs. Its just so awesome.
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Her voice is so beautiful. She used to be my favorite female singer but after hearing Simone Simons, I'm torn.
Is it me or does the rap from the Ali B song seem totally out of place?
Who is the second singer in The Whole World is Watching?
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Yeah, I am not too fond of the rap. But it his television program after all, and I respect his genuine passion for music and enthousiasm. This episode was very personal, Sharon even cries when she recalls her past.
That second singer is Wudstik, a dutch R&B/Hip Hop artist. But he has an outspoken passion for metal and prog (DT fan) and can be heard on Ayreons 10101, for example.
As for our best female (metal/rock) singer, I'll go with Floor ;D Too bad nothing with Simone and Floor charted high in the Netherlands, otherwise we would probably be enjoying many broadcasts with them as well (alltough there are the occasional instances).
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I like Floor too but she doesn't appeal to me in the same way as the other two.
I've heard the name Wudstik before. Maybe someone on the forum mentioned him. He sounded good in the performance.
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I like Floor too but she doesn't appeal to me in the same way as the other two.
I've heard the name Wudstik before. Maybe someone on the forum mentioned him. He sounded good in the performance.
Well, considering this is a WT thread, Wudstik was also the main vocalist of Ruud Jolie's solo project (which has an appearance of Sharon on the song Keep Breathing too. Which is nice but also a bit of wasted potential due to it's briefness).
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Simone is definitely my favorite... and the Simone/Floor version of Sancta Terra is amazing, but yea nothing to do with WT
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Simone is definitely my favorite... and the Simone/Floor version of Sancta Terra is amazing, but yea nothing to do with WT
I love the version on Retrospect, but I have seen another performance or two on YouTube that were somewhat underwhelming. Simone and Floor have stronger voices than Sharron, but I could certainly see why some might prefer Sharron to either of them.
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Simone is definitely my favorite... and the Simone/Floor version of Sancta Terra is amazing, but yea nothing to do with WT
I love the version on Retrospect, but I have seen another performance or two on YouTube that were somewhat underwhelming. Simone and Floor have stronger voices than Sharron, but I could certainly see why some might prefer Sharron to either of them.
I was referring to Retrospect as thats the "official" version of it I guess you can say which is magical. Agreed about Sharron, she is definitely great and has an amazing stage presence, I just think Simone and Floor are both better vocalists and I enjoy their voices more, specifcally with Simone, but I may like Sharon's voice over Floors... thats a bit tougher and I dont have enough of Floor's material to go off of honestly since besides one After Forever album and her contributions to Nightwish thus far, I havent really heard much of her work.
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Oh my... Just discovering this band and loving them. I've spent the last several months obsessing on other female fronted bands like Epica, Delain, Stream of Passion, etc. For whatever reason never gave Within Temptation a proper try....
So I listened to a little on spotify and liked enough to decide to buy an album. I ended up getting their newest live album as my first album (mp3 version on amazon). OMG, blown away. I can't stop listening to it. And I'm not even normally a big fan of live music. But it was like a double album for around the same price as the studio albums so I thought it would be wise to get as many different songs as possible for the price. Good decision.
I love this band. Def gonna have to buy more albums.
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Oh my... Just discovering this band and loving them. I've spent the last several months obsessing on other female fronted bands like Epica, Delain, Stream of Passion, etc. For whatever reason never gave Within Temptation a proper try....
So I listened to a little on spotify and liked enough to decide to buy an album. I ended up getting their newest live album as my first album (mp3 version on amazon). OMG, blown away. I can't stop listening to it. And I'm not even normally a big fan of live music. But it was like a double album for around the same price as the studio albums so I thought it would be wise to get as many different songs as possible for the price. Good decision.
I love this band. Def gonna have to buy more albums.
Check out The Unforgiving next. It's filled with catchy songs.
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I love this band. Def gonna have to buy more albums.
If you really want to love them, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8OSqPjIcuY
And because they cut it from that set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkiJB496TTk
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Nice bosk!
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Yea, the bonus concert with the Black Symphony blu ray! :metal
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Since I got paid yesterday, I think I'm going to spoil myself and get the Blu-ray show. The only WT home video I have is back from the Mother Earth tour.
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Saw them with DT........that was enough. not my cup of tea.
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Since I got paid yesterday, I think I'm going to spoil myself and get the Blu-ray show. The only WT home video I have is back from the Mother Earth tour.
Which one? Black Symphony or Let Us Burn? Both are very good. Black Symphony is probably the best overall concert, but Let Us Burn has two concerts.
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Since I got paid yesterday, I think I'm going to spoil myself and get the Blu-ray show. The only WT home video I have is back from the Mother Earth tour.
Which one? Black Symphony or Let Us Burn? Both are very good. Black Symphony is probably the best overall concert, but Let Us Burn has two concerts.
Hmmm Maybe I'll get one this week and the other one in two weeks when I get paid again. I'll probably go for Black Symphony first.
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That concert that I linked to is the bonus disk on the European version of Black Symphony. It became almost impossible to find shortly after release, so I never saw it until recently finding it on YouTube. I have the standard edition that has only the main concert.
I didn't really care for Hydra, so no plans to get Let Us Burn. Plus I'm somewhat boycotting them for giving the U.S. fans the finger in recent years. I may change my mind at some point if they start putting out great music again.
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That concert that I linked to is the bonus disk on the European version of Black Symphony. It became almost impossible to find shortly after release, so I never saw it until recently finding it on YouTube. I have the standard edition that has only the main concert.
I didn't really care for Hydra, so no plans to get Let Us Burn. Plus I'm somewhat boycotting them for giving the U.S. fans the finger in recent years. I may change my mind at some point if they start putting out great music again.
You disliked it that much? It's not my favorite CD of theirs but there are a few tracks on there I really love.
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"Dislike" makes it sound like I actively disliked it. It was more of an, "eh, this does nothing much for me" reaction. After a couple of quick listens, I just put it down. I hated the song with the rapper, but otherwise, it was more of a case of it failing to make an impression.
For a bit of background, I got into the band during the The Heart Of Everything era. Bought The Silent Force not long after, and liked it, but not as much. Same with Mother Earth. Loved Black Symphony. Mostly loved The Unforgiving. I feel the band was kinda finding their way and improving album by album up until their peak of THOE, and were still hitting full stride with The Unforgiving but just made a few creative choices that I disliked on The Unforgiving. Hydra just did not live up to that. And with how they were treating the American fans, I just lost interest.
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I was not a big fan of Hyrda either initially, took quite a few monthes to give it more listens and then finally seeing them to really love the album. Its not as good as the previous albums, but still solid. The only song im not big on is the one with the rapper as well, it was solid live but still not a great song IMO. The Let Us Burn DVD, the first concert is from the Unforgiven tour so its lots of those songs though and also with choir and orchestra. Great performance and lots of other cool parts to the stage show they did.
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Well, I DO have it on my work computer. I will listen...
EDIT: My thoughts as I am revisiting this so far:
Let Us Burn is okay.
Dangerous and And We Run are mostly horrible.
Paradise (with Tarja) is good (not great)
Edge of the World...not bad. I do not love this band for its ballads, but this one has some interesting melodies that make it a little different.
Fell asleep at my desk during Silver Moonlight, so I dunno.
Covered By Roses is pretty cool.
But nothing that jumps out at me and makes me want to give this repeat listens.
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I think that THOE of The Unforgiving are definitely them at their best. I was listening to Enter the other day actually and since I already am a fan of that gothic metal sound, it's still fun to listen to. However, like I mentioned earlier they are better at writing the more poppier sounding metal riffs like on The Unforgiving.
I agree with both bosk and my NJ neighbor about the rap song. Sorry guys, you aren't Anthrax. Some of the songs on Hydra took a while to grow on me. I think I would rank the CDs like this:
From favorite to least favorite: The first two could easily be a tie.
The Heart Of Everything
The Unforgiving
Hydra
The Silent Force
Mother Earth
Enter
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From favorite to least favorite: The first two could easily be a tie.
The Heart Of Everything
The Unforgiving
Hydra
The Silent Force
Mother Earth
Enter
Literally my exact ranking. :tup
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Huh, Enter is easily my favourite.
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From favorite to least favorite: The first two could easily be a tie.
The Heart Of Everything
The Unforgiving
Hydra
The Silent Force
Mother Earth
Enter
Literally my exact ranking. :tup
:metal
Huh, Enter is easily my favourite.
Interesting. Don't get me wrong. Enter is still an awesome CD. What does your rest of your ranking look like?
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Huh, Enter is easily my favourite.
Interesting. Don't get me wrong. Enter is still an awesome CD. What does your rest of your ranking look like?
Hm, I think it's something like that:
Enter
The Silent Force
The Heart of Everything
Mother Earth (been a while I listened to this one)
The Unforgiving
The Unforgiving didn't click with me at all, I haven't even checked Hydra out. Should probably fix that.
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Yes, you should fix that. ;D Do you generally have heavier tastes? That could explain why The Unforgiving didn't click for you. I feel it's more poppier than others.
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Holy cow, I got a lot of catching up to do!!! Lots of divided opinions, which I think is probably a good thing. I don't care much for bands that sound the same over and over and over.
My new Let Us Burn live album should hold me over until I decide where to go next.
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My rankings:
The Heart Of Everything
The Unforgiving
The Silent Force
Hydra
Haven't listened to these two besides some songs to really form a good opinion:
Mother Earth
Enter
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The Unforgiving
The Silent Force
Mother Earth
The Heart Of Everything
Hydra
Enter
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Well, I DO have it on my work computer. I will listen...
EDIT: My thoughts as I am revisiting this so far:
Let Us Burn is okay.
Dangerous and And We Run are mostly horrible.
Paradise (with Tarja) is good (not great)
Edge of the World...not bad. I do not love this band for its ballads, but this one has some interesting melodies that make it a little different.
Fell asleep at my desk during Silver Moonlight, so I dunno.
Covered By Roses is pretty cool.
But nothing that jumps out at me and makes me want to give this repeat listens.
Totally agree with your comments except Let Us Burn is awesome and Dangerous is actually good but took the experience of seeing that one live for it to click for me.
I would suggest you listen to the last song, its a softer song but The Whole World is Watching is really awesome, very emotional song. Its actually one of my favorites of their entire catalogue and the video that was posted in this thread earlier is really awesome and I watch it a lot
https://youtu.be/RAwyofZrUnM?list=PL8Xat1WaNEGs5BidXRN0UhJTRMuLH0_tb (https://youtu.be/RAwyofZrUnM?list=PL8Xat1WaNEGs5BidXRN0UhJTRMuLH0_tb)
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I prefer the Dave Pirner version as opposed to the other guy who appears to be doing tai chi throughout the video.
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I prefer the Dave Pirner version as opposed to the other guy who appears to be doing tai chi throughout the video.
Yea I prefer his version as well, but I thought that guy was pretty solid. I dont know if there is any other good live video of that song though.
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I prefer the Dave Pirner version as opposed to the other guy who appears to be doing tai chi throughout the video.
Yea I prefer his version as well, but I thought that guy was pretty solid. I dont know if there is any other good live video of that song though.
I downloaded a couple of recent audio boots. I think there might be one video boot of the recent tour on YouTube.
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Well, I DO have it on my work computer. I will listen...
EDIT: My thoughts as I am revisiting this so far:
Let Us Burn is okay.
Dangerous and And We Run are mostly horrible.
Paradise (with Tarja) is good (not great)
Edge of the World...not bad. I do not love this band for its ballads, but this one has some interesting melodies that make it a little different.
Fell asleep at my desk during Silver Moonlight, so I dunno.
Covered By Roses is pretty cool.
But nothing that jumps out at me and makes me want to give this repeat listens.
Totally agree with your comments except Let Us Burn is awesome and Dangerous is actually good but took the experience of seeing that one live for it to click for me.
I would suggest you listen to the last song, its a softer song but The Whole World is Watching is really awesome, very emotional song. Its actually one of my favorites of their entire catalogue and the video that was posted in this thread earlier is really awesome and I watch it a lot
https://youtu.be/RAwyofZrUnM?list=PL8Xat1WaNEGs5BidXRN0UhJTRMuLH0_tb (https://youtu.be/RAwyofZrUnM?list=PL8Xat1WaNEGs5BidXRN0UhJTRMuLH0_tb)
Dog Days is pretty good too.
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I picked up Hydra. Not exactly sure why, but when I start getting into new bands, I almost always work through the discography in exact reverse order. Lol.
So far I have heard the main album a few times (tracks 1 through 10) and absolutely love it. There's like 8 bonus tracks (looks like some are alternate versions or something), but I haven't gotten to them yet.
After just a few listens my initial favorites are "Let Us Burn", "Paradise", and "Whole World is Watching." (Yes, probably the most catchy or poppy songs.) Not that I care, I'm a prog fan so I don't need to justify liking the poppy songs haha.
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The bonus disc has a few cover songs which are really cool. They actually played Summertime Sadness when I saw them which was great.
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So far I have heard the main album a few times (tracks 1 through 10) and absolutely love it. There's like 8 bonus tracks (looks like some are alternate versions or something), but I haven't gotten to them yet.
Yeah, 4 of them are new songs. Not bad, but none of them really jumped out at me either. I much prefer the bonus songs on The Unforgiving.
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Dog Days is pretty good too.
It took me a while to get into that song. Now I really love it.
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So far I have heard the main album a few times (tracks 1 through 10) and absolutely love it. There's like 8 bonus tracks (looks like some are alternate versions or something), but I haven't gotten to them yet.
Yeah, 4 of them are new songs. Not bad, but none of them really jumped out at me either. I much prefer the bonus songs on The Unforgiving.
Bonus songs on The Unforgiving?! I need to find these.
