Within Temptation

Members: Ruud Adrianus Jolie, Jeroen van Veen, Stephen van Haestregt, Sharon den Adel, Martijn Spierenburg, Robert Westerholt

Active: 1996 - present

HISTORY

Within Temptation is a band from the Netherlands. Founded by guitarist Robert Westerholt and vocalist Sharon den Adel, their music is variously described as symphonic metal and sometimes by the media as gothic metal, from which they take influence.

FORMATION

Long-term partners Robert Westerholt (on guitar) and Sharon den Adel (vocals) began the band in 1996, quickly adding Jeroen van Veen on bass guitar, Martijn Westerholt at the keyboard and (following a succession of short-lived drummers), Ivar de Graaf. They were quickly offered a recording contract and signed to DSFA Records later that year, beginning work on their first release.

ENTER 1997

Enter, the debut album, was released in 1997. The album was well received and the band embarked on a four gig tour across the country, after which they were asked to perform at the Dynamo Open Air festival in Eindhoven, one of the Netherlands' largest heavy metal festivals. The band rounded out 1997 by embarking on their first international tour, of Germany and Austria.

THE DANCE 1998 - 1999

In 1998 the band continued to tour actively - their profile had elevated them to the main stage at Dynamo for the 1998 event. However, Within Temptation had released no new material (and did not have plans for a second album at this point), to which end they elected to release an EP, The Dance.

Finally taking a break from touring, 1999 was largely a sabbatical year for the band. They took the opportunity to construct their own studio, as well as returning to personal pursuits, with plans to return to the fold the next year.

MOTHER EARTH 2000 - 2003

2000 was an eventful year for the band as they returned to touring, playing three Dutch festivals; Waterpop, Bospop and Lowlands. In addition they went to work on their second album, releasing Mother Earth in the Low Countries on December 1st. The album was a hit, receiving positive reviews across the board and rooted itself in the Dutch charts.

The band firstly released the single Our Farewell, which never entered the charts. The second single from Mother Earth, Ice Queen, was regarded as the breakthrough release for the band; in 2001 it climbed to number 4 in the Netherlands but was their first number one single when it climbed to the top in Belgium. The success rebounded to Mother Earth, which continued to climb in the Dutch album chart, ending the year at number 3.

2001 also saw a number of changes in personnel; Ruud Adrianus Jolie was added as a second guitarist, drummer de Graaf was replaced by Stephen van Haestregt, and Martijn Westerholt (suffering from infectious mononucleosis) was replaced by Martijn Spierenburg. Westerholt later started the band Delain.

The band achieved wider still appeal in 2002 with their first concert in France and even a headline gig in Mexico City. They attained their first major award, the Dutch Silver Harp. They bolstered this by embarking on a major international tour supporting Paradise Lost in 2003 and re-releasing Mother Earth on the GUN Records label across more European countries; it was a particularly large success in Germany, where it went platinum and reached number 7 in the charts; the re-release of Ice Queen also charted well in the top 30. In turn the Benelux regions got a different release, a cover of Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill. The band highlighted music festivals across the Netherlands and their Mother Earth tour DVD claimed the prestigious Edison Award.

THE SILENT FORCE 2004 - 2006

Plans for the band's third album came to fruition in 2004, with the release of The Silent Force on November 15th, 2004 across Europe. Daniel Gibson's production was an instant number 1 in the band's heartland and charted well in many European countries. In support of the release they embarked on another large international tour into 2005, with dates across the continent (including their first major UK concert in London) and a one-off show in Dubai. Stand My Ground and Memories, the first singles from the new album, continued the band's run of chart success, culminating in a second Edison Award. Stand My Ground was promoted on the trailer for the film Blood and Chocolate.

In January 2006, Within Temptation won the Dutch Pop Prize (best Dutch pop contribution) and Dutch Export Prize (best-selling Dutch artist outside The Netherlands), the latter given to them for the third time in a row. The band also reported that they were busy working on their next album, due to be released during the fall, and that they would start playing at festivals starting in April, in addition to going on an international tour at the end of the year.

