Most people have heard of the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Seems like Within Temptation are familiar with it too, as they've mostly stuck to their guns with the winning formula of 80's pop-influenced symphonic rock over soaring female vocals as per their previous album The Unforgiving, while trying to push the envelope a bit by featuring high profile performers in their latest album Hydra.
Review by Ag Fox ››

Welcome the New Year with class - welcome the New Year with Within Temptation.

They tested a path of 80's rock and pop influences in 2011, but The Unforgiving brought them conflicting responses. 2014 signals a return to the heavier and more symphonic style we had the pleasure to listen to some years ago, but the soul of the last record hasn't been totally trashed, since the new album Hydra blends tradition and experimentation.
Review by R Lewis ››

In the blink of an eye, 4 years have passed since the not-so-critically-acclaimed The Heart Of Everything. Being lambasted for being sold out and radio oriented, it was also the metal album that drew my attention to the genre of music called heavy metal. Having moved on to other more obscure spectrums of the genre, it has been a couple of years since an album with the symphonic metal tag slapped on it came out that I can truly enjoy. With an album cover that seems to cater towards a much younger audience and an announcement about a concept album based on some comic series, I confess that my expectations couldn't have been lower.
Review by Ag Fox ››