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So far I have heard the main album a few times (tracks 1 through 10) and absolutely love it. There's like 8 bonus tracks (looks like some are alternate versions or something), but I haven't gotten to them yet.
Yeah, 4 of them are new songs. Not bad, but none of them really jumped out at me either. I much prefer the bonus songs on The Unforgiving.
Bonus songs on The Unforgiving?! I need to find these.
I Don't Wanna (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFfwUdTrJAc)
The Last Dance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB0BizoLsdc)
Empty Eyes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QOdVHFtwcI)
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Dog Days has the worst chorus ever.
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Dog Days has the worst chorus ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ujb8MFnUBc
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Dog Days has the worst chorus ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ujb8MFnUBc
It's a far cry from the good ol' days of Wasted Years and Can I Play With Madness.
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Dog Days has the worst chorus ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ujb8MFnUBc
It's a far cry from the good ol' days of Wasted Years and Can I Play With Madness.
While repetitive, the chorus is just fine :biggrin: Using a concert with a great sing a long crowd doesnt help either
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Yeah, sure, Blood Brothers is your typical repetitive IM chorus, but they've done so much worse. Singing "we're Blood Brothers" 4 times is nothing compared to The Angel and the Gambler or
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
NO MORE LIES
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There's a bootleg up on Dime from March 15th. I already have one from March 5th. It's not as cool as collecting DT boots but I like hearing Sharon sing me to sleep. ;D
https://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=522090
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I wish I was in the Netherlands to see that Theater Tour they are doing, looks awesome.
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I wish I was in the Netherlands to see that Theater Tour they are doing, looks awesome.
It really does. They have some setlist put together.
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Woo hoo! I was with my daughter at our local best buy buying her some crap for her Nintendo 3ds, and out of morbid curiosity looked to see if they had any Within Temptation. They had Hydra, which I bought the mp3 of already on amazon, and Enter/The Dance.
So, I am now the proud owner of Enter/The Dance. Listened to a few songs, looking forward to absorbing the album.
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I have Enter already and had been hunting for The Dance online for quite awhile. The only copies I saw were pricey, so I never pulled the trigger. I'll have to get this new combo re-release and ditch my copy of Enter for a couple of bucks at the store that does buy-backs.
I went to said music store yesterday to pick up the new Nightwish and found a copy of Let Us Burn for $21.99. Between my rewards and a small store credit, I ended up getting it almost for free. I watched about half of the Elements set. Pretty good. I did not realize they did another full symphony thing. Not necessary, since we already have the incredible Black Symphony, but still cool. So far, pretty good. I was skipping songs here and there since I knew I would not have time for the whole thing, so I have not seen the entire thing and I missed a lot of the continuity. So I noticed that they had the "new guy" on guitar. But then at some point, Robert is there too and stays onstage. So is Robert basically there for the whole show? I am assuming (but do not know for sure) that "new guy" was the official touring guitar player, but that since they were filming a show as a one-off so close to home, that Robert stepped back in for the appearance and they basically did it as a 3-guitarist show. Anyone else know the details?
As for what I saw/heard of the show, it looked and sounded fantastic. The only knock I have is the same as with Black Symphony: the guitars are too low in the mix, so it sounds like a more keyboard and symphony-driven band as opposed to a metal band. I know it is difficult to get that perfect balance, and they want the symphony to shine through, but I feel like it takes away some of the power, especially during parts like the sinister guitar riffing going into the second verse of In The Middle Of The Night. I wish they would crank up the guitars on parts like that and let the songs be a bit more guitar-driven.
Sharon's voice sounds great, and she is such a charismatic front-woman. She is such a pleasure to watch perform.
The set list is pretty good too, even if it really is only about a set and a half of material, given the overlap of 7 songs between the two sets. Not complaining--those 7 songs are pretty much mainstays that I think most fans would want to see if they were going to see a WT show. And they are good songs. It's just that, for a live release featuring those two sets, it feels like a LOT of duplication. If I could further nitpick the sets, I would also want just a bit more Unforgiving on the first set. Definitely Murder, and maybe Where Is The Edge? and A Demon's Fate, if I can be greedy. But, again, that's just nitpicking.
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I agree with the setlist point. I mean, for the price of those two concerts on on release, I cant complain too much, but there is also a lot of overlap with The Black Symphony with regards to those songs too which is more of a negative to me, but like you said, those are staple songs so its not like they aren't going to play them. I personally really like Sinead from Elements, with the dancers :biggrin:
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I personally really like Sinead from Elements, with the dancers :biggrin:
I like the musical/vocal performance. As to the stage performance, including the dancers, I have no idea. All you could really see was an isolated dance move here or there that, to me, just looked silly out of context. Actually, that brings me to an actual nitpick that I had forgotten: the editing, at least on Elements, is a mess. It's like they let Steve Harris do it. The camera jumps around so quickly from shot to shot that you are never really sure what you are looking at. I HATE that!
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Still on my Within Temptation kick, have been now for months. I picked up The Heart of Everything a while back.... Holy smokes, I didn't think any album of theirs could top The Unforgiving, but I'd have to say Heart of Everything is EASILY my favorite album of theirs. Unforgiving and Hydra are probably tied for second/third. I have Enter/Dance combo cd and like it but don't listen to it much at all. Still glad I have it though.
I've listened to Silent Force a couple times on Spotify and like it, so I'll definitely pick it up at some point. I generally find stuff I like on spotify but don't really get into albums until I buy them. And since WT is like my favorite band this year I'm sure I'll get Mother Earth at some point too.
I like their heavy and their not-so-heavy about equally. Favorite song from Hydra is "Edge of the World", fav from Unforgiving is "Sinead" and fav from Heart of Everything is... can't choose, too many tied... If I HAD to choose just one maybe I'd go for "Hand of Sorrow."
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If you don't have it already, you really should get Black Symphony.
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I have to agree with Bosk. If any of you don't already have Black Symphony, buy it, if you can find it. Here in the Northeast, it is difficult to find any older symphonic metal albums, and it is probably even harder in Middle America. The Newburies and the Bull Mooses seem to load up on one initial shipment of albums when bands like WT or Nightwish have new releases, and never replenish them when they're sold out. Lesser-selling bands like Epica or Delain might have 1 or 2 copies of their new albums in stock when they're first released, but as for having any copies of their older albums in stock, well, you might as well try iTunes (or eBay, if you want a physical copy). I did luck out once and find a used After Forever album (Prison of Desire) in the just-in bin in a Boston-area Newbury Comics, but that was a once in a lifetime occurrence.
Back to Black Symphony. The 2-disc version is the one to get, with the full-concert DVD on one disc and a truncated-concert on the CD portion. The only glaring omissions are Ice Queen (a major one, granted) and The Other Half of Me, unless you really care about ballads like Memories and All I Need.
iTunes still sells the complete concert's audio tracks. You also get a Dutch language documentary of the band covering their entire career up until that point (2008), with available English subtitles, in which a completely unmade up Sharon is interviewed.
Speaking of which, a while back in this thread, somebody mentioned that he would like to see the band live, just to see if Sharon is as attractive live as she is in video. Well, I saw WT at the Worcester Palladium last October and stood in the second row of the crowd, about ten to fifteen feet away from her at points in the show, and I can confirm that she definitely is.
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Hmm.... I think I should really check that out (Black Symphony). Just checking some Amazon reviews and in general everyone says it's definitely worth it (not that I couldn't just take BOSK1's word for it!!!).
Can't remember if I saw that at my local FYE or not, I feel like I did... I'll have to add this to my "to buy" list for sure, it seems to have good reviews. And I know I like live stuff by them anyway, as I dig their latest live album "Let Us Burn" (which is the first album I bought from them).
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I'd recommend Black Symphony as well, I got the blu-ray on amazon and it's awesome.
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Yeah, that DVD is absolutely great.
Here is all proshot concert footage of paaspop schijndel btw, a recent festival (I think it was broadcasted live):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjB3ZMozvrM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjB3ZMozvrM) Stand My Ground
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFljPlNDbds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFljPlNDbds) The Heart of Everything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOvps99pDnQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOvps99pDnQ) Mother Earth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZhukc1aJZY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZhukc1aJZY) Sinead (acoustic)
Albums not being released here that are released elsewhere, and no ability for the U.S. fans to purchase them on the band's website. No tour dates here. And just a general attitude of "American fans? Eh, whatever."
EDIT: To elaborate on the albums:
-Black Symphony: Deluxe edition not sold in U.S. On their website, which was the only place to find it at the time, they would not ship it to the U.S. Not that the standard edition was bad, but still. I would love to have the extras, especially since it is a whole extra concert!
-An Acoustic Night At The Theatre: Letting go of the misspelling of "Theatre," not available in the U.S. and they will not ship it to the U.S.
-Q Sessions: Same thing.
A bit late reply, but that is unfortunate. But I am sure there are ways to order it, but the shipping costs are probably significant (I know bol.com, one of the most popular online shops over here, ships to most countries around the world. No English language on that site though).
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Do get Silent Force. It blew me away, not only the 'well known songs' but also the deep album cuts. Soundwise, it's fantastic.
Too bad they let that classic WT style go after Heart of Everything.
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Here is all proshot concert footage of paaspop schijndel btw, a recent festival (I think it was broadcasted live):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjB3ZMozvrM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjB3ZMozvrM) Stand My Ground
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFljPlNDbds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFljPlNDbds) The Heart of Everything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOvps99pDnQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOvps99pDnQ) Mother Earth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZhukc1aJZY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZhukc1aJZY) Sinead (acoustic)
Thanks for sharing, these are really good
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Black Symphony is amazing, the only flaw is Sharons voice not being at its best, she caught a cold.
I found the 2dvd/2cd on discogs.com, but the shipping was a lot, if you don't mind then try there. I just wanted the physical full show cds, as they contain the songs I enjoy the most off of the show. The Truth Beneath The Rose, All I Need, The Other Half, Ice Queen, Deceiver of Fools, The Heart of Everything, The Promise. Damn, that's a lot of good songs.
I also share the same feelings as Bosk. But, I can understand their situation with Sharon and Robert having 3 kids. That doesn't excuse them not releasing those awesome things here in the US. I'm still waiting for them to release their cover of Skyfall, which is a shame as that perfectly suits them.
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Im only assuming, but I guess they didn't think they had much of a US fanbase? I think after Hydra they have seemed to noticed us Americans do like them!
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I forget now who it was (and too lazy to try to find it) that recommended the Elements live set, but thank you for doing it.
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I forget now who it was (and too lazy to try to find it) that recommended the Elements live set, but thank you for doing it.
Might of been me, since I know I talked about how awesome that blu ray is with both concerts. If so, you're welcome, love sharing good tunes.
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I was pretty bummed/mad that I did not get to see them on the Unforgiving tour, and I did not realize that that set included a show from that tour. The Hydra show isn't bad, but I LOVE the Elements show.
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Yea the Elements show is up there with Black Symphony as far as I am concerned. Just depends on whether you like The Unforgiven or The Heart of Everything better really since there isn't a huge difference in the rest of the track list, but they went all out with the stage show and orchestra/choir again. The Hydra concert is good, but I think most agree that Hydra is not as good of an album as the rest and therefor that setlist isn't as good (and once again the other songs are all fairly similar in the sets). I do like how the Hydra concert was filmed in the Heineken Music Hall though, cause that is right next to my companys data center that I travel to for work, in fact I am heading there in less than 2 weeks. Nightwish will be playing there in the fall, it would be awesome if I could line up a work trip with that concert (or really any WT concert too).
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The only thing I do not like about the Elements stage show is that it is too dark a lot of the time. Black Symphony feels too well-lit for a metal show, although I get that that was probably done at least in part so they symphony and choir would all be visible. But Elements goes too far the other direction. And the dancers are kinda lame and, IMO, take away from the set when they are on. But otherwise, I would probably give Elements the edge over Black Symphony.
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If I were going to rate the three concerts I would have to put Elements first in terms of the setlist and
Black Symphony in terms of the lighting. Hydra Live was just another concert that they happened to film, and it was basically the same show I saw at the Worcester Palladium in October, with a few minor revisions. I think Sharon sounded the best in Elements, with Hydra Live second and Black Symphony third. She also looked the best in Elements, surprisingly since it was four years removed from Black Symphony (that poodle perm did nothing for me). Maybe it was because her various outfits were the most risqué, (especially that birdcage skirt she was wearing for the first few songs) but I don't think she's looked that tremendous since the Stand My Ground and Angels videos a decade ago.
A minor gripe about Hydra Live: too many of the songs required videos and prerecorded vocal tracks due to all of Hydra's collaborations (Tarja, Howard Jones, Xzibit) and the older Caputo track "What Have You Done." I realize that those collaborations are what sold Hydra, and that people probably don't mind sitting through the videos and prerecorded tracks once, but who wants to hear prerecorded vocals and watch a video screen when you plunk down money to see a band. At least Caputo and Anneke van Giersbergen were actually at Black Symphony. Maybe some of those songs should be put on ice for the next few tours unless they have some of those other performers with them or bring substitute touring vocalists on the road with them. Kamelot, for instance, plays "The Haunting" just about every tour, regardless of whether they have Simone Simons, Elize Ryd, Alissa White-Gluz, Marcela Bovio, Floor Jansen, or the blonde that is touring with them now. The Dutch R&B singer, Wudstik, for instance did as good a job with "The Whole World Is Watching" (not the best song in the world, granted) as either Dave Pirner or Piotr Rogucki did, and I'm sure that they could find an unknown soprano who works cheap that could sing Tarja's part of "Paradise." I would just hate to see a band I like become too gimmicky and rely too much on production values. Those Duets albums are for geriatrics like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Elton John, or for second generation singers to perform with their dead fathers, like Nat King and Natalie Cole, Hank Williams Jr. and Sr., and Elvis and Lisa Marie Presley. Not for a band like WT, who should have a good decade of relevance left in their careers.
