Although, The Heart Of Everything, is Within Temptation’s
proper introduction to American audiences, the band
have a massive following overseas and have released
three previous albums to critical acclaim.Their latest
offering is their first for major label Roadrunner
Records (Dream Theater, Megadeth, Black Stone Cherry,
Nickelback, etc.) and will likely be seen as a pivotal
album in the band’s already impressive career.
Within Temptation’s sound has been altered quite
a lot on The Heart of Everything.
The most noticeable change long time fans will immediately
hear is the hard rock orientation. Although elements
of the band’s orchestral gothic sound are not
lost in an overall sense, much of this album is very
straightforward sounding hard rock. This sound will
inevitably end up drawing more Evanescence comparisons
than need be, but Sharon Den Adel handles the vocal
changes very well and, if nothing else, proves she
is a very diverse vocalist.
“The Howling” opens the floodgates in
a similar fashion to the band’s previous albums.
It’s big and bombastic but exhibits much more
of the aforementioned rock sound. It’s almost
as if it starts out traditionally and ends up establishing
the band as an entirely new entity. “What Have
You Done,” the album’s lead single, cements
the fact that this is going to be a less beautiful
and more angst-ridden album than expected. The song
features Keith Caputo (Life of Agony) alongside Den
Adel and, quite honestly they sound very good together.
I had thought this would be a very serious mismatch
but the results are pleasantly surprising.
It’s not until the more operatic “Our
Solemn Hour” hits that you begin to truly see
the duality of The Heart of Everything. Vocally this
is much more akin to the band’s 2004 release,
The Silent Force. “The Truth Beneath the Rose”
is the only true nod to the band’s past however,
musically and vocally fully assuming the operatic
sound that garnered the band a lot of attention over
the last few years. The title track, although more
stylistically blended, also offers some of the more
predominant elements of the band’s past. The
song has a very tribal feel to it during the verses,
and Den Adel’s vocals are much harsher than
many would have thought her capable of being.
The Heart of Everything is an incredible risk on
the part of Within Temptation. The Evanescence comparisons
will either propel this album to heights unimagined
or it will destroy it. Most of this album sounds very
little like what the band’s established fanbase
is expecting to hear but there is more than enough
reason here for them to give it a chance… and
hopefully they will. Once the initial shock is over,
it is actually a very well-crafted album. Those who
enjoy strong female vocals that are both beautiful
and aggressive lain over a mix of hard rock and progressiveness
may want to give this emotionally draining album a
good listen.
Key Tracks: “What Have You Done,” “The
Truth Beneath the Rose,” “The Heart of
Everything”
Reviewed by: Mark Fisher
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