THE HEART OF EVERYTHING 2007 - PRESENT

The new album The Heart of Everything from Within Temptation is due on the 12th of March, and will be released in European territories and the United States. The song "What Have You Done" will be the first single from the new album. Its music video was recorded on the 12th, 13th, and 14th of December in 2006 in London, Windsor and a studio for CGI, and features Keith Caputo's guest vocals. Fans were allowed to participate in the making of the video, and will appear in it. Shortly after, a completely new video for the song was made, and it is this version that can currently be seen on their MySpace page. Two more tracks, "The Howling" and "The Sound of Freedom", have been recorded as promotion material for the video game The Chronicles of Spellborn, and the first of these will be included on the album. The full track listing was revealed on the 10th January. The band will embark on their first North American tour with Lacuna Coil in May.

ALBUMS

1997 - Enter

2001 - Mother Earth

2004 - The Silent Force

2007 - The Heart of Everything

EP'S

1998 -The Dance

DVD'S

2003 - Mother Earth Tour

2005 - The Silent Force Tour

Share your thoughts

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28 Comments found

Within Temptation-Fan

Thursday 16th of August 2007 13:32

S
Sorry hoor, ik vind egt within temptation goed maar het probleem is dat die tekst niet echt overeenkmt neen?
Oftuwel ben ik blind..

Groetjes Within temptation fan!

marleen

Thursday 22nd of March 2007 14:28

heey iedereen!!

waar staan die nieuwe tracks van hun nieuwe album? die is vorige week uitgekomen. en helemaal da bomb! dus genoeg redenen om ze erbij te zetten.!

Noita

Wednesday 28th of February 2007 13:02

Within Temptation Doe Zo Voort Zoals Jullie Nu Bezig Zijn

Anyatj

Sunday 15th of October 2006 18:59

Whithin Temptation is gwn de beste groep alles tijden!!! ik vind het gwn zo n goede muziek dat ik er dag en nacht naar wil luistern... ik heb er zelfs een hele group over gemaakt!!! http://groups.msn.com/within-temptation join it :wink:

stefke

Sunday 9th of July 2006 01:58

super zangeres e goe muziek

rosalie

Tuesday 27th of June 2006 16:47

sharin is een geweldige zangeressssss:p en de band is oowk geweldig ik heb heel veel cd, poster enzz van hun:P:p
greetzz
X X
X X
X XUZZ rosalie

caitlin

Wednesday 17th of August 2005 21:39

HET IS EEN SUPER zangeres
!!!!!

mousti

Tuesday 15th of February 2005 12:54

ja, ik moet de voorgaande wel gelijk geven in de opinie van within temptation als goede groep.
maar hoewel ze idd zeer goed zijn, moet er nu ook weer niet overdreven worden hé?!
in vergelijking met groepen als nightwish and lacuna coil zijn ze toch nog anders, moeten ze nog wat groeien. een vergelijking tussen nightwish en within temptation vind ik dan ook vierkant van de lucht.
en neeeeeeeeeeeee: within temptation is helemaal geen gothic. hun eerste twee ceedees waren gothic metal en power metal, maar the silence force is gewoon melodische metal.
en over evanescence; ze zijn idd ook goed, maar mensen noem het aub geen gothic.
of neem bijlessen over wat gothic echt inhoudt!!!

within temptation+evanescence fan

Wednesday 9th of February 2005 18:31

helemaal te gek!!!!!!! past egt bij mij. Ook linkin park en metallica zijn goed. En nightwish en.......

P

Monday 20th of December 2004 16:12

Gisteren concert in Vooruit te Gent, prachtig gewoon, toch 1 van de beste live bands. Geen grootschalig concert, maar toch echte klasse!!! Voorprogramma was Autumn, ook niet slecht zou ik zeggen. Beetje zelfde stijl. Maar Within Temptation is gewoon de max!!

sarahke

Saturday 23rd of October 2004 19:41

Waauuw gewoon within temptation rulez gewoon ze waren mega geweldig op pukkelpop en die nieuwe dan stand my ground heerlijke song

Mien

Saturday 23rd of October 2004 11:18

eey allemaal
kben geen gothic dus normaal luister ik ni na gothic muziek ma deze is egt super k kan ni genoeg krijge vn die muziek :d zalige stem, mooie kledij,.... perfect gewoon
greetz xxx

Zalig mooie stem, mooie teksten, mooie,goeie muziek --> \m/

just great
within temptation en evanescence zijn gewoon dé bands
als heks kan je daar niet naast

merenwen

Sunday 25th of January 2004 16:58

within temptation is samen met nightwish en evanesence de beste bands die bestaan.