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I'll agree about the guest singers. When I saw them live last fall I found it odd they played so many songs that used guest vocals and yet had no guests, just pre-recorded vocals with a video of that guest singing it. I get it those were mostly all new songs and they were supporting the new album so that's really the only option unless they bring someone along on tour. If they continue to do that in future tours, I don't think I'd like it, but for that one time I was fine with it. In fact, most of those new sings I did not previously like, but enjoyed a lot more after seeing them live.
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They wont even do a proper US tour and you want them to hire guest singers?
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They wont even do a proper US tour and you want them to hire guest singers?
Zook wins. Fatality. :iceicebaby:
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Not dead yet, Bosk1.
Twelve dates not enough for you? Would you like them to tour nonstop for three years straight like Metallica did in the early nineties and never be any good again?
Besides, I wasn't just referring to American tour dates, but anytime they release a concert on DVD/Blu Ray.
P.S.: I liked your old avatar better.
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Twelve dates not enough for you? Would you like them to tour nonstop for three years straight like Metallica did in the early nineties and never be any good again?
Irrelevant. 12 dates over 3 album's worth of tours vs. tour for 3 years straight are not the only two options available (not to mention the fact that touring for a long time does not magically make a band stop being good). How about they just play a modest amount of major U.S. cities?
Oh, and I like my avatar. Deal with it.
Oh, wait...wrong thread.
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bosk1, I don't like this band.
Deal with it.
:lol
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15dG7hCqzWg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15dG7hCqzWg)
Live streaming their show from the Polish Woodstock NOW
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So they did a couple special "Black Christmas" shows the past couple nights. Setlists are pretty cool with a bunch of covers, here is thier cover of Thriller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loIhTy51kkY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loIhTy51kkY)
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I'm interested in the Black Sabbath cover.
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So they did a couple special "Black Christmas" shows the past couple nights. Setlists are pretty cool with a bunch of covers, here is thier cover of Thriller:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loIhTy51kkY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loIhTy51kkY)
Very cool. :metal
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https://www.ndr.de/unterhaltung/events/mera_luna/Jetzt-live-vom-Mera-Luna-Within-Temptation,meralunastream100.html (https://www.ndr.de/unterhaltung/events/mera_luna/Jetzt-live-vom-Mera-Luna-Within-Temptation,meralunastream100.html)
If anyone is around at this moment, live stream of Within Temptation... this is pretty awesome, looks like they got some live strings for this show. :corn
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I missed it. Hopefully it'll be on YouTube. It looks like it was a lot of goth and industrial acts.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aySea-YvWHk
Full show of the M'era Luna Festival. I think her voice sounds really good. She has that operatic training which sometimes comes out in her tone. I'd LOVE for her to completely open up and hear just how powerful her voice can get.
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Wow, starting a show off with Ice Queen. That's a pretty cool way to shake things up and get the crowd into the show right from the get go. They really NEED to get mics away from the smoke machines though. Every time those would go off, there was a really loud hiss. :lol
Listening to the whole thing now. As always, Sharon sounds great. And every time I see videos of their live performances, I am struck by the realization that Sharon could make herself filthy rich by giving "how to be an amazing front woman" classes.
Just found the full set list online on another site. Interesting set. Seems to be a pretty good mix of new vs. old and of popular vs. deep cuts.
EDIT: Ouch. She is off on In The Middle Of The Night. Oh well. It is a difficult song.
EDIT2: WOW! The cover is AMAZING! :omg:
EDIT3: Tarja... :\
EDIT4: What is up with Robert's eyes? Looks like he is wearing zombie makeup. Except that he isn't.
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Wow, starting a show off with Ice Queen. That's a pretty cool way to shake things up and get the crowd into the show right from the get go. They really NEED to get mics away from the smoke machines though. Every time those would go off, there was a really loud hiss. :lol
That was irritating. :lol
However, opening up with Ice Queen blew me away as well.
Listening to the whole thing now. As always, Sharon sounds great. And every time I see videos of their live performances, I am struck by the realization that Sharon could make herself filthy rich by giving "how to be an amazing front woman" classes.
Just found the full set list online on another site. Interesting set. Seems to be a pretty good mix of new vs. old and of popular vs. deep cuts.
She really gets into the whole frontwoman designation. She's fun to watch, and not just because having kids swelled her boobies up.
EDIT: Ouch. She is off on In The Middle Of The Night. Oh well. It is a difficult song.
That's a tough song to sing, plus she's running around and not catching her breath properly.
EDIT2: WOW! The cover is AMAZING! :omg:
That was a pleasant surprise.
EDIT3: Tarja... :\
EDIT4: What is up with Robert's eyes? Looks like he is wearing zombie makeup. Except that he isn't.
:lol I wasn't quite sure either.
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Yea, I remember watching that live and being so happy that Tarja was singing... and then she sounded terrible. Awesome concert regardless though. I'd love to see one of their holiday shows this year.
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Is that show planned for release? Even though it doesn't really bring anything new to the table other than the cover (and, sort of, with Robert doing the growls on Candles), I would probably still buy it.
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For those that cares about any recent news about anyone regarding Within Temptation, Sharon had released a new song called My Indigo. I read somewhere from another forum that this reminded them of Eurovision. Completely different than what is expected from Within Temptation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoT5UjZ5wNs&ab_channel=MyIndigo
Also, Within Temptation are looking to get back into the studio and will be looking to release an album in 2018.
https://loudwire.com/within-temptation-sharon-den-adel-my-indigo-solo-project/
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Apparently Sharon had some serious family issues that lead to her writing her own music. I hope everything is good with her family, the wording doesn't sound very good and her new song has a sad vibe to it. Looking forward to some new WT next year though.
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That's a fantastic song. I don't that it was generated via a family crisis though, that really sucks. Certainly looking forward to hearing more though!
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Don't know if it was specifically 'family-issues' though. She explained on Dutch television she experienced a serious lack of energy after the last tour. She wanted to write new WT material, but it just didn't happen, in her own words 'ran into a wall'. After some soul-searching she decided she needes some time for herself and she started writing much more personal stuff then before, which she didn't think would fit WT. So 'My Indigo' (also the name of the project, she didn't even have bandmembers yet) was born.
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Looks like there were a few different versions of the statement issued. Blabbermouth has the original one, where I read it. I guess it's transcribed from her video. So yes, burnout coupled with some family issues.
"I know you've all been waiting a long time to hear a release date for the new WITHIN TEMPTATION album. How much I'd like to give you one now, I'm not able to yet.
"The thing is, when I came back from the tour last time, I went to the studio, like I always do when I come back from a tour, and I wanted to write music again, new stuff. And normally I have a lot of energy and a lot of inspiration, but this time it wasn't there; I didn't have it. And on top of that, I found myself in a bigger crisis than not being able to write songs; something happened in my family. And I felt that I needed more time for everything and to deal with this, so I did. No deadlines, no end date to fight against to finish stuff, no pressure to perform and spending time with my family and my friends.
"So here I am, two years later — [after taking a break] which did help to [make me] more relaxed and [saw me] taking more time for things. And I'm proud to say that we have some really kick-ass songs for WITHIN TEMPTATION now. They're still in demo phase. We're going into the studio soon, and there will be a release in 2018.
"In the meantime, I have been working on songs, but it's not WITHIN TEMPTATION material. These are very personal songs, because it was for myself that I wrote these songs, and especially to get through everything I was dealing with.
"I gave it a name. It's called MY INDIGO, and the first song from this project is also called 'My Indigo'. I hope you like it. Go and check it out.
"My apologies about the statements and putting everything on black and scaring some people. I hope you understand a little bit better why I did so, or we did so.
"I hope to see you on the road. And take care. Thanks."
Read more at https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/within-temptation-singer-launches-my-indigo-solo-project-promises-2018-release-for-bands-new-album.html#UMuAm3rKS6oWyceh.99
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Damn, wasn't aware she went through a rough patch. Hope she is doing well.
Some related news:
-Ruud Jolie recently released a solo record, the second For All We Know album. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WesOGJXCM6w (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WesOGJXCM6w)
-Sharon is a guest singer at the live show with Maiden United in the Royal Dutch Theater Carre. Maiden United covers Iron Maiden songs in altered acoustic fashion (I love their latest album). Ruud is one of the band members, for those who don't know.
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New album, Resist, due out on December 14th.
Dutch symphonic metallers Within Temptation will release their seventh album, Resist, on December 14th via Spinefarm Records/Universal Music Germany.
Speaking about the record, vocalist Sharon Den Adel tells Metal Hammer: “Sometimes it feels that today’s pop music lacks a rebellious edge. Our main goal was to collect pieces from sounds we did like then roughen the whole thing up as much as we could, allowing us to shape a new musical world that is heavier, dirtier and more futuristic than we’ve ever created before. Resist is our new take on metal; our way of giving a fresh lease of life to the rebellious edge of modern music.”
Complete album details to follow.
https://bravewords.com/news/within-temptation-resist-album-to-be-released-in-december
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Well, I like that they are at least giving lip service to the metal aspect of the music. IMO, that bodes well. I am anxious to see whether or not that actually ends up being the case.
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Well, I like that they are at least giving lip service to the metal aspect of the music. IMO, that bodes well. I am anxious to see whether or not that actually ends up being the case.
Yea, they seem to be drifting away from that and the rest of that quote doesn't give me a "metal" feel. Whatever, I'll still check it out, it may be pretty cool.
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More futuristic? What the heck does that mean? Don't care really, will buy it upon release, they haven't let me down yet.
I see they are targeting the Liberal American demographic. Anxiously await the subsequent Social Justice tour, and the follow-up album "Check Your Privilege."
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Resist Your Privilege?
I didn't care much for Hydra. I don't mind a pop direction though, so hopefully this one is better.
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Hydra was definitely a step or two down from The Unforgiving, but that is my favorite WT album, so I expected some drop-off.
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Didn't care much for Hydra.
Unforgiving was cool.
Honestly, they seem (to my personal tastes) to be moving down each album. Low expectations for this one, but I'll check it out.
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Hydra was definitely a step down from Unforgiving, which may also be my favorite of theirs. I definitely feel this album will continue going in the same more poppy direction. There were a bunch of really good songs on Hydra, so I can't shit on that album at all, but I do hope Resist is better and maybe has more interesting guests.
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I must be missing something - how are they targeting American liberals? I reread the articles I could find and don’t see it.
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I must be missing something - how are they targeting American liberals? I reread the articles I could find and don’t see it.
Eh, don't worry. Chris does not like liberalism and modern perspectives of social justice and all that stuff. It just tends to come out at odds times now and then.
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Who you calling "odd?"
TRIGGERED!
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Who you calling "odd?"
TRIGGERED!
Dammit! Who is your version of Jessie Jackson? I"ll start the apology tour tomorrow.
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I laughed a little too hard at "my version of Jesse Jackson."
No tour needed. I will just give your counseling session business a 1 Star review on Yelp (I am sorry I believe you are a counselor or therapist of some sort..)
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I laughed a little too hard at "my version of Jesse Jackson."
No tour needed. I will just give your counseling session business a 1 Star review on Yelp (I am sorry I believe you are a counselor or therapist of some sort..)
Therapist. Calling me a counselor is insulting enough, a 1 Star review would just be kicking me when I'm down.
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Lol. Regardless I’m sure I’ll probably buy when it comes out. Hydra has some really good songs but as an album thought it wasn’t as good as the previous couple of albums.
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I enjoyed Hydra, it was great I thought. This sounds like it'll be interesting.
One thing with this band is I wish they released Skyfall someway.
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I don't have great expectations either, IMO every album has been a down step from the previous. My favorite album is Mother Earth (it's actually one of my favorite albums by any band). But I will check it out anyway.
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Anyone hear the new single yet? Guesting the singer of Papa Roach of all people.
It's.......fine. Extremely predictable and formulaic. Feels like the same pop metal songs that come out of the same pop metal factory that all modern radio friendly bands go through. Catchy, nothing really at fault other than how unimaginative and bland it is. Disappointing, but not expected.
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I only like 3 or 4 songs from Hydra, so if they move any further into pop-metal territory, I may not enjoy any future music from this band, which sucks.
The Silent Force and The Heart of Everything are the best. :metal
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I agree that the song was meh. I'll check this out though.
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I only like 3 or 4 songs from Hydra, so if they move any further into pop-metal territory, I may not enjoy any future music from this band, which sucks.
The Silent Force and The Heart of Everything are the best. :metal
I would go:
The Heart of Everything
The Unforgiving
The Silent Force.
In that order. With Hydra FAR below those three.
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The Reckoning featuring Jacoby Shaddix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGH8R5VwI2k
Hydra 2.0 right here with a less interesting guitar riff. Certainly nothing exciting, hopefully there's some better songs on the album.
I always forget about The Unforgiving! That's up there with Silent Force and Heart of Everything too.
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Anyone hear the new single yet? Guesting the singer of Papa Roach of all people.
It's.......fine. Extremely predictable and formulaic. Feels like the same pop metal songs that come out of the same pop metal factory that all modern radio friendly bands go through. Catchy, nothing really at fault other than how unimaginative and bland it is. Disappointing, but not expected.
As an occasional fan of those kinds of songs, where I feel like when that formula is solid, those radio songs are solid (there are times I feel like those radio songs and the formula is stale, but that's a discussion for another day). I found this song to be "ok." I like Papa Roach more than most people in the forums and I thought the lyrics would not be too out of fit from a Papa Roach (there's more to them than Last Resort, you know), so them getting Jacoby Shaddix in this song works well in context (they had a rapper name Xzibit in the last album and I like the song they did, And We Run).
