Review Summary: a few riffs for your riff or treat bag
For better or derp, this new album is exactly what you can expect from Within Temptation these sacred days. First thing you’ll notice is that the heavy guitars are back. They’re really back, and they haven’t riffed this hard in oh, many moons ago. You’ll also notice an attempt to string together an entire discography’s worth of ideas, including gothic metal influence, symphonic moments, and pop. At times they’ll swing into one direction more heavily, but the overall idea is very poppy, heavy, bombastic metal.
With their always excellent singer, and tight production, Within Temptation are still as reknown for their effectiveness as ever. They’ve earned it, they deserve it, and they’ve travelled a far distance since their debut. This (obviously) means the band have evolved. Their symphonic aesthetic is a shade of what it once was, occasionally giving an old vibe, but often in the background. A lush illustration? Not quite, but more so a vibrant splashing of colour.
There’s no let up in this release, and every corner is packed with pop hooks and heavy riffs. Incredibly, their aging singer sounds as great ever, hitting blistering high notes with the force of a fireman taking out a fire. The choruses feel huge thanks to the singer’s presence, making more average songs like Shed My Skin sound massive. There are times when it seems like Within Temptation are forgetting what makes them unique. Suddenly a song like Cyanide Love pops on oozing darkness with those ethereal vocals we’ve come to love.
There’s some great riffs here that will surprise. However, the high point and main draw of the band remains their singer. The singer’s incredible versatility gives way to delicate and empowered vocals that continue to stun. Whether or not you want those gorgeous vocals in mainstream symphonic pop metal is your choice. Their market is incredibly consistent, and the band keep hitting. The market for this type of music is very strong these days, and having such a beautiful singing voice is a massive plus amidst so many average bands with clunky, forgotten singers. See Within Temptation live, though, and your mind may be blown.
Aside from some zany riffs, there aren’t too many surprises in this album. Easy come easy go, it’s another paycheck for WT, but not a particularly memorable album either. At times, songs feel like leftovers from other albums, and the symphonic orchestration is rather tame altogether. This one’s for the pop hooks, which are great, but not always holding attention. It doesn’t sound like the band took too many risks with this album, and hence produced what was expected of them. Don’t Pray For Me is one of the spicier cuts here, but it sounds like a copy of their The Heart Of Everything era.
Within Temptation brought their typical music, but the result is something less iconic. Compare this album to Hydra and the contrast is stark; they took risks in Hydra. In that release they brought a rapper in, and the songs altogether felt drastically different. One does not get the same feeling from Bleed Out, which begins to feel like a copy of a copy. It’s full of great tunes, and they will wow you, but they may not be tunes worth dying for.
