The Unforgiving

by Within Temptation

Overview

In the mostly male-dominated world of heavy metal, it's always refreshing to see more women getting involved in the genre. Such is the case with Dutch melodic metallists Within Temptation. Led by singer Sharon den Adel, the group issued their fifth studio album overall in 2011, The Unforgiving. As with their previous efforts, Within Temptation specialize in what is known as symphonic metal, but to their credit, it doesn't come off bombastic or overwrought (like many other similarly styled bands who tend to lean more toward the prog metal side of things). The key to avoiding this trap is letting the songwriting rule supreme, as opposed to merely focusing on showing off your chops, and Within Temptation do just that. Case in point, the lead-off single "Faster," which manages to contain elements of hard rock, but also seems like it could easily cross over onto the pop charts (thanks to a hook-heavy chorus). Elsewhere, melody is equal to metal, as evidenced by "Shot in the Dark," "Where Is the Edge," and "Stairway to the Skies." And it turns out there is a reason why The Unforgiving comes off as sounding cinematic: the group issued a series of short films (and even a comic book), in which the tunes from the album provide the soundtrack. A concept album that doesn't get weighed down by the story line is a rarity, but it is something that Within Temptation succeed at with The Unforgiving. ~ Greg Prato

Product Details

Release Date:	11/04/2022
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8719262026667
Rank:	51454

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Within Temptation   Primary Artist
Chris Jones   Featured Artist
Ruud Jolie   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Robert Westerholt   Guitar (Electric)
Sharon den Adel   Vocals
Martijn Spierenburg   Keyboards
Stefan Helleblad   Guitar
Jeroen van Veen   Guitar (Bass)
Dawn Mastin   Vocals
Nicka Hellenberg   Drums

Technical Credits

Ted Jensen   Mastering
Ruud Jolie   Group Member
Robert Westerholt   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Sharon den Adel   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Martijn Spierenburg   Composer,Lyricist,Programming,Group Member
Stefan Glaumann   Mixing
Stefan Helleblad   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Scott Sokol   Booking
Joris Wolff   Engineer
Franck van der Heijden   Choir Arrangement,Orchestral Arrangements
Stefan Blonk   Management
Jeroen van Veen   Group Member
Juno Jimmink   Engineer
Daniel Gibson   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Paul Bolton   Booking
Martijn Swier   Management
Erwin Sjoerdsma   Booking
Frank Stroebele   Management
Linda Kuijpers   Management
Raymond Rijnaars   Management
Wesley Van Os   Management
Detlef Villerius   Editing,Filmmaker
John Wado   Editing,Filmmaker
Oscar Verpoort   Producer
Steven O'Connell   Composer