Overall, I like the song, but yeah, as the first song out, it's a bit on the meh side.
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That song was kind of boring, but I'm glad Shaddix wasn't annoying like those songs at the end of every WWE YouTube video.
Definitely in no rush to buy this.
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To me, it doesn't bode well for your metal band's new "metal" album when the best thing I can say about it is, "Oh, good, at least they seem to have remembered that they have guitars in this band again." I didn't mind the guest vocals, and I liked the song initially, but it never went anywhere.
It's funny to me to see all the gushing comments and people saying "YES! WT IS BACK!" I dunno. Maybe it's just me, but I am not hearing anything to get excited about. As I sometimes do when a band's new material is different, I ask myself, "If this was the first time I ever heard this band, would this make me a fan?" Here, the answer is "no." And to be fair, that isn't necessarily fatal. If I liked a band before, chances are, I may likely find something I like in their new material, even if it takes a bit longer than expected to grab me. But it is a big strike and, as I said above, doesn't bode well.
I guess I'll just say that this continues to be a band that frustrates me. The Heart of Everything was right up my alley. That was when I discovered the band. The Unforgiving was pretty solid as well. But when they completely blew off touring the U.S. in support of it, blew off the U.S. fan base again by not releasing their next album/EP here, and then started writing electronic pop songs, I started to lose interest.
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I liked it. Reminds me of What Have You Done? But more heavy. So they're taking the pop-metal route. We'll see how the rest of the album is though.
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I think it's alright. Doesn't blow me away, and kind of sounds like what I expected, but it's really a decent song otherwise. Doesn't really change how I feel about the upcoming album, I'll still get it but my expectations aren't high. I do however hope they come back for a US tour again though. That I wouldn't want to miss.
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Channeling my inner Col Nathan Jessup… Who the fuck is Jacoby Shaddix?
Guys, you not only write great music but have one of teh most respected, talented, and popular vocalists in the genre. Quit with the damn guest vocals.
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Channeling my inner Col Nathan Jessup… Who the fuck is Jacoby Shaddix?
Guys, you not only write great music but have one of teh most respected, talented, and popular vocalists in the genre. Quit with the damn guest vocals.
He's from Papa Roach. The "CUT MY LIFE INTO PIECES!" dude from like 20 years ago.
They seem to be happy with the trend of formerly famous American rock singers guesting on their first single. I assume the next album will have Fred Durst or something on the single.
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I've heard of Fred Durst. He did that ROLLIN ROLLIN song. I literally only know that because I am a huge Undertaker mark. If anyone questions Taker's influence in the world, he turned a Fred Durst song in to awesome walk-up music (or ride-up if you consider he was on his bike).
I have heard of Papa Roach, beyond that I got nothing.
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I only know Fred Durst's name because when I was in law school doing a summer program in China, one of my classmates loaned me a Korn CD to try to convince me that Korn didn't suck, and there was a lyric I thought was kinda funny in a song that I guess was a mock dis song, along the lines of "Fred Durst needs to rehearse" and his favorite band being Winger.
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Channeling my inner Col Nathan Jessup… Who the fuck is Jacoby Shaddix?
Guys, you not only write great music but have one of teh most respected, talented, and popular vocalists in the genre. Quit with the damn guest vocals.
He's from Papa Roach. The "CUT MY LIFE INTO PIECES!" dude from like 20 years ago.
I was going to post almost the same exact thing. Chris is a wrestling fan too, so I'll point out that Jacoby is the voice you hear making your ears bleed during Raw and after every YouTube clip... Besides Michael Cole.
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Besides Michael Cole.
:lol
Chris was a wrestling fan years ago.
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Besides Michael Cole.
:lol
Chris was a wrestling fan years ago.
I'm nowhere near the fan I used to be, and even less so since CM Punk left, but I still follow it. I can't sit through a whole episode of Raw or Smackdown. I just read the dirt sheets, watch recaps, and full matches when they get high praise.
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I only like 3 or 4 songs from Hydra, so if they move any further into pop-metal territory, I may not enjoy any future music from this band, which sucks.
The Silent Force and The Heart of Everything are the best. :metal
I would go:
The Heart of Everything
The Unforgiving
The Silent Force.
In that order. With Hydra FAR below those three.
I agree with bosk.
And regarding the single, eh it's a single, I never expect singles to represent the album well because they so rarely do.
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They seem to be happy with the trend of formerly famous American rock singers guesting on their first single. I assume the next album will have Fred Durst or something on the single.
I dont really understand this. Tarja was a fantastic guest IMO, but the rest have really been a miss for me, including this one. They aren't bad in terms of their actual vocals, but they just aren't the people I'd like to be seeing with WT. I feel like it's the wrong genre they are targeting. But that's just my opinion. Fred Durst does seem like a legit contender for the next single :lol
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They seem to be happy with the trend of formerly famous American rock singers guesting on their first single. I assume the next album will have Fred Durst or something on the single.
I dont really understand this. Tarja was a fantastic guest IMO, but the rest have really been a miss for me, including this one. They aren't bad in terms of their actual vocals, but they just aren't the people I'd like to be seeing with WT. I feel like it's the wrong genre they are targeting. But that's just my opinion. Fred Durst does seem like a legit contender for the next single :lol
I hated her as a guest. Her voice and style are too melodramatic for me. I loved her on Century Child and Once because I both liked the music and felt that the melodramatic style fit very well with her voice. But that style is so distinct that it sounds jarring and out of place to me in other forms of music, even if they are still arguably symphonic metal. Pairing her with Sharron on a WT song did not work for me. At all.
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to each their own, but I see where you are coming from. My gf listened to some Tarja and she said the same thing that her voice is great but seems out of place with the music. I personally don't feel that way with the WT song, but I can agree on some of the Tarja solo material so it makes sense that you feel that way.
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Tarja is hit and miss for me.
While she is my favourite female singer, her recent solo rock album and EP were terrible.
Her last classical album I loved, even the festive season songs were beautifully done.
She was great with Nightwish as she had quality songs to sing.
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I still remember a friend convinced me to go see WT when they toured The Silent Force. I didn't know the band at all, but that concert was a-ma-zing.
I've checked some of their studio albums and haven't been that impressed, but again. That concert. Wow. Still glad I went.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7sOZ_TFUXg
New Song, The Reckoning with a music video.
I'd say "Meh."
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I dig it quite a lot actually. Really solid pop metal tune. Enjoy it more than anything off the last album from what I remember.
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I like it, not my type of song but the hooks are effective for me.
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It sounds so pop-ish especially with guest vocalist.
I didn't like Hydra and this song sounds like Hydra type but I hope the rest will be good.
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Same here.
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(https://assets.blabbermouth.net.s3.amazonaws.com/media/withintemptationinflames2019tourposter.jpg)
I'll be going to the NYC show :metal :metal
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Wow, the west is uncharacteristically getting the lion's share of this short little tour. 4 west coast dates, plus Vancouver, SLC, and Denver. That's almost half the tour right there.
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Looking forward to it. My daughter loves WIthin Temptation, so we're going to go as a family. Should be fun.
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Alright....guess its denver for me.
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Alright....guess its denver for me.
Would love if work would send me out there that week...
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Alright....guess its denver for me.
Would love if work would send me out there that week...
That'd be cool. Then I could buy you drinks.
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:yarr
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Los Angeles at the Wiltern on a Tuesday? Maybe. If they are pricing it like DT did for their Wiltern shows, I shall pass. If it is around $50-60 total for a floor seat, I might go.
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Wooo March 16 in Seattle! And it's a Saturday!
Don't know anything about In Flames.
Just listened to 20 seconds on YT. Bah gawd my ears.
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Los Angeles at the Wiltern on a Tuesday? Maybe. If they are pricing it like DT did for their Wiltern shows, I shall pass. If it is around $50-60 total for a floor seat, I might go.
SF is 37.50-50, according to AXS. Before all the extra fees, of course.
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Wooo March 16 in Seattle! And it's a Saturday!
Don't know anything about In Flames.
Just listened to 20 seconds on YT. Bah gawd my ears.
Not sure I understand the pairing of these two but In Flames is a fairly known band. Smash Into Pieces while I never heard them, the singer was a replacement for Amaranthe for a couple tours and I wasn't a huge fan. I'm thinking I'll check out In Flames though, my friends like them a lot but I've never been able to get into them.
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Ha I didn't even see Smash Into Pieces on that promo.
After spending 20 seconds on YT I am curious to hear more.
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Guess the album has been pushed to Feb. 1 now.
https://bravewords.com/news/within-temptation-announce-north-american-tour-dates-video-trailer-resist-album-now-due-in-february
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Not sure I understand the pairing of these two
:facepalm: one of the new songs has the singer of In Flames as a guest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QdgoBYUHBU (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QdgoBYUHBU) so I guess we will be getting this song live with both singers in NA.
First time listening, I don't love it. Doesn't change my stance on seeing them live, but really not anticipating this album a whole lot. I like the other single, The Reckoning a bit better maybe.
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I just realized, at least 6 of their recent singles have had a guest singer. Is that right?
Seems a bit excessive.
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I just realized, at least 6 of their recent singles have had a guest singer. Is that right?
Seems a bit excessive.
Totally agree, and since the quality of the songs is going down IMO, it makes me feel like using guests is becoming forced. Sharon is good enough that this band doesn't need all of their singles to have someone else with her also they can't all be played live with the guest singers so using the piped in vocals so much isn't as cool live. When they played in NYC, there were so many songs with guests on the screen (and I expect that again although it seems likely we'll get one live one). Give me more Sharon!
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I just realized, at least 6 of their recent singles have had a guest singer. Is that right?
Seems a bit excessive.
According to Wikipedia, it's 7. And while I realize I am not as tuned in to the music world as many other WT fans are, I have heard of 1 of those 7 singers.
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Bloody hell. The Blabbermouth presale code is not working for me to get tickets for their show at the Wiltern.
It stated that start time is Wed 12/12/18 10:00 am PST
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It just worked for me. Three tickets, in the corner of the lower loge (San Fran) but front row, 189.90. Man this shit is expensive. Not Maiden expensive, but expensive. :lol
We forced to use AXS up here, not sure about down south.
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I'm using Ticketmaster and Live Nation.
The only presales they have right now is for Citi cardholders, Platinum tickets (whatever that means), and Ultimate Jesterhead Meet & Greet Experience (In Flames meet and greet) where you pay about $115.00 overall for a GA ticket and meet up with In Flames.
It's not a good look for Live Nation if the page states that they will be using the Blabbermouth presale codes and they haven't opened it at the proper time.
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I just tried to get on there and same thing here. TM/LN fouls up again. Hopefully they fix it soon. Keep at it.
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For NYC the tickets are through AXS which I hate. It's all GA so I'll just wait. Blabber code works for that sale.
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All right, I don't think the Blabber code is going to work for the Wiltern show in LA. I contacted the Ticketmaster Customer Support during my lunch break and they only see from their perspective the non-Blabbermouth presales being up. I'll try again tomorrow with the Live Nation pre-sale. Does anyone have the code for that?
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Oh finally, the Blabbermouth Pre-Sale is now up for the Wiltern show. Got me a ticket for GA. It only costed me $50.75 fees included. Holy cow. That's such a steal if this show has some interesting production values. In comparison to the $70 I spend for Maiden in the far back, but still have a center stage viewpoint, and the $95.00 I've spent for the Chris Cornell tribute show where I would be in the nosebleeds in the 200s, getting a GA ticket for $50.00 for a somewhat relatively known band is such a steal. Not as big of a steal as paying $42.00 for a GA spot for Switchfoot, but I'll take what I can get.
I'm pumped! I'm also glad I nabbed it now before the Live Nation presale is open in about five minutes.
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Anyone here going to the Seattle show?
Have not bought tix, not sure if any still available. Funds are tight right now and those two opening acts are awful on my ears. I feel like I want to go more for the sake of saying I went more than any actual desire to do so.
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New song In Vain. Sounds a little more WT to me than Raise your Banner did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhhsZJSPcJY
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Totally forgot this was released.
Some solid tunes but overall pretty weak. They went 100% into the Pop Metal direction. The Reckoning would be a great song if not for the Papa Roach guy. Endless War through Holy Ground are all good to great and the best part of the album. In Vain through Mad World I didn't like. The last two songs (Mercy Mirror & Trophy Hunter) are both pretty good.
Overall, the change in direction is not my thing. I find myself wondering why they still need two guitarists (there were I think 2 short solos and nothing but power chords on the whole album).
3/5
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I wouldn't call it pop metal at all. I'm not sure, but I think its a concept record (I haven't looked up the lyrics yet). I am enjoying this one a LOT more than Hydra. Looking forward to the show next month.
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I like all their records (as in: they are consistently good) and I've listened to Resist a lot and I like it a lot too.
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I'm really enjoying this album as well and love The Reckoning, Mad World and Trophy Hunter. A few others are really good as well. I've had to just let go of the fact that they're not going to put out another album like The Silent Force or The Heart of Everything.
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Don't have this album yet but have Spotify'd some of it. WT isn't a favorite banf of mine but like Max, I like all their albums and do appreciate their consistency. I thought Hydra was a huge drop off after The Unforgiving (my favorite) and I haven't had huge hopes this album will buck that trend.
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I just lost interest in their music after The unforgiving, I really love the run of albums Enter-The heart of everything and Mother Earth is one of my favorite albums of all time.
I don't like this new album at all, and neither the last one.
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I finally this past week got the album and started listening. My expectations were very low. I didn't love the singles and I hadn't read many positive reviews of the album, however, it's better than my low expectations. There's some good music here, but overall the album is fairly bland. I do really like Mad World and Endless War. The Reckoning has clicked for me as well, although Supernova really hasn't.
