The 3rd full length release from Holland’s Within Temptation sees them moving in a somewhat different direction from previous efforts Enter and Mother Earth. The addition of a full choir and orchestra only adds to the bands already bombastic style developed with the release of Mother Earth and takes them to the ‘’next level’’ in terms of how pleasing to the ear they sound.
One of the selling points of Within Temptation has to be the phenomenally versatile voice of singer Sharon Den Adel who on this release displays a mixture of soaring operatic wails and soft angelic vocals.
It comes as no surprise to see how much success the band have had with this album since it’s release in November 2004 reaching the top 20 in 5 European countries including hitting the number one spot in their home country of Holland. Inevitably after release of the 1st single, Stand My Ground (released a few months before the album itself), people started to criticize the band for becoming too commercialized in their sound and while this is arguably the case with the aforementioned single, I personally feel the album as a whole is devoid of any conspicuous attempt to make songs for the masses.
“See Who I Am” boasts a foreboding onslaught, created by the use of the orchestra to make the admittedly sometimes weak sounding guitars more ‘’in your face’’ than normal. “Jillian (I’d Give My Heart)” is a miniature epic in it’s own right - this track showcases beautifully how much a choir can add to the sound of a band like Within Temptation. (Based on a novel by fantasy writer Katherine Kerr, Jillian tells the tragic tale of someone forced to relive life over and over again due to wronging his lover in a previous incarnation). “Angels” is somewhat reminiscent of Mother Earth’s “Caged” in terms of it’s lyrical themes about a betrayed lover - this is definitely one of the most impressive songs to be found on The Silent Force.
To sum up…This album will undoubtedly have a love/hate stigma attached to it. Some may feel that the band have sold out and started to write songs in the hope of gaining a wider fan base. Others however, like myself, continue to embrace Within Temptation’s change in sound. Within Temptation may have disappointed some of the more hardcore fans with this release but surely will have also gained many new ones at the same time. It is good to see that Within Temptation have finally started to gain some of the widespread recognition that they surely deserve for being one of the leaders of the female fronted rock/metal genre.
Standout Tracks: See Who I Am, Jillian, Angels.
Overall Score: 8 /10
