Within Temptation
The Unforgiving

By Todd Jolicoeur

This disc was quite the turning point for me. It created a GREAT love for the more symphonic sound, while anchoring my love for melodic songs that had music filled with passion and lyrics that were though provoking and retrospective. Within Temptation have been around for a while, but with this disc, I really acquired a taste for them and their genre in total.

Disc opener, "Shot In The Dark" and its narrative intro "Why Not Me" are a great opening to this album. "Shot In The Dar" is, in my mind, song of the year. This song has everything - a great musical interlude with lyrics that build, a chorus that inspires you to want to headbang and raise a lighter all while singing along with a fist in the air, and music by very talented musicians. I cannot say enough about this song or the way it breaks this disc wide open! Next is "In The Middle Of The Night," which keeps the pace at a break neck speed. The chugging guitars, relentless drums, and keyboard backdrop accentuate Sharon den Adel's vocals. "Faster" comes along and makes this one of the best trio of songs to start a disc I have heard in a long time.

"Fire And Ice" starts very slow, but has a beautiful crescendo that includes not only the keyboard and Sharon's vocal, but also what sounds like a full choir in the background. The guitar and drum opening to "Iron" is very strong and continues the forward rocking motion of this disc. This song conjurs the same emotion and spirit that the first couple songs on the disc do. "Where Is The Edge" kicks off with a wall of sound that only backs down to let Sharon spread her vocal wings once again. Again, the visual created by the music and lyrics helps this album succeed in making this a great concept album. "Sinead" is next - and it does not disappoint. This song, much like the rest of the disc, has all the elements that create a solid recording.

"Lost" starts off as the most mellow song on the disc, but that isn't to say it is the weakest song. There doesn't seem to be a week song on this disc. You can feel the longing and passion in the vocals and lyrics of Sharon. She belts out a song that resonates within me, as there have been times in my life I have felt the same, "Help me, I'm buried alive." "Murder" is a good song… I ckunks along, but has a strong chorus, which saves it. This is probably the wekest song on the disc, but is better than most on other releases. Next is "A Demons Fate." This song makes up for the last in its aggressiveness and bounce back into solid form. The use of guitars and keyboards really bring this one to the forefront. "Stairway To The Skies" closes the disc with strength. It a groove to it that helps wrap up the story and brings some of the final components to the disc that complete it. This one leaves me anxious for what comes next from the band. So many discs taper off with the weakest songs at the end, but this one really finishes strong.

I almost wish I could reevaluate my list of Best Of for the year and make sure it was better placed! This is a seemless project that has solid songs, vocals, lyrics, and musicianship - something that lacks on seemingly 90% of releases out there today. If you don't know about Within Temptation, do yourself a favor and check them out… so glad I did!