Anyway, tonight they are playing NYC with In Flames. Should be a fun one. The setlist looks fairly average but they are not a band that comes to the US that often and I had a blast when they last came around (5 years ago). It could sell out at the door as well, they've been saying there are very little tickets left. Would be cool to see a sold out show here.
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... it's better than my low expectations. There's some good music here, but overall the album is fairly bland.
Agree. Better than Hydra, but not a ton. Excited to see them in Seattle on Saturday (though not looking forward to the other acts). Cool, in a paradoxical way, that they are playing a ton of the new album. While I appreciate a band who tours on a new album and doesn't play 2-3 songs from that album in favor of reling on old standards, I kinda wish they played more older songs in this case.
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How are the crowds looking nowadays? Are they ones of the pushing, moshing, crowdsurfing kind (especially for In Flames since their music sorta calls for it) or they of the stand and be in awe and do whatever Sharon asks of? After the intense crowd I was in for the Nothing More show, I need something a bit more laid back (although, I probably would get a more laid back crowd, but very appreciative, two days later at the DT show since it's all seats in the floor).
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...stand and be in awe and do whatever Sharon asks of?
Sounds like a dream concert to me.
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How are the crowds looking nowadays? Are they ones of the pushing, moshing, crowdsurfing kind (especially for In Flames since their music sorta calls for it) or they of the stand and be in awe and do whatever Sharon asks of? After the intense crowd I was in for the Nothing More show, I need something a bit more laid back (although, I probably would get a more laid back crowd, but very appreciative, two days later at the DT show since it's all seats in the floor).
Have a look yourself Within Temptation, In Flames, & Smash Into Pieces Live @ Playstation Theater NYC (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIcpLuY3R0A)
I guess I never wrote a review for that one since I had to go to Amsterdam after this so this concert kind of felt like a blur, but I had a total blast. It was interesting having In Flames and WT, seems their music and their crowds don't really mix. However, it wasn't really much of an issue. I ended up meeting and chilling with a bunch of foreigners for most of the night, every single one of them there for In Flames but it did seem most of the crowd was for WT. You could tell the difference, the groups of dudes vs the couples. I'd say In Flames sounded fine, but aren't my music. I just watched, there wasn't a crazy pit or anything for them. I'd say the crowd was much more tame for them than WT. There was a small pit although not a crazy one for WT, it didn't start until the first old song they played though. They open with a few new ones and then the crowd opened up a bit and got more into the show. I stood behind two tall dudes who blocked the pit from me while I videoed, you cna see the crowd pretty well in my video to get an idea. The show was almost sold out apparently, and that place it good size, about 2k because they had the seats open too. Also, Smash into Pieces is... interesting. No one seemed to like them :lol I remember seeing the singer, Adam, before as the temp singer for Amaranthe.
As for the album, it's grown on me a bit. Mad World is probably my favorite song, it's so catchy. Also seeing Supernova live made it click, it's got an interesting pace and feel to it, came off well live.
The group of random dudes that all met up and pretty much hung out the entire show with:
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D0tfepDW0AYDB58.jpg:large)
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Thanks for the post Cram. Do you recall what time WT went on in relation to when the show was scheduled to start?
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Thanks for the post Cram. Do you recall what time WT went on in relation to when the show was scheduled to start?
Doors: 6pm
Smash Into Pieces: 7pm
In Flames: 7:50pm
Within Temptation: 9:20pm
They tweeted that for the first show and it held true for the NYC show
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Cram,
Seeing them next week. THanks for the review. How long is WT's set? Did it go to 11 p.m.?
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Cram,
Seeing them next week. THanks for the review. How long is WT's set? Did it go to 11 p.m.?
I hardly remember, but probably till like 10:50
also should add that I saw them on their last tour 5 years ago and thought this was a much better show and performance
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Cram,
Seeing them next week. THanks for the review. How long is WT's set? Did it go to 11 p.m.?
I hardly remember, but probably till like 10:50
also should add that I saw them on their last tour 5 years ago and thought this was a much better show and performance
Thanks. WT is one of my daughter's favorites, so we are making an effort to take her on a school night. Probably going to keep her home the next day given the time and drive home. Appreciate the info.
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So some late-minute thoughts about Resist after finally finishing listening to their entire catalog. I do like it and I don't mind the more "pop" elements to it. Even if I could potentially like it, I did find having guest vocals (and this goes the same Hydra as well even I do like the songs that involves guest vocalists) a bit too much. You could run into the issue that the song's style would be more towards their respective bands than how people identify a Within Temptation song. For The Reckoning, those lyrics wouldn't be out of place from a Papa Roach song (and I admit liking those guys and, like Disturbed, those guys don't get enough credit for creating some solid songs, even if some songs in their catalog aren't as solid. There's more to them than Last Resort).
Anyway, favorites from the album so far: The Reckoning, Supernova, In Vain, Mercy Mirror, and Trophy Hunter
Still, the standard for me when it comes to Within Temptation is The Heart of Everything and The Unforgiving. Bring on the concert, next Tuesday. I probably won't make too much of an effort trying to be in the first 5-10 rows like I did with Nothing More, but as long as I have a good view and avoid the areas where there may be pits or pushing, I should have a great time.
Next stop in the album listening catalog in full, DT, since their LA show is two days after the Within Temptation/In Flames show.
Edit: Nice video, Cramx, btw.
Edit x2: On another note, I started listening to Smash into Pieces. Yeah, Cramx, I can see what you mean where no one in the crowd is going to like them. These guys sound like they would be mainstays on Sirius XM Octane and would be on a bill with Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, Nickelback, etc. So having a band that fits an Active Rock mold would not go well with a crowd that leans towards more heavier stuff that In Flames and Within Temptation can bring. That stated, for a guy that loves that sort of modern radio-friendly hard rock, at times, and Sirius XM Octane, I found these guys to be a lot easier to get into blind than In Flames.
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Random thoughts on last night's show:
Show seemed to start flat out of the gate. I don't think the Resist songs Raise Your Banner/The Reckoning/Endless War were great openers. Sharon seemed a little... uninspired? Maybe it was waving that dumb banner.
Then they played In the Middle of the Night. And I thought: Damn, Unforgiving is an awesome album. Sharon turned it up a notch.
Then Stand My Ground hits. Band is in high gear now.
Trio of songs from Heart of Everything: All I Need/The Heart of Everything/The Cross. I think damn that is an awesome album. Band is killing it.
A solid collection of old and new songs to round out the show.
Summary: Skipped opening acts. WT brought an A setlist with their A game and delivered a top notch performance. The video screens were great, best stage setup I've seen at that venue. The Resist songs sounded good live, though I am still lukewarm on the album. Great picks from past albums. Show felt short in terms of time but not in terms of value and performance (Yes I know I skipped first two acts). Saw a discussion about show lengths in the Queensryche thread and thought about that during the show.
Keyboardist looks like Mr. Ass Billy Gunn.
When I saw Floor Jansen perform I thought "That's the most beautiful lead singer I've ever seen." Then I saw Charlotte Wessels perform and I thought "That's the most beautiful lead singer I've ever seen." Last night I saw Sharon and thought "That's the most beautiful lead singer I've ever seen."
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San Fran show was great. My second time seeing WT. The first time was opening up at a tiny club called Slim's (also in SF) for Lacuna Coil in 2007. WT back then was on The Heart of Everything tour.
Anyway, the setlist is what it has been. I really enjoyed the show. Our seats were front row of the loge, but way on the side, so we couldn't see the drummer or the video screen. That sucked, but we got a clear sight line to the stage, which was fine for us. Really good performance. I thought the banner thing was fine. My daughter loved it. The most recent album -- I really like it (in fact, picked up the vinyl at the show), but I haven't delved into the lyrics yet. If it is a concept album, that sort of thing makes sense. But I thought the show was a lot of fun. One of the guitar players was sick, and apparently had been. Sharon cracked a joke how he was too sick to do an acoustic version of something (I forget the tune) the show before ours, and was fine now, to which the guitar player shook his head "NO." hahahaha. Sharon got a laugh, as did the crowd.
90 minute set, mostly the new album and Heart of Everything, with a song or two from the rest of the catalog records thrown in. I don't think I'll personally need to see WT again, but I really enjoyed it, as did the family.
As for the openers, that first band, Smash into Pieces -- that's what I wanted to do. They piped in everything. The drummer missed stuff, and yet, there were snare hits. ::) The singer sang along to a backing track of LEAD vocals, and he literally just mouthed the words at some point. It was stupid. The whole band was pointless, and didn't fit AT ALL. It was WT throwing a bone to another Swedish band. Speaking of which, In Flames was good...if you like those kind of vocals. I don't. The music was spot on, and it was cool seeing Chris Broderick. The guy is a machine. Stiff, but still a great player. Musically, love In Flames. But as soon as the singer...err...growler opens his mouth, its just pointless for me. But for what its worth, people loved them.
Anyway, WT was worth the money and effort. I rarely buy t-shirts these days, but I picked up shirts for all of us (three) and like I said, I picked up the vinyl of the new album. Good stuff.
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At the Seattle show Ruud played guitar for the acoustic Ice Queen which apparently Stefan(?) usually does, but didn't as he wasn't feeling well, though you wouldn't have known by his performance.
Funny about Smash into Pieces. I skipped both them an In Flames as I had zero interest in either. I saw a ton of people in In Flames shirts, at least as many as I in WT shirts.
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Yea, I wasn't into Smash Into Pieces. At one point the singer was like "yell if you like Smash Into Pieces" and there wasn't much reaction :lol When In Flames came on the singer said something along the lines of "enough of that light stuff"
Honestly thought they might have had one song that was interesting, their music videos have a lot of views with that drummer and his mask. I don't know, maybe its more popular in Europe but wasnt my thing.
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I liked what I heard from Smash Into Pieces. Then again, I'm one that like that sort of mainstream active rock radio sound if it can be compelling enough. That stated, I was convinced from what I heard in their live set and their lead vocals that either he was singing along to a backing track or was miming. Pretty much similar to any accusations of Brent Smith of Shinedown of miming of having backing tracks that makes it hard to distinguish if he was actually singing live or not. Honestly, and I stated this before, I felt that Smash Into Pieces would not be out of place as an opening act to a Shinedown, Nickelback, Breaking Benjamin kind of band. Seeing them paired with In Flames and Within Temptation was a bit of an odd pairing though. The LA crowd, yesterday, liked them a decent amount though. I think there was a soccer mom at a VIP table going crazy for them. I had a great night all around. More details in a much more longer and detailed post.
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Well, I think WT and IF is an odd pairing to begin with. The tour looks like a success overall but the whole bill seemed very disjointed in terms of music style with the only thing in common being hard rock from europe and maybe that was what they were going for.
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I had such a great time of the Within Temptation show, last Tuesday, that I am going to write a long trip report story of my thoughts on it. This will be a long post as a forewarning.
So, I was at the Within Temptation show in Los Angeles on Tuesday. I don’t think I went in with too much high expectations, given that I do not listen to Within Temptation (and especially In Flames) on the regular. The show was also on a weekday and that I had work and managed to get two hours off so that I can get to the venue and get parking and hope to dodge that nasty LA traffic on the 10. For some reason, Google Maps had me drive for like 6-7 miles of streets before hitting the 5 to the 10. Must be better traffic than going two miles of streets and then go to the 405 N to the 110 to the 10. It still took me 75 minutes to get to the Wiltern Theater. Got to the parking lot next to the Wiltern Theater at around 4:50 (doors open at 6:00 AM). Paid $25.00 for a spot. A bit steeper than I would like to pay. The last time I was at the Wiltern in 2014 seeing Alter Bridge, I think my sister paid $20.00 for the spot in the same building. Got to love inflation like that. Going from paying $20 in 2014 to paying $25 in 2019 doesn’t seem like the most gasping of raising prices.
Finally got in line and it was a bit confusing at first which line to be in as I think there were three lines. One for the In Flames VIP Meet and Greet. One for the front of the line passes and one for the regular GA. As per usual, I like to check out what sort of people is going to this show and it's a nice mixture of people that I always love to see at rock shows. You got the older dudes sporting the classic rock shirts, you got the couples all decked out in black, you got families, and plenty of people of all ages wearing shirts from all kinds of bands (of noted, I think I saw people wear A7X shirts, Ghost, Breaking Benjamin, Epica, Lacuna Coil, Nightwish, Tarja, Halestorm, Rammstein, Slayer, Metallica, etc.). As usual, I was repping the good old AB, Alter Bridge. Of course, there was plenty of people here sporting Within Temptation shirts and there was a surprising amount of people wearing In Flames shirts (I think a good portion of the crowd was there mainly for In Flames).
About 10 minutes before the show begins, people from the venue was offering green wristbands for free that allows you to get to the pit in the very front of the stage and it's the only way you can access that area and, of course, I want to take that if a spot in the pit appeals to me. 6:00 PM finally hit and after security check, and after needing a restroom break, I dashed to the floor and I landed a good spot on the rails of the 2nd section of the floor. I could have easily been in the middle of the pit near the stage, but after being in that spot for the Nothing More show, last month, and how intense the crowd was, I opted to stay where I am at. I say this is a pretty great view honestly for the $50.00 I paid the ticket for based on this picture below (I was positioned a few feet slightly before where my camera angle was at). I wasn't going to be leaving that spot at all, not by a long shot. Wasn't going to lose that spot due to any mosh pits nor would I have any tall people block my view. The security lady next to me made sure that no one was getting to the front without that green wristband and there was a lot of people that got denied that area throughout the night. Gotta give a shoutout to that person to ensure that we are going to have a fair and secure night. Plus, she was giving me and a couple of people next to me some info on the expected start times of the set. Plus, she informed us that there would be some camera people that would take some shots (behind the rail at the bottom of that picture I took) at some point in the beginning of the sets, but they wouldn't be there the entire show. Don't know why she gave us this info, but we greatly appreciated it.
