What is Mother Earth? Possibly the best Gothic-metal CD ever made! Previous releases by this group included beauty and the beast style growls, which is common for this sub-genre of music in Europe. Fortunately that was waived for this wonderful album, which, I think, helped the band get to another level.

Within Temptation consists of:
Sharon den Adel (Vocals), Robert Westerholt (Vocals, guitar), Martijn Westerholt (synths & keyboards), Ivar de Graaf (drums), Jeroen Van Deen (bass), Michiel Papenhove (guitars).

The founder of Within Temptation - Robert Westerholt - sure hit gold when he found the sensational vocalist, Sharon den Adel (his former? girlfriend). She has the most impressive voice this side of Celene Dion. In fact some reviewers have anointed her the current best soprano around. "the new Annie Haslam" of Renaissance fame. I can't disagree, her singing is exquisite, powerfully delivered and emotional. And the music, which is also fabulous and oh so pretty, is in the celtic/symphonic/gothic vein with varied but mostly medium tempo and large production orchestral segments featuring strings, horns, guitars and organs. Also contributing to the album are arranger Rene Merkelbach and a small choir. All songs are way above average with my favorites being "The Promise", "Deceiver of Fools", "Ice Queen" and the title track "Mother Earth".

A brief summery of the songs
"Mother Earth" starts with lush keyboards and the choir, before the guitars raise the tempo and intensity. Sharon's incomparable voice soars above the choir and everything else enhancing, not obliterating the rich textures set forth.
"The Ice Queen" is a powerful up tempo number, heavily orchestrated with a catchy melody and lyrics which are easy to memorize. Originally released as a single, this song made the best connection with the audiences during their tour.
"Our Farewell" changes direction a little since it's a pleasant light number featuring Sharon in a simple mix of piano with orchestral accompaniment.
"Caged" continues the lighter mood with the introduction of woodwinds, however the tone changes once Sharon's voice joins in, singing her anguish, as a woman, for being misled and deceived.
"the Promise", the longest song which, along with "Deceiver of Fools", is my favorite, powerful guitar work with heavy orchestration and of course, Sharon's impeccable voice.
"Never ending story" is a balladic song during which Sharon is backed by piano and members of the choir.
"Deceiver of Fools" begins quietly and then alternates between heavier, fast paced sections and quieter parts where Sharon's voice, double tracked, carries the melody.
"Into/Dark Wings" a heavy guitar lead, evolving into a near east sound and then Sharon again, this time joined by friend and fellow artist Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon)on a cameo guitar solo.
"In Perfect Harmony" this light, happily pleasant song is mostly Sharon with a light accompaniment of acoustic guitar a spacey keyboards.

In addition their are four bonus songs included in this issue: Restless, Bittersweet,Enter (live) and The Dance (live) for a total of fourteen high powered tracks.

Within Temptation's distinct sound doesn't compare well with any other bands I can think of but there are similarities to Lacuna Coil (more progressive), After Forever (another great vocalist but male growling - also from Holland), and the English band, Edenbridge. Do yourself a favor and see what the biggest selling album in Europe sounds like. I think you'll like it.


Beware of Copy Control!!!   September 3, 2004
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

- Just a notice to the consumer - this has the new "Copy Control" mechanism ... which can clearly be seen in Amazon's picture above ... the little red sticker. "In their attempts to create a CD that fits their aims, the record companies have tried many methods of corrupting the CD format, and then they have tested these by making secret releases into localized markets, sometimes of hundreds of thousands of CDs. Everyday people have then bought these sub-standard CDs, and have been unknowingly testing the record company's new CD protection schemes for them." [From http://ukcdr.org/issues/cd/]
I being a consumer, with the individual/self-rights to use my music as I see fit (i.e.; playing it at home in my normal stereo, computer, DVD player, mp3 player, portable player ... whatever - ) should have the right to play a "Digital Audio" product on all my products, not what a multi-national corporation ONLY wants me to.
Some of the so-called 'copy-protection' mechanisms actually interfere with the error-correction mechanism of the disc. I'm not 100% sure - but after sitting at my stereo (decent quality equipment)with headphones and comparing the Within Temptation song Restless from the Enter album and then later from Mother Earth I could hear differences ... the piano in the beginning of the track sounded "clunkier" than the original version on Enter, and also the bass portion sounded slightly compressed with less dynamic range than the version on 1997's Enter. Also listen to the first 20 seconds of tracks #3 & #6 ... some suspicious sounding "clicks & pops".
Anyway, I just believe the consumer should be aware of this new issue, search the web for BMG Copycontrol will bring up many interesting points. And of course, I PAID IN FULL for my copy, and honestly have no desire for any bootlegged copy. Although I can't fit this bloody digi-pak in my CD rack (!) - other than this subversive Copycontrol thing, I enjoy this CD as many others on this site do, any shouldn't have my digital rights taken away.




Mother Earth is great music   March 12, 2003
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I came across Within Temptation by accident but their music has become one of my favorites. Mother Earth was the first song I heard and I loved its blend of rock and soft music. The vocals were awesome too. The Promise I loved because it so fit a story I was reading at the time and it's portrays sadness and anger and justice. Perfect Harmony is one of my favorites because it shows how humans have lost the ability to live in harmony with themselves and nature. If you like female leads but not pop songs then this group is for you. Sharon's got awesome vocals and their music is full of emotion. Highly Recommened if you're into fantasy, mythology, nature, etc.


Motherearth is Mystifying!!!   August 30, 2003
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This cd is Within Temptation's best!!! I wouldn't say that it's exactly metal, Enter and the Dance have more metal in it; but it is atmospheric with the fantasy like music. Some songs on the cd are like "in perfect harmony", are to happy and sounds like something on My little ponies or something; but the cd is still really great.


Very Disappointing...   January 16, 2004
 1 out of 10 found this review helpful

I purchased this CD only being familiar with the third track, Farewell. Sharon does a fantastic job on that song, but otherwise, her voice is just outright annoying! I listened to the CD three times thinking I wasn't giving Within Temptation a fair shake, but I couldn't make myself like it! There are two major elements that turned me against this band. First, Sharon tends to sound a great deal like Alanis Morrisett, very annoying for me! Secondly, the music just sounds watered down, again, very annoying! If you want a great female led band, then give Nightwish a shot. Purchase Nightwish's Century Child, and you won't be disappointed! Nightwish's female vocalist, Tarja, has a beautiful voice, with a very powerful band backing her up!