Within Temptation has set the bar very high with their previous albums (notably The Heart of Everything (2007)). This Dutch band considers themselves symphonic rock with various other influences. To most fans they are closer to the edge of symphonic metal with heavy fantasy metal influences, though they are a lot smoother than most metal. Front woman Shannon Del Adel has an operatic voice with a powerful range hitting notes that would make sopranos jealous and extends deep into the alto range.. Her voice is a force. I had the privilege of being introduced to the band via a live performance and I’ve not heard voices like that in American rock.
The Unforgiving took a little warming up as it has a more modern edge and sounds like the score to an action packed film. No surprise when you consider that it was inspired by a comic book. The band also incorporates a strong bass line that wasn’t present in pervious albums.
It starts off more like a traditional metal album and I confess I was a little disappointed, missing the symphonic sound and they’re above average emotional content.
A few tracks in came the song “Iron” which sounded like it should have had some rugged death grunts and scream work layered in with Del Adel’s voice. It didn’t but the guitar work was absolutely wonderful. A traditional metal song from a symphonic band that proved interesting and quite catching.
I noticed the male vocals were more prevalent on “Murder” which added a nice bottom to Del Adel’s voice resulting in a deeper, richer sound.
The layering that was common practice in their previous albums was subtler on The Unforgiving but still very much present and still brought the symphonic sound Within Temptation fans have come to expect and love. The addition of spoken word to these layers created an eerie magical feel.
Solid album over all. 4/5
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