(https://i.imgur.com/eOAM4rT.png)
Also, I got to say, when I was in the Wiltern Theater back in 2014 for Alter Bridge, I must say that the interior is so nicely designed, but since I had mezzanine seats, I couldn't really speak on how it was in the GA area. Well, since I was now in the GA areas, there were some VIP tables if you wanted to seat and order some drinks and all, but you got to pay and people were willing to pay. Beautiful venue and even Sharon, during their set, acknowledged how nice this venue is and how this is a good venue to end the tour on and Within Temptation, I'm sure, has played in nice arenas and very lovely music halls in Europe. Regardless of how genuine that comment was, it's a nice feeling when a European band can say that in about one of the venues in Los Angeles, even if that city has a reputation of being "shady-looking" at times. Speaking of European bands, I just realized the week of that this is actually the first concert I've been to that features primarily European bands. All of the bands I've seen in my concert-going in the last 6 years are mainly American or Canadian.
Anywho, thanks to the security woman, we were informed that the first band actually started on 6:55 instead of 7:00 and it was Smash into Pieces. They were an ok band. They had a drummer with an interesting mask on and had a screen with some nice visuals and all. They primarily played songs that sounded like they belong on Active Rock/Sirius XM Octane radio and would be a great fit for an American modern band (which I already listed examples a few posts ago in this thread). If I had to compare them to any other band, I would compare them to this band, Starset, but Starset does the gimmick with the spacey visuals and the masks and the songs better.
Smash Into Pieces' frontman was an odd bunch though. I feel like his pitch at times felt unnatural (like he was either singing to a backing track or was miming, similar to any accusations of Brent Smith of Shinedown of miming or having backing tracks that makes it hard to distinguish if he was actually singing live or not.) Also, his banter was a bit odd and he stated that he liked bananas and I think he chucked a banana to the crowd. Also, he attempted to crowdsurf, but that only lasted 5 seconds as the pit was really not in the mood for that. I compared that to when I saw Hyro the Hero opening for Nothing More in February and that Hyro stage dived and crowdsurf and that lasted for about 30 seconds and I was in the middle of it saying, "Oh boy, I got to get to another area, since this crowd is pretty rabid in a good way right now." Afterwards, when the song ended, and Hyro was back on stage, he was like, "Man, that was a good exercise there," whilst when Smash Into Pieces' frontman did it and failed at it, he shrugged and had a "Oh well" feeling to it.
Overall, I think Smash Into Pieces was ok. I mean they weren't really a big dealbreaker to anyone in deciding whether or not they want to go to this show, but people liked them enough, and I think they got some new fans at the end. I know there was what looked to be a soccer mom in the VIP table was really into them, so I guess it was mission accomplished for them.
Second band was In Flames and they come out with their heavy sound and harsh vocals and, as stated, before there was a lot of people that was there primarily for them and I don't think In Flames disappointed at all. They brought in a lot of intensity that people was expecting. People were headbanging and there was a mosh pit going in the pit in the front. I enjoyed the solos that their lead guitarist was doing and how he was looking doing them. This was stated before in a previous post, but they mentioned that they had a special treat for this tour when one of their guitarist couldn't make it due to medical issues and they brought in Chris Broderick (former Megadeth guitarist). I thought that's a cool for those both into In Flames and Megadeth, but it didn't do much for me in terms of hype nor did it deter it.
Anyway, Anders was a solid frontman and he was doing all he can to get people from being into it to really being into it. He brought in a solid amount of banter in between songs. He acknowledged this one dude from the second floor of the lodge area and Anders was like "I can't hear what you are saying, but you got a really nice shirt on." When he got to talking about their new album (and people reacted loudly about it), he kept repeating "we got a new album out" for like three or four times just to see if the crowd reaction can be louder, but sadly, around the 4th time, people were not as enthusiastic about it. Anyway, he made a pretty snarky statement where he says "if you introduce this album to your friends and they don't like it, they can blame it on you, not on us." I mean someone may find it in disheartening spirit, and I had a good laugh about it. Sadly, I only really knew like the two songs that In Flames played in their set and they were the two songs that Octane was playing (This Is Our House and I Am Above) in readiness of the new album, I The Mask. Maybe, it is something I can get into them a little more, but after listening to their discography and found it a huge blur for the most part, maybe not.
Anders also fistbumped a crowdsurfer (and that dude did a better job of it than the Smash Into Pieces guy) when he made it pass the barriers and I liked that when a frontman does something like that. You acknowledged something positive in the crowd for like a few moments, but you can go ahead and really make that person's night. Something like also happened at the Disturbed show I was at in January, where David Draiman saw a disabled dude behind the barriers and Draiman was like "if this dude made it to the front in the condition he is at, he belongs on my stage, get him to the side of the stage, part the sea people and let him through." It took about five minutes to get that guy there, but it was a cool feeling to see the arena chant his name. It is something I do want to see bands do more of, big or small. Just acknowledge something awesome in the crowd and really make their day and a good way to interact with the crowd.
Overall, In Flames was really good and sadly, some people left after their set was done. Too bad, they missed on a great set from Within Temptation. They started at 9:20 and started off with The Reckoning, instead of their main opener for this tour, Raise Your Banner, which is fine since I always feel like if you want to go ahead and start a show in support of a new album, you start with the first single of the album. The band was really on point. They were hitting their spots really well and they had some nice tall screens with solid visuals. After, I believe Endless War, Sharon had a small crown of roses and wore them for a brief moment and said "take this picture and upload it on Instagram while you can." and stated how she wouldn't mind wearing it for the whole show, but it would a lot hard to move around with it on, so she just place the crown over the mic stand. Anywho, after they played two songs from Resist, they went on to play two songs from what I think are live staples, In the Middle of the Night and Stand My Ground. Everyone in the crowd was really into them. One of the things I wondered was if this was going to be a crowd that is of the stand and be in awe and do whatever Sharon asks of and I think that was the case at points. When she asks for the crowd to fistpump, hands in the air, or do a call-and-response like in Covered by Roses, they did it. It varies if it is with gusto or not. Still, it was really nice to see men, women, children, couples, older dudes, single guys like me, etc. to have a fun time of a concert and singing along and reacting well to everything the band was doing without being inadvertently obnoxious. If only all concerts was like this and there would be no issues at all.
The setlist was really good and what I was really hoping for. Five songs from the new album, Resist. The Reckoning, Endless War, In Vain, Supernova, and Raise Your Banner. I really enjoyed their performance of In Vain and after the show was done, and I have gone back and listening to it more and I've been enjoying it more and I already pegged that as an initial favorite. They also played four songs from The Heart Of Everything. Three of them are staples (The Cross, What Have You Done Now, and the title track) and nothing wrong with playing some stuff from one of, what most people feels, their best albums. Only two songs from The Unforgiving (another great album of theirs), Faster and In the Middle of the Night and since those are staples, they got a good reaction. They also played, as mentioned before, an acoustic version of Ice Queen, and they stated that since they play a song so many times, they feel like they need to change the approach of it a bit so that they do not get bored with it and it was a very lovely performance as the end result.
However, I think the second best song reaction of the night from the crowd was Paradise (What About Us), not surprised. It was the lead single of Hydra and it was a song that they collaborated with Tarja and it really was the definition of a dream team pairing of their genre coming together. Also, I think a great example of a great vocalist would be the following. Bands can have someone have guest vocalists on their songs and feel they need to pipe in these guest vocalists when played live to not lose the integrity of the vocals. Sharon does a great job singing Paradise (What About Us) and The Reckoning that you do not need Tarja's vocals or Jacoby Shaddix (I guess you can question of how great a vocalist Jacoby is, but his voice has that certain distinction that cannot be not-recognizable for those that listen to mainstream rock like me) piped into it. That stated, Within Temptation still kept Keith Caputo for What Have You Done Now and, naturally, it got the best reaction of the night. It's just an easy reaction when you play a song like that and have the crowd shout "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NOW" and thus ends the main set.
The encore begins and out comes Anders Friden from In Flames and they played Raise Your Banner, complete with Sharon waving that flag around. I think this might have been the only time they brought Anders out for this song during this entire tour, since they've been playing Raise Your Banner as the opener which would make it an awkward spot to have him out there at the start of the show. Having this song placed at the beginning of the encore would be perfect, regardless of how much people liked the song. You got In Flames with you on this tour and you got their singer on this track. Bring him out during the encore to play it, easy reaction. They then closed off with Mother Earth and the call-and-response with the "Ohohohoooooh" was good and thus ends one of the best concerts I've been to.
For the longest time, I had three concerts where I deemed it the perfect concert where nothing absolute went wrong to ruin my enjoyment of it, even so slightly. Seeing Halestorm at the House of Blues in 2017, seeing Breaking Benjamin three days later at the same place, and seeing Myles Kennedy at the Troubadour, last year. Those three concerts and I went in, and those guys killed it, played the right songs at the right time, and had a great crowd reaction throughout the show and I had one of the greatest experiences I have ever had in life and I just keep rethinking back at those events and I think, "this is perfection. Nothing went wrong at all in the show to ruin my enjoyment." I always go into a concert hoping to have that feeling again, and there's always something I think went wrong to deem it perfect (the sound mix was really bad, the crowds too rowdy and pushy, I was too sick to enjoy it, Myles' voice sounds like helium in between songs, the instrumental breakdowns are too long for their own good, the band doesn't look too engaging enough to the crowd, the setting up time in between sets is way too long of a wait, there's too many tall people blocking my view, there's too many people trying to force their way to the front, that one dude was standing on his chair for 30 minutes and is barely reacting to anything and yes, I am really really upset at the bolded during the DT show that I keep bringing it up every time I think about it.)
When I keep thinking back at that Within Temptation concert, I think that was really a perfect show for me. They played the right material of the right time. They played a fair amount of their new album and the songs come off well live. I had a tremendous view the entire time. The crowd was good and appreciative. No one was being obnoxious (aside from those people trying to get to the pit without the green wristband, but that security lady was on top of it the entire time). I'm in one of my favorite venues (The Wiltern Theater and The House of Blues are always going to be my favorite places to be in for concerts in Southern California). It was a great night. Sure, I probably would have liked more than 80-85 minutes from Within Temptation (and then they could fit more stuff from The Unforgiving and more stuff from pre-The Heart Of Everything) and they could have not have Smash Into Pieces on the bill and split the 35 minutes and add it to In Flames and Within Temptation, but I could say that for any band. As a standalone set, Within Temptation was really really good and is right now, the frontrunner of my concert of the year, so far (lots of shows to go through to change my mind, but this is a tough show to beat).
Anyway, I appreciate you guys here if you read it all the way to this point, if not, I appreciate you guys for letting me post this really long post. Thanks.
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Great post. Due to time constraints and lack of interest in the two opening bands, I skimmed that part. You summed up how I felt about the show well. I knew the set list going in, and while I was slightly disappointed that their time was shorter than I would have liked, at the end of the show it felt like a solid performance (and keep in mind I skipped the first two bands, so only got 1:20 of concert time total). So while short, and while I would have loved another hour of WT, I didn't feel cheated or that I didn't get my $$ worth.
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New single/video for song "Entertain You": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7-8hK2f_So (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7-8hK2f_So)
I don't love it, but I don't hate it, pretty solid actually. Seems like solid modern WT
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The new songs just seem so soulless. They're not bad at all, they just seem so easily manufactured. I don't hear a strong artistic voice, I just hear people who expertly know how to craft a catchy fun product. So I don't hate it, but I can't connect to it at all.
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The new songs just seem so soulless. They're not bad at all, they just seem so easily manufactured. I don't hear a strong artistic voice, I just hear people who expertly know how to craft a catchy fun product. So I don't hate it, but I can't connect to it at all.
Yup, it's really not a bad song but comes across exactly as you stated which makes it really hard for me to love it in any way. Kind of just feels like their last two albums in some ways.
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The new songs just seem so soulless. They're not bad at all, they just seem so easily manufactured. I don't hear a strong artistic voice, I just hear people who expertly know how to craft a catchy fun product. So I don't hate it, but I can't connect to it at all.
I have largely felt this way about their music as a whole after The Unforgiving. And there is certainly an argument that they were far down that road with either that album or its predecessor (although the songs are so strong on both of those that I really don't care).
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It does seem like after The Unforgiving (my favorite) there was a fundamental shift in their style.
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Yeah..., so I took a listen to Entertain You on a whim, and it sounds like a generic radio track that you would hear on Octane and not of the enjoyable kind. Sounds like something from Bad Wolves (which I like, but that style of music doesn't fit well with Within Temptation, in my opinion).
On a side note, Sharon contributed some vocals for this band, Saint Asonia (which has former Three Days Grace singer, Adam Gontier, and the guitarist from Staind, Mike Mushok) on a song called Sirens. Now that's the kind of generic radio rock I like rather than what's out there nowadays.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoNI7d2lVj4
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It does seem like after The Unforgiving (my favorite) there was a fundamental shift in their style.
Yep - even on that album you could hear where they might be going with stuff like Sinead. But boy..............since that album (which I thought was great but the production let it down) it's almost unlistenable for me as the songs can't save me from the production. I'm pretty much done with them as far as checking out new music.
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It does seem like after The Unforgiving (my favorite) there was a fundamental shift in their style.
Yep - even on that album you could hear where they might be going with stuff like Sinead. But boy..............since that album (which I thought was great but the production let it down) it's almost unlistenable for me as the songs can't save me from the production. I'm pretty much done with them as far as checking out new music.
I enjoyed Hydra.
I don't like the pop direction they have suddenly took. It was bound to happen due to them doing all those pop covers.
