Released by: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: February 4, 2014 (US)
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Links: http://www.within-temptation.com
Line-Up:
Sharon den Adel – female vocals
Robert Westerholt – guitars, gutturals on tracks 6 & 9
Ruud Jolie – guitars
Martijn Spierenburg – keyboards
Jeroen van Veen – bass guitar
Mike Coolen – drums
Tracklist:
1. Let Us Burn
2. Dangerous (featuring Howard Jones)
3. And We Run (featuring Xzibit)
4. Paradise (featuring Tarja)
5. Edge Of The World
6. Silver Moonlight”
7. Covered By Roses
8. Dog Days
9. Tell Me Why
10. Whole World Is Watching (featuring Dave Pirner)
WITHIN TEMPTATION are a great band, let me just put that out there right now. I am not a crazy fanatic as many are of this type of metal, I’m just a fan. My good buddy Keith turned me onto them about three years ago with The Unforgiving, and I really liked them right away. In the years since I have acquired and listened to all the other albums, but that one is still my favorite. So you can imagine how excited I was to get my grubby little mitts on an advance copy of newest offering Hydra from Nuclear Blast Records during the holidays. Talk about a great Christmas gift, right? Plus, this record is rife with guest stars: Howard Jones (ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, current singer for DEVIL YOU KNOW), Tarja Turunen (do I even need to?), Dave Pirner (SOUL ASYLUM), and ummm…XZIBIT. Nope, that’s not a misprint. Don’t worry. We’ll come back to that.
“Let Us Burn” gets things off to a fine start, the guitars and keyboards blended together with neither one overpowering the other, something that really sets this band apart from its peers. “Dangerous” features Jones singing in just his clean voice, which may turn some heads but I loved it. This is definitely one of my favorites on the disc. And of course, what else is there to say about the one and only Tarja? Anyone who is a symphonic metal fan is likely to have a small heart attack at the prospect of Sharon den Adel and Tarja singing together as they do beautifully on “Paradise” making it another fantastic cut. Well, that and some furious guitar work.
And now we come to the painful portion of the evening. “And We Run” could have, SHOULD have been a great song. Then at the 1:30 mark that rapper comes in and stinks the joint up to high heaven. I have no idea WHAT they were thinking when they decided on this horrible course of action. I can’t even write any more about it lest I throw up again. Sorry, but the word “Muthafuckin’” has no business being on a WITHIN TEMPTATION album. Oy. Just awful. Thankfully we can put that squarely in our rearview as the haunting slow number “Edge of the World” and very heavy “Silver Moonlight” quickly right the ship and remind us why they are such a great band.
“Dog Days” opts for more of a slow buildup before it takes us on a journey across its hills and valleys. I also have to say that the riff on “Roses” is not only hard-edged, but I find myself humming it often, even when I haven’t listened to it in a few days. Speaking of hard and heavy, “Tell Me Why” is definitely one of the fiercest tracks on Hydra serving notice that this band can rock your rolls off anytime they see fit. And yet, with closer “The Whole World Is Watching” they opt to go with a more subdued mid-tempo feel making for one of the more elegant and moving pieces of music so far in 2014. I could see this one being used in the closing credits of a movie. It has that broad, sweeping feel. I didn’t know Pirner had it in him. When you hear it chances are you’ll see what I mean.
So really, aside from one GLARING misstep, Hydra is a very, very good album, and one that will have me playing nine of its ten songs over and over. WITHIN TEMPTATION are still very much a force to be reckoned with nearly two decades after their formation and I can only hope Sharon den Adel and Co. are still putting out records for another twenty years. I highly recommend this record. I ALSO highly recommend skipping “And We Run” at all costs and basking in the atmospheric glow of the other nine glorious tracks.
Written by Damian J. Cousins
Ratings Damian 9/10
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