Musically, the female fronted
Within Temptation lie somewhere between Heavy Rock and Metal with a full symphony orchestra bringing out their classical influences. On this album they also bring in some "modern" touches in the form of electronic sounds.
One of the most anticipated albums of the year is finally here. After almost four years of waiting for a new album since the brilliant Mother Earth, I am sorry to say that it was so not worth the wait. With The Silent Force,
Within Temptation have taken a new direction and left the incredible arrangements and lush atmospheres behind, instead opting for a slicker, more direct and alltogether more commercial approach. Where Mother Earth was an adventurous and challenging listen The silent force is easily digested and doesn't hold any lasting appeal.
This is a real shame because through the album the band does shine more than a few times. Moreso on
Forsaken than on any other song and this at least gives me a little hope that they can come up with something better in the future. Sharon's clear voice is still incredible and she is among my favorite female singers. She can twist her voice in the most amazing and beautiful ways. Just listen to how her voice makes a song like
Memories fly. This song also showcases the best use of the orchestra on the album.
Unfortunately many songs follow the same structure and don't hold any big surprises. The arrangements are extremely compact giving the songs a simple feel and the choirs aren't used to the dramatic effect they could have been, in fact they are overused. This said, the album
is filled with catchy songs, Sharon's voice is completely mesmerizing and the musicians and production values leave nothing to be desired. Yes, I am somewhat divided. It is just that catchy songs do not necessarily equal good songs and after about 15 listens I find myself losing interest in the album. It does not hold the excitement or magic that so pervaded Mother Earth and overall it leaves me with an empty feeling.
I find
Forsaken,
Memories and
Angels clearly to be the best songs and they save the album somewhat. The opening moments are also not to be neglected. After a promising intro the first verse of
See who I am has a beat that makes it clear that things have changed. Still, an above average song and so is the follow up
Jillian.
Stand my ground is the first single and it has "Hit song" labelled all over it. It may be a good place to snart if you are a newcomer to this type of music but to me it feels overblown and represents the best example of my earlier "A catchy song does not make a good song" rant.
Pale is let down by a monotone beat,
Aquarius quickly becomes annoying with its stretched out and repeated chorus and I simply don't find the rest of the songs up to scratch. For the album as a whole I will say that the electronic elements don't enhance the music in a good way.
Only time will show if this becomes
Within Temptation's commercial breakthrough. For the band I hope they make it, but for myself, I feel sad for it feels like one of the world's unique bands have lost their creativity.
Written by
Steen Sunday, December 5, 2004
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