Although, Skyfall is pretty much a Within Temptation song. Jane Doe.
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It does seem like after The Unforgiving (my favorite) there was a fundamental shift in their style.
For me, my favorite was "Mother Earth" (one of my favorite albums ever). I was not a big fan of the shift in their style afterwards, although I enjoyed "The Silent Force".
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My favourite is Enter, but I enjoyed the next two as well. To be honest, I never even gave The Unforgiving and Hydra a chance.
I have no idea what their output is after those two.
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My favourite is Enter, but I enjoyed the next two as well. To be honest, I never even gave The Unforgiving and Hydra a chance.
I have no idea what their output is after those two.
Since Hydra, they seem really big on guest vocalists.
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My favourite is Enter, but I enjoyed the next two as well. To be honest, I never even gave The Unforgiving and Hydra a chance.
I have no idea what their output is after those two.
Since Hydra, they seem really big on guest vocalists.
which doesn't bother me too much honestly, and I like most of their records, apart from their first one probably. And I think Resist is a good one as well.
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My favourite is Enter, but I enjoyed the next two as well. To be honest, I never even gave The Unforgiving and Hydra a chance.
I have no idea what their output is after those two.
Since Hydra, they seem really big on guest vocalists.
That started WAY before Hydra. Don't forget What Have You Done. Or George Oosthok guesting on a couple of their earlier songs.
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It does seem like after The Unforgiving (my favorite) there was a fundamental shift in their style.
Yep - even on that album you could hear where they might be going with stuff like Sinead.
For sure. But for me, the thing is, when I first heard Sinead, my reaction was "Wait, what are they doing here? Hmm...even though I don't generally like this direction, this is actually a REALLY good song." The stuff afterward not only goes in that direction I don't care for, but the music isn't up to par.
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My favourite is Enter, but I enjoyed the next two as well. To be honest, I never even gave The Unforgiving and Hydra a chance.
I have no idea what their output is after those two.
Since Hydra, they seem really big on guest vocalists.
That started WAY before Hydra. Don't forget What Have You Done. Or George Oosthok guesting on a couple of their earlier songs.
Yes but it tripled on Hydra. 3 guest singers on that and the following album. 2 over 2-3 albums prior doesn’t mean it’s the same. Hence me saying “really big” and not “started to use”
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My favourite is Enter, but I enjoyed the next two as well. To be honest, I never even gave The Unforgiving and Hydra a chance.
I have no idea what their output is after those two.
Since Hydra, they seem really big on guest vocalists.
That started WAY before Hydra. Don't forget What Have You Done. Or George Oosthok guesting on a couple of their earlier songs.
Yes but it tripled on Hydra. 3 guest singers on that and the following album. 2 over 2-3 albums prior doesn’t mean it’s the same. Hence me saying “really big” and not “started to use”
Also those guest vocal songs seem to be the singles. I don't really have an issue with this, but when all your "hits" start to follow this trend, to me, it takes a hit on the live show when every other song has someone singing on the background screen instead of live vocals sung by your awesome lead singer.
The reality for me, I don't mind their shift in style and sound, but they just haven't been very consisten with making good songs with that style. The latest album is a whole bunch of hit and miss. It's not a bad album at all, but it's not consistent. Same goes for Hydra.
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Their new music doesn't do a lot for me. It sounds good, but just is not a style that resonates with me.
Btw, I was checking some Sharon performances of two years ago in the tv show Liefe voor Muziek. It basically is the Belgian version of Beste Zangers (that show which Floor Jansen participated in last year). For those who have missed it, a youtube playlist with all of her 7 performances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RWHSqUxGAs&list=PLY4Wx9t3Xj1eSZ0XAdirf0JCTVTKKawt2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RWHSqUxGAs&list=PLY4Wx9t3Xj1eSZ0XAdirf0JCTVTKKawt2)
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Well, that new song was, eh... not good. And the YouTube thumbnail for the track on their channel is the creepiest thing I've ever seen.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoBIQkL4r0s
New song, The Purge.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoBIQkL4r0s
New song, The Purge.
That was pretty cool! My first time checking out this thread, I saw one of their live videos on fb and thought it was awesome. I wish I knew the name of the concert release.
Seems like a band worth looking into. :tup
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Black Symphony is a great video/CD release of theirs, at what I believe some fans would consider their creative peak. It is visually stunning. They have subsequently released another live album but I don't own it so cannot comment on it.
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Black Symphony is a great video/CD release of theirs, at what I believe some fans would consider their creative peak. It is visually stunning. They have subsequently released another live album but I don't own it so cannot comment on it.
Let Us Burn, is pretty good to get their Unforgiven and Hydra. Personally I prefer Black Symphony as those songs are the ones that I prefer from Within Temptation.
I knew where Within Temptation was going once they did those Pop covers, and it's where they are and I don't quite enjoy it. It's why I couldn't get into Resist, and why I can't get into this song.
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Unforgiving. Unforgiven is that Clint Eastwood movie ;) I forgot their were tracks from that on Let Us Burn. It's my favorite WT album so I should check it out. But yeah, after that there is a big drop-off. I am glad I saw them on the last tour though as they don't come here much. It was a great show.
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Unforgiving. Unforgiven is that Clint Eastwood movie ;) I forgot their were tracks from that on Let Us Burn. It's my favorite WT album so I should check it out. But yeah, after that there is a big drop-off. I am glad I saw them on the last tour though as they don't come here much. It was a great show.
If I had the chance. I'd definitely go see them.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoBIQkL4r0s
New song, The Purge.
just when I thought their production couldn't get any muddier. :o
I like them (and love The Unforgiven) but have found most of their recent output almost unlistenable from a sound quality perspective.
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This all just starts to sound the same for WT. Sucks, I enjoy them, but I'm just struggling to continue to enjoy where they are headed. They still make some good songs, but it's really just becoming bland overall. I feel like they lost motivation or something.
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The Unforgiving was they're last good album. I didn't really care for Hydra and the next album was worse. They have the chops and ability to write good melodies. What the hell happened? The Purge is a decent song, but kinda bland. Maybe they should take a break, get some inspiration, and stop trying to be something they aren't.
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The Unforgiving was they're last good album. I didn't really care for Hydra and the next album was worse. They have the chops and ability to write good melodies. What the hell happened? The Purge is a decent song, but kinda bland. Maybe they should take a break, get some inspiration, and stop trying to be something they aren't.
I think they did take a break after Hydra and this is what they've become
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The music (not vocals) sounds horrible, as if it is of super low bitrate or something? The song unfortunately doesn't do much for me either.
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Black Symphony is incredible. But Let Us Burn is pretty good as well. Visually, it is perhaps better than Black Symphony. But the set lists aren't quite as strong. The Elements set is pretty good, because you get almost a "best of Black Symphony" set, with some Unforgiving songs thrown in. The Hydra set is much weaker. The good songs are mostly all already in the Elements set, and I think the songs from Hydra are inferior and drag the set down. But still, it's a good buy just for the Elements set. I am going to have to pop that in the player this week. Haven't watched it in ages.
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Black Symphony is incredible. But Let Us Burn is pretty good as well. Visually, it is perhaps better than Black Symphony. But the set lists aren't quite as strong. The Elements set is pretty good, because you get almost a "best of Black Symphony" set, with some Unforgiving songs thrown in. The Hydra set is much weaker. The good songs are mostly all already in the Elements set, and I think the songs from Hydra are inferior and drag the set down. But still, it's a good buy just for the Elements set. I am going to have to pop that in the player this week. Haven't watched it in ages.
Yea, spot on. Black Symphony is their best concert video. Let Us Burn is still an incredible package. Two concerts in one, one of which is like a newer version of the Black Symphony concert which is really good, but the setlist makes the BS video better, but the bonus concert really is solid too and makes for a very good package deal. If you like BS and want to get another concert, you won't be upset with LUB.
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I will say that I slightly prefer the sound of the band on Let Us Burn. Not the sound quality, necessarily--that is stellar on both packages. But they are a band that makes room for the symphonic elements of their sound, and the guitars tend to take a back seat in a live setting, so the overall sound is less heavy. To me, it was pretty noticeably less heavy on Black Symphony. I like the added heaviness on LUB.
EDIT: One thing I am noticing on LUB, at least on the Elements set, is that the editing is...well, let's just say that if Steve Harris watched this, he would probably have a seizure from how rapidly the visuals cut between shots. :lol
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The Unforgiving was they're last good album. I didn't really care for Hydra and the next album was worse. They have the chops and ability to write good melodies. What the hell happened? The Purge is a decent song, but kinda bland. Maybe they should take a break, get some inspiration, and stop trying to be something they aren't.
Yes, except I liked Resist more than Hydra. Maybe I just accepted this was the direction they were going so took Resist for what it was, while Hydra was such a change in course coming out of Silent Force/Heart of Everything/Unforgiving, when they were in peak form.
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Watched (well, mostly listened) to Let Us Burn during work today. I really, REALLY like the Elements show. So much so that I watched it twice. And the crowd is SO into it that, whenever I looked up and there was a crowd shot, it instantly just made me smile. That happened several times. The fact that it has 8 songs from my two favorite albums, and a rare "bonus" track that I don't think was played anywhere else, really make it a strong set. If the video editing wasn't quite so frantic, this might easily be my favorite live collection from them.
As mentioned above, the Hydra set is so much weaker. But it still has some really cool moments. Silver Moonlight and What Have You Done are kind of unexpected highlights for me.
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You know, I don't think I ever caught this until recently for whatever reason, but last year, in light of WWE legend, the Undertaker, approaching retirement, the WWE came up with this tribute video highlighting his 30 years in the WWE. If I know there are some things WWE can still hit well on, nowadays, it would be the choice of music that fits the video. They choose The Reckoning. Good fit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDW6ZQqG0Nc
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Wow, I'm kind of shocked to see WWE working with WT, but this is awesome :metal
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I remember when that video came out last summer. The song works really well for the Undertaker lyrically (blood and tears, rise again a thousand times). I think he used to talk about "reckonings" quite a bit in the classic era.
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Has anyone heard the new song yet?
Shed My Skin (https://youtu.be/oG-VDwEA6hI)
It's pretty good Pop-Metal. Further continuing the modern sound of Within Temptation. I knew they were heading this way since The Unforgiving. I don't mind it, but it's not really the style I am interested in at the moment. That style needs to be more musical than this for me to actually enjoy it more. Still, it's not a bad song.
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Sadly, didn't do much for me. I still really want to like this band, but they lost me a couple of albums ago. It would go a long way with me if they would drop the special guests and just go back to making solid, catchy, somewhat-symphonic metal. They did that very well. But I guess this direction is working for them and a lot of their fanbase, so... :dunno:
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Sadly, didn't do much for me. I still really want to like this band, but they lost me a couple of albums ago. It would go a long way with me if they would drop the special guests and just go back to making solid, catchy, somewhat-symphonic metal. They did that very well. But I guess this direction is working for them and a lot of their fanbase, so... :dunno:
I'm in the same boat. I kind of just don't care about this band anymore sadly. The music isn't even that bad, but it's just not that good or interesting either. I'd go check them out live again because they put on a good show, but their art is really lost on me these days.
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Sadly, didn't do much for me. I still really want to like this band, but they lost me a couple of albums ago. It would go a long way with me if they would drop the special guests and just go back to making solid, catchy, somewhat-symphonic metal. They did that very well. But I guess this direction is working for them and a lot of their fanbase, so... :dunno:
They went from Symphonic Gothic Metal, to Symphonic Metal, to straight up Symphonic Pop Metal.
I realized they were going to do this when they actually did the Q Session Pop Covers and when they released a bonus cd with some of those pop covers.
I really do still enjoy the band. But, as with how you feel, I just can't find myself listening to those songs much at all. I could do Hydra because those songs were not heavily Pop influenced, but Resist was where that pop influence went full force into their overall sound and I lost interest. They also signed to a new label with that release, and I think it's just gonna be there sound for a few albums I feel, including this new one. As according to Wiki, they have a lot of Demos that are very far.
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I enjoy some songs on Resist. Some of those songs came off well live too IMO (Supernova really grew on me after seeing it live).
But it's just not music that I find very interesting. And also to Bosk's point, the endless guests. It seems like a gimmick at this point, which I can get into if I really found the music to be worthy.
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I enjoy some songs on Resist. Some of those songs came off well live too IMO (Supernova really grew on me after seeing it live).
But it's just not music that I find very interesting. And also to Bosk's point, the endless guests. It seems like a gimmick at this point, which I can get into if I really found the music to be worthy.
I hear ya.
Like the special guest for their livestream.
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I enjoy some songs on Resist. Some of those songs came off well live too IMO (Supernova really grew on me after seeing it live).
But it's just not music that I find very interesting. And also to Bosk's point, the endless guests. It seems like a gimmick at this point, which I can get into if I really found the music to be worthy.
I hear ya.
Like the special guest for their livestream.
I didn't watch the livestream, did they just have video and not actual in person guests? And I didn't watch the livestream for precisely the reasons why my love for them had faded.
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Sadly, didn't do much for me. I still really want to like this band, but they lost me a couple of albums ago. It would go a long way with me if they would drop the special guests and just go back to making solid, catchy, somewhat-symphonic metal. They did that very well. But I guess this direction is working for them and a lot of their fanbase, so... :dunno:
It's the "catchy" bit that makes the difference for me. Heart of Everything and especially The Unforgiving have so many amazing tunes and great hooks. I have no problem at all with the shift in style, but their songs mostly don't have the same strong hooks anymore - there are maybe 3-4 really songs on each of the last two albums but not enough to make them strong albums overall.
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The last WT CD I bought was The Unforgiving in 2011.
