The Heart of Everything - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Album Description
US version includes two bonus tracks, 'Stand My Ground' and 'What Have You Done' (Extended Version). 2007 release from the Dutch Gothic Metal band who have been pounding the Metal pavement with their unique brand of hard-edged Metal for over a decade. Their sound is the perfect combination of guitar-driven Hard Rock and ambitious Symphonic Metal. Underneath the aggressive wall of sound lies a secret beauty that can often be dark and uninviting. 13 tracks including 'Howling', 'Frozen' and 'Final Destination'.

Album Details
2007 Issued Fourth Studio Album by the Dutch Symphonic Metal Band. Within Temptation Once Again Prove Themselves as Peerless Purveyors of Quality Gotihic-tinged Rock, Produced Again by Daniel Gibson and Mixed by Stefan Glaumann (Rammstein). While the Epic Grandeur of the Band's Sound Remains, it Now Coexists with a More Contemporary "organic" Feel. Nowhere is this Highlighted More Than on the Single "What have You Done" (Featuring Life of Agony Vocalist Keith Caputo), which Manages to Be Both Passionate and Punchy. Elsewhere "Frozen" is a Classic, Streamlined Ballad and "The Howling" Swirling Tour-de-force.

Customer Reviews: Read 51 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Better, but not Great July 26, 2007
22 out of 27 found this review helpful

Finally, I don't have to pay import fees for Within Temptation! Was it worth the wait? Of course, but more importantly, I was able to see them at a sold out show of 700 people. Small as all hell. The show was fantastic. Their music really shines live and it definitely changed my view of this, their latest album.

When I first heard the album, I listened through once and set it aside for a while. Nothing sounded new. What Have You Done was a cheap knock off of Evanescence and the rest of the album was just standard WT: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, build up, chorus.

Well, I still think that WT are following too much of a formula (for non-formulaic, see The Gathering), but this album is much better than Silent Force and comes close to Mother Earth. WT still don't have their masterpiece. Mother Earth was great, but a tad unbalanced whereas the Silent Force was much more balanced to the point of being bland at times.

What shines here, for me, is everything. I don't have favorites. Obviously, certain songs like The Howling or the Heart of Everything are more approachable, but everything on here is good. You just have to find what that special something is in each song. For instance, the guitar solos or the interesting buildup in Heart of Everything right before the solo. I love that.

There are a lot of layers to these songs, too many sometimes (are they just putting monster sounds in for the hell of it?), but it adds a much needed depth that was lacking in the Silent Force. Overall, this album is good, not very technically proficient, but they write good songs and Sharon has an amazing voice. If you EVER have the chance to see them live, do. They are fantastic performers with a great sound live. Oh, and you might just find yourself liking songs you originally didn't understand.

5 out of 5 stars

Another great album by WT July 28, 2007
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

First I'd like to make one note. There are three versions of this album out. This version is probably the smartest choice. It's less than half the cost of the imports and it also includes one more song, Stand My Ground. Sure Stand My Ground has already been released on Silent Force. But you're still talking about half the cost and one added bonus song. It sounds like a no-brainer to me.

I got into Within Temptation with their album Silent Force. I immediately fell in love with their music. Their mix of orchestral music and heavy mettle riffing along with Sharon's amazing voice range landed their music as an instant staple in my collection.

This album is no less amazing. The lyrics can be related to by anyone. The variety in each song keeps the album from getting dull or redundant.

If you like Within Temptation, this album will not disappoint. If you've never heard their music before, I heavily suggest both this album and Silent Force. This album would probably be a great starting point, though, given it's price.

5 out of 5 stars

Most Excellent October 18, 2007
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

This album finds a more refined, focused and commercially viable piece of work from Within Temptation. Gone are the growling male vocals and long musical journeys. This statement without hearing the album could be a kiss of death BUT not so here. The band put Sharon Den Adel in front with a microphone and she delivered the goods. This is an excellent album, the songs have good melodies and hooks that make them very likeable. This is my second album by the band, the first one I bought the music was good but the production or engineering was bad which was a real shame. When you hear The Heart of Everything you will understand why there is boung to be comparisons to Evanescence. I don't own any of their albums. I heard the first one but didn't like it enough to buy it. Within Temptation have more tools in the box and do a better job with the genre. When I discovered bands like Nightwish, Tristania, Epica etc I could not believe this great music was out there and American radio was so narrow minded as to not introduce this music to the air waves. Hopefully Within Temptation can break through with this album and once established bring back some of the original rawness. Heart of Everything even has a couple ballads which are very good. As some one mentioned the songs do seem to have formula but it doesn't stop the talent from shining through. As some of the songs built up in emotion I was expecting a little jamming or more Progressive filler but some one kept the songs in a neat little package. I don't mean for this to sound critical, it's just that this album is very different from my other, Sins of My Beloved. As a finished product this is a good thing. I am enjoying this album a lot and expect it to be in my listening stack for some time to come. I hope the album does good things for the band. I encourage you to give The Heart of Everything a listen.

5 out of 5 stars

my new favorite October 9, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

wow, I thought Evanescence was great, Within Temptation (though a less creative band name IMO) took it one step further!!! they truly concentrated on theatric and classical opera-like theme, which makes them sound more "gothic-like". And unlike Evanescence's The Open Door (which I also enjoy very much), WT did not focus too much on making the lead singer's voice shine by creating so much choruses with her voice, but simply use higher and higher pitches of vocal that made it sound both more chilling and hunting, and I have to admit, makes them sound more like a band (I do sympathize with complainers of Evanescence's new album that it sounded like "Amy and Evanescence").
That said, so what if they clearly adopted many Evanescence influence with their newest album? After hearing The Silent Force, Mother Earth, and this album, I really have to say that this one is the best, it's more powerful, more prominent, more rock, and will definitely be the album that will make them stand out. What Have You Done is gotta be my favorite, and I really don't think it sound THAT much like Ev's Bring Me To Life. And their lyrics are much much more dark and more subtle in the message and more fairy tale opera-like (which is definitely their strength)
However, I don't think their mellower ballet-like songs, such as All I Need, is as good as Ev's My Immortal, Good Enough etc (tune-wise). I sometimes have to listen a few more times before making out the tunes of those songs, and they don't combine as well with the rest of the album, I think it's something they need to work on.
I know some people get irritated when WT is so constantly compared with Ev, but honestly, I have tried other goth-rock bands with the characteristic of female lead-singer, and no other bands can compare IMO(this include Nightwish, Leave's Eye, Stream of Passion etc) except WT, Within Temptation is definitely going to be Evanescence's rival from now on.

"I don't want to sound like we are the best band ever but I think we do have something very genuine, just like classical music"--Amy Lee

well Amy, you better watch out from now on, there may just be a band yet that can do just as good, if not better, than yours can!! :P

2 out of 5 stars

what happened to W.T.? May 14, 2008
5 out of 13 found this review helpful

Just to start off , let me say that I really like pretty much all of Within temptation's earlier albums. Actually, I LOVE many of their songs from past albums. But this album was downright hard to listen to because of the overly produced teen-goth vibe from pretty much all the songs. Most of previous albums have a somewhat pagan vibe (mother earth, ice queen, etc.) but this album makes me think that their marketing consultant told them that they'd make more money if they marketed themselves to the christian crowd and then they called in someone else to write up a slew of sappy quasi-christian lyrics. If you're into that sort of thing, then this is the album for you. But for me, even if i couldn't understand the lyrics, the music itself seems quite lackluster and not as original as i know they can muster. i can only hope that this is not a permanent new direction for the band i once liked so much. I'd still go see them in concert , but i like them less with this apparent selling out.

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