01	Intro						01:58
	02	See Who I Am						04:51
	03	Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)						04:46
	04	Stand My Ground						04:26
	05	Pale						04:28
	06	Forsaken						04:52
	07	Angels						03:59
	08	Memories						03:51
	09	Aquarius						04:44
	10	It's The Fear						04:05
	11	Somewhere						04:13

Within Temptation - The Silent Force
Country of Origin: The Netherlands
Format: CD
Record Label: Gun Records GmBH
Catalogue #: 82876645172/SU
Year of Release: 2004
Time: 54:38
Info: Within Temptation
Samples: Click here



Tracklist: Intro (1:58), See Who I Am (4:51), Jillian [I’d Give My Heart] (4:46), Stand My Ground (4:26), Pale (4:28), Forsaken (4:53), Angels (4:00), Memories (3:51), Aquarius (4:46), It’s The Fear (4:06), Somewhere (4:13)


Martien's Review
2003 was THE year so far for Dutch gothic sensation Within Temptation. Their album Mother Earth conquered and captured the hearts of the European rock community. The singles from that album Ice Queen and Mother Earth climbed into the top 20 in Germany and their video clips were shown on the Box almost every day. So, everyone, especially the critics, wondered if WT could top this massive success and maybe that is one of the reasons that the band took so long to come up with The Silent Force. After listening to their newest opus several times I can only conclude that WT did it again. The Silent Force even sounds more powerful, more modern and more sensual than Mother Earth. And if you look at the success of the first single Stand My Ground, then I think that 2005 will even be more successful then 2003. Further the band is confirmed to play at several important festivals this year (Pinkpop and Bospop), so the popularity of WT is still growing….

If you listen to The Silent Force it seems that Sharon den Adel’s voice has grown even more passionate and pure and the music sounds more bombastic then ever before. This is mainly due to the fact that WT called in the help of an 80-piece orchestra and a huge choir (recorded in Moscow, btw), giving this CD an almost complete new musical dimension. Just listen to the almost classical musical intro, where the orchestra and the choir brilliantly mix with the breathtaking voice of Sharon. Follow up See Who I Am really represents the pure dynamics of an orchestra and a rock band, heavy guitar riffs, bombastic violins and intense singing are the keywords of this song.

Jillian reminds me of Nightwish because of the bombastic sound and the great melody, while the first Evanescence-like single Stand My Ground turned into a smash hit already, due to the super chorus. If you like the more melodic and “softer” side of the band then you will love “almost” ballads like Pale, Memories (the second single) or Somewhere. Songs with folkloristic, Celtic influences and the excellent vocals of Sharon in the spotlight. If you wish to experience the elegance of rock, Within Temptation is the absolute must at present. This album is another highlight in the fascinating career of one of the best Dutch bands ever. Highly recommended for gothic fans and lovers of fairy tale metal, although some people might call this album too bombastic, or maybe even too commercial??? Judge for yourself and by the way, best song, according to yours truly: Aquarius.

I am really looking forward to see/hear them play at Pinkpop and Bospop this year, be there!!!


Tom's Review
Within Temptation have, despite just releasing two albums prior to this one, carved out for themselves a career as one of the most popular bands, and certainly one of the figureheads, of the female-fronted gothic-symphonic metal scene that seems to be sweeping all before it. This was mainly achieved on the back of the phenomenal success of their second release, Mother Earth. A significant change in style from their debut Enter, they ditched the (then ubiquitous) death metal growls and more unconventional song structures for a far more approachable style that has seen them shifting significant units, particularly in mainland Europe. The band have also made a name for themselves as an excellent live act, and having seen the band live both on DVD and in the flesh, I can vouch that this reputation is thoroughly deserved.

Its perhaps surprising that the band have taken the best part of four years to follow up Mother Earth, especially given the success that other bands (not least Evanescence and Nightwish) have enjoyed in the meantime. Less surprising is the fact that, despite taking twice as long to follow-up Mother Earth than they did Enter, The Silent Force is far less of a stylistic advancement than its predecessor. The sound that Within Temptation to an extent patented on Mother Earth – and has now become almost ubiquitous within the genre – is all over its follow-up: this is grand, bombastic, symphonic metal, with soaring operatic choirs and swelling strings plastered all over the place, all topped off with one of the finest voices in the genre, that of Sharon den Adel.

This is not to say that The Silent Force is a carbon copy of Mother Earth, as there are certainly some noticeable changes to the band’s approach to songwriting. Whilst Mother Earth tracks such as Cage, Dark Wings and the all-conquering title track could hardly be called the most complex of tracks, they did have a certain edge and style which set them apart from the pack. To a large degree, however, Within Temptation seem to have taken a much more direct approach to their song writing this time around. This is of course understandable, given their obvious desire to capitalise on the genre’s current popularity, but I can’t help feeling something of what made them special in the first place has been lost.

This is not to say that this isn’t on the whole an enjoyable album, as it is – particularly on initial listens. The band haven’t got where they are without mastering the art of writing a strong chorus and lush, grandiose arrangements, and they’re all over The Silent Force. Particular standouts include Jillian (I’d Give My Heart), which is one of the most bombastic tracks (which is saying something in this context), with a simply massive chorus, and Aquarius, which successfully mixes a (slightly) harder edge and again delivers in the chorus stakes. Pale, meanwhile, is a ballad which, with its faux-Celtic feel, could in lesser hands have been twee and rather cheesy, but here is something of a triumph, helped by one of den Adel’s strongest vocal performances.

Most band’s in this genre, whether they like it or not, usually get compared to Evanescence these days; this must particularly rankle with Within Temptation, given that they patented their sound several years before Fallen arrived. However, there is one track where the comparison is obvious and undeniable; Stand My Ground has a very direct, vaguely modern feel, with the verses in particular, where den Adel adopts a rather unconvincing aggressive style, certainly bringing to mind the US outfit’s work. It’s not actually a bad song per se, with the chorus again being irritatingly catchy, but it is disappointing to see the band become followers rather than leaders. You could also say that Within Temptation occasionally seem to drift on to autopilot here; several of the more up-tempo tracks sound very similar to each other, particularly in the verses and build-up to the inevitable big chorus, whilst the closing ballad Somewhere is a rather limp attempt that hardly ends the album on a high note. There’s also a lack of bite to the material, particularly in the guitar sound, which is frequently rather low in the mix and overshadowed by the strings and synths – not always a problem, but some of the songs could have done with a bit more grit.

Ultimately, this album still gets a pretty good rating despite these criticisms; as I’ve mentioned, it’s a generally entertaining listen, and if you have any affinity with the genre you can’t help but admire the well-handled bombast and get carried away with the sheer symphonic might of it all. However the band’s lack of creative ambition is undeniably rather disappointing, and the album certainly isn’t in the same league as recent releases by the likes of Nightwish and Leaves’ Eyes. Overall, then, a good album, but ultimately one that resides in the ‘could do better’ category.

Conclusions:

MARTIEN KOOLEN : 9 out of 10
TOM DE VAL : 7 out of 10