I can't stand their recent stuff, just not for me, but good luck to them.
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I enjoy some songs on Resist. Some of those songs came off well live too IMO (Supernova really grew on me after seeing it live).
But it's just not music that I find very interesting. And also to Bosk's point, the endless guests. It seems like a gimmick at this point, which I can get into if I really found the music to be worthy.
I hear ya.
Like the special guest for their livestream.
I didn't watch the livestream, did they just have video and not actual in person guests? And I didn't watch the livestream for precisely the reasons why my love for them had faded.
I didn't even watch it. I thought it hasn't streamed yet. I could be wrong though as I haven't been paying attention either.
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For all the 'feat' guests they've had on their releases, I think Tarja is the only one whom I have known.
This band was one of a handful who are automatic buys at this point in my life. No questions asked, no need to preview, just take my money. Hydra was a massive letdown after The Unforgiving. Resist was equally underwhelming, but I enjoyed the songs more when I saw them live. I might have to pass on anything they release in the future, which might bug me a little as it will remove them from the "Cool Chris Completionist' group in my collection.
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Sadly, didn't do much for me. I still really want to like this band, but they lost me a couple of albums ago. It would go a long way with me if they would drop the special guests and just go back to making solid, catchy, somewhat-symphonic metal. They did that very well. But I guess this direction is working for them and a lot of their fanbase, so... :dunno:
It's the "catchy" bit that makes the difference for me. Heart of Everything and especially The Unforgiving have so many amazing tunes and great hooks. I have no problem at all with the shift in style, but their songs mostly don't have the same strong hooks anymore - there are maybe 3-4 really songs on each of the last two albums but not enough to make them strong albums overall.
Yeah, those two albums were definitely the sweet spot for me. But as Cram mentioned, I might still be interested in catching them live. I have the Elements/Hydra DVD, and even though I hated Hydra (the album), the live show is fantastic. And I caught a recent show of theirs on YouTube the other day, and it was outstanding. They still put on a great show, and they are pure joy to watch. Thankfully, they still play a lot of the "old" tunes.
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I like pop(pier) metal and I do like the type of sound they have been going for. However, for some reason none of the melodies connect on any of their recent albums. The music sounds like it should have some good hooks and catchy bits, but it just doesn't have that for me. So I can't say "modern" WT has been for me.
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I like pop(pier) metal and I do like the type of sound they have been going for. However, for some reason none of the melodies connect on any of their recent albums. The music sounds like it should have some good hooks and catchy bits, but it just doesn't have that for me. So I can't say "modern" WT has been for me.
Well put, yes this is exactly my feeling as well.
I will say that I'm still a big fan of Sharon, and I really like the pretty mellow pop solo album she did (My Indigo). Different style but very warm and melodically more engaging than the past couple of WT albums.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J60IPPvLhWA&ab_channel=WithinTemptation
Their new single "Don't Pray For Me" sounds amazing. It has old WT feeling, a good combination of The Heart of Everything and The Unforgiving.
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Alright, you seriously better not be over-hyping that song, because reading " a good combination of The Heart of Everything and The Unforgiving" has me drooling.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J60IPPvLhWA&ab_channel=WithinTemptation
Their new single "Don't Pray For Me" sounds amazing. It has old WT feeling, a good combination of The Heart of Everything and The Unforgiving.
Finally................but on the other hand that production is so muddy it undoes much of the appeal of the song for me. It sounds like vocals , drums and a mess of other stuff. The Unforgiving had some clarity to it (yet still the "modern" sound) but I really struggle to enjoy a song when there's no clarity to the instruments. But this does sound at least like their best work since The Unforgiving.
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I did really enjoy that song, certainly their best that I can recall since The Unforgiving. I think that muddiness has kind of been something of a characteristic of theirs for awhile though. It seemed like as the 00s went along they took a low-pass filter to the guitars, they haven't had much bite or sizzle on the top end. Some great songs, but it's like they're afraid to sound too "metal" anymore. It's part of why I've preferred a band like Delain, they still have some edge to the guitars.
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Real nice song!
I do agree with the production, though. It doesn't bother me too much, but it's definitely a thing.
Also agreeing with the comments about the direction WT have been taking. I sure love the early records, but The Unforgiven might well be my favorite. I still enjoyed Hydra, then they lost me a bit. As noted by others here, it's not about them becoming more straight "pop" - it's the fact that not much stuck with me in way of songs and melodies.
But this new single is promising...
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Enter and The Dance are the most musically interesting albums in my estimation, those albums to me are the nexus of the gothic/symphonic/progressive metal/rock scene, connecting the experimentalism of the 90s with the explosion in the 00s. de Graaf's drumming in particular never gets discussed enough, it's much more imaginative and creative than most similar bands. But The Heart of Everything and The Unforgiving just have so many infectious songs, I like them on a similar level, just for different reasons.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J60IPPvLhWA&ab_channel=WithinTemptation
Their new single "Don't Pray For Me" sounds amazing. It has old WT feeling, a good combination of The Heart of Everything and The Unforgiving.
Finally................but on the other hand that production is so muddy it undoes much of the appeal of the song for me. It sounds like vocals , drums and a mess of other stuff. The Unforgiving had some clarity to it (yet still the "modern" sound) but I really struggle to enjoy a song when there's no clarity to the instruments. But this does sound at least like their best work since The Unforgiving.
Didn't bother me, but then again everything on YT sounds sh**house to my ears, reminds me of AM Radio quality :biggrin:
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Enter and The Dance are the most musically interesting albums in my estimation, those albums to me are the nexus of the gothic/symphonic/progressive metal/rock scene, connecting the experimentalism of the 90s with the explosion in the 00s. de Graaf's drumming in particular never gets discussed enough, it's much more imaginative and creative than most similar bands. But The Heart of Everything and The Unforgiving just have so many infectious songs, I like them on a similar level, just for different reasons.
Yep, I think I can agree with this.
By the way, Restless is such a great opener on Enter, with that piano theme and the mournful strings. Or the title track...Still sounds great. Haven't listened to The Dance in a long time.
And you are right about the drumming. Although, in that respect, it always seemed to me there is a very good tradition of tasteful Dutch drummers in extreme metal :) Thinking of Ed Warby too (his drumming in Gorefest is so good...and then everything else he did, of course), or the band Threnody (can't recall the name of the drummer here) among others...
I seem to recall you are from the Netherlands, right...? Or am I wrong?
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Yeah, those are both great songs. The last minute or so of "Enter" especially, some really well-captured tom work.
That's an interesting point, I'd have to relisten to various bands, but I know Pestilence stands out as having had a number of outstanding drummers, though some have been from other countries. Ed Warby is definitely another favorite, everything he touches is magic. Demiurg's Slakthus Gamleby is another fantastic album he's on. I don't think I've heard Threnody yet. They appear to have a different drummer on most of their albums, is there a particular one you recommend?
Nah, I'm from the US. I just have a disproportionately high number of favorite bands and vocalists from the Netherlands (and from Sweden for that matter).
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Yeah, those are both great songs. The last minute or so of "Enter" especially, some really well-captured tom work.
That's an interesting point, I'd have to relisten to various bands, but I know Pestilence stands out as having had a number of outstanding drummers, though some have been from other countries. Ed Warby is definitely another favorite, everything he touches is magic. Demiurg's Slakthus Gamleby is another fantastic album he's on. I don't think I've heard Threnody yet. They appear to have a different drummer on most of their albums, is there a particular one you recommend?
I only have one album, "Bewildering Thoughts"...I haven't listened to it in ages. I remember it was a bit along the lines of Gorefest's Erase, but I'd have to go back and revisit. Not an album that blew my mind, but I recall the drumming being interesting, technical but tasteful.
Nah, I'm from the US. I just have a disproportionately high number of favorite bands and vocalists from the Netherlands (and from Sweden for that matter).
Got it :)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J60IPPvLhWA&ab_channel=WithinTemptation
Their new single "Don't Pray For Me" sounds amazing. It has old WT feeling, a good combination of The Heart of Everything and The Unforgiving.
I saw them open for Iron Maiden last week. Happened to record this song
Within Temptation - Don’t Pray for Me LIVE @ Prudential Center Newark NJ 10/21/2022 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5epUCDulzo)
I thought they were awesome that night. This song also is a much better song out of their recent releases. I will say though, the highlight for me was probably Supernova. I've really come around to love that song.
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I was thrilled to hear Paradise, Faster, In the Middle of the Night and Mother Earth. Would have loved to hear something from The Heart of Everything or The Silent Force, but it's hard to do a lot in a 45 minute opening slot. At least they did play some of their new songs. We got Entertain You in Chicago.
I really wanted to hear Iron.
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When I saw them on their last headlining tour, I enjoyed songs from Resist much more than I expected to.
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I've been fortunate enough to see WT twice.
The first was as a support act for Lacuna Coil at a tiny club in San Francisco. 2007, I think. LC was on the Karmacode tour, and WT was promoting The Heart of Everything. Great show. Sharon caught a frog in her throat, and was so humble, apologizing to the crowd. As a singer, shit like that happens. you just catch some saliva the wrong way and start coughing and it takes a few minutes. She fumbled through a song, apologized, got it cleared out and then killed it the rest of the show. I was really impressed, as was Mrs. Samsara.
Fast forward years later (I forget what year - 2018 maybe?). WT was HEADLINING...The Warfield in San Fran. That's a 2,800 capacity theater. BIG step up, considering they were OPENING in a 500 person club a decade or so earlier. The songs from Resist were awesome live. They were and are one of my daughter's favorites, so it was one of the first shows we took her to that she remembers. She had an absolute blast and still wears the concert T shirt today, probably a couple times a month. Just a great show. We weren't very fond of In Flames as an opener, but they were solid. But WT just had the crowd. Sharon was such a showperson with the flag and those vocals.
I was really bummed that WT wasn't opening the Maiden dates out here in CA. I would have gone to Maiden, just to see WT open and bring my daughter again. But unfortunately, WT just did the eastern half of the tour.
Regarding WT's new music...I hope they put out that CD soon. I see all the tracks available - I'm not a singles download guy. I want the album. As does Mrs. Samsara and the kid.
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The Reckoning is an awesome song and sounded great live. I warmed up to Supernova after seeing them play it live and enjoyed Raise Your Banners with a tribute to Ukraine.
I probably put this in another thread, maybe the Maiden one, but there was a fun story from Chicago. The show was in the United Center, where the Chicago Bulls play basketball. In between songs, Sharon had the drummer stand up and show off his Bulls jersey. She explained that he's a big fan and he bought the jersey that morning and wore it during the concert. I forgot how popular basketball is in Europe and how cool it must be for him to be a fan and play a show in the same arena where Michael Jordan played and won the the team's last three championships.
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Yeah, I read that. That was a cool moment to witness. I dig drummers who do that. Portnoy, Danny Carey. Even singer John Bush used to do that for hoops teams in cities they were touring (he doesn't any longer).
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Yeah, I follow the NBA a little bit, and Europe has definitely taken to basketball. They have their own leagues there, and some of the players make their way over here. Slavic countries are more common, but if I remember correctly the Netherlands has one of if not the tallest average heights in the world, so you'd think they'd have an advantage.
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Finally got the new Within Temptation album "Bleed Out' last night and have now listened to it twice today.
I think it's an improvement over Resist. I think that's easily noticed already. But it's not top Within Temptation for me, also easily noticed. It's a good, but nothing special album so far. Some good songs, nothing really bad about it, but nothing that stands out and seperates itself. Still, glad to see an improvement (to my ears) over their previous work and reverse the course of heading the wrong direction.
Another oddly positive thing, no guests on the album. I feel like their last two albums relied heavily on guest vocalists and it felt like it was becoming a crutch. I'm usually a big fan of the guest musicians in general, hence why it's an odd positive, but I'm glad to see the band not rely on it here.
I think my biggest issue though was the slow trickle of music before this release. I didn't even realize a full album was about to come out until recently, and then didn't realize I had actually heard a few of these songs a year or more ago. I mentioned this in the new release thread, but clearly since this thread has been dead, I can't be the only one who didn't know a full album dropped last Friday.
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I gave it a cursory listen a week or so ago. I'm still not overly excited about it, but it did seem a bit better than their previous one and I could see some growth potential. Sharon is still an amazing vocalist, but there are so many other bands beating them at their own game at this point.
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What sold me on this album is seeing them play them on their Hellfest show. Those songs come across so good live. I would say it's up with The Heart of Everything, which I would consider my favorite of theirs.
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Wait... they have a new album out?
What sold me on this album is seeing them play them on their Hellfest show. Those songs come across so good live.
I didn't rate Resist very highly but did feel many of those songs played well live when I saw them on that tour.
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I gave it a cursory listen a week or so ago. I'm still not overly excited about it, but it did seem a bit better than their previous one and I could see some growth potential. Sharon is still an amazing vocalist, but there are so many other bands beating them at their own game at this point.
I'm with you here dude. The Xandria release was better for sure, but I was pleasantly surprised with Bleed Out
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I gave it a cursory listen a week or so ago. I'm still not overly excited about it, but it did seem a bit better than their previous one and I could see some growth potential. Sharon is still an amazing vocalist, but there are so many other bands beating them at their own game at this point.
I'm with you here dude. The Xandria release was better for sure, but I was pleasantly surprised with Bleed Out
Yep same for me. Probably roughly on a par with Hydra. Solid, some really good songs with great hooks, but nothing that hugely excites.
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Probably roughly on a par with Hydra.
Well, that's not encouraging.
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Just popping in to say that Ritual is a great song from the new album! :metal
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Probably roughly on a par with Hydra.
Well, that's not encouraging.
It may be better than Hydra. I think Hydra had too many guests and a lot of those songs werent that great. This album at least feels more like a consistent WT album of their modern style.