Today we’ve been added to the line-up of Paaspop Festival.Paaspop is a 3 days festival starting on the 6th of April 2012. In several areas with each their own look and feel, are pop, rock, theatre and dance comibined to one festival.The exact day of the show is yet to be announced.
It’s almost Christmas time, so we have a special message for you!During the tour we had all of you take part in our Christmas message. Sharon asked everyone to say one word to create a sentence that puzzled a lot of you…It’s time to reveal what she was up to, now!
Since forming in the mid 90's, Holland's Within Temptation, led by the charismatic and gorgeous vocalist Sharon den Adel, has become one of metal's most successful female-fronted acts. Alongside the new album The Unforgiven (2011), a comic book series and a series of short films were released as well to encompass concept story. We sat down with the lovely frontlady to talk about it.It looks like you took a different approach to making the 5th album. How did you get the idea to cross music and comics?To answer your first question, we really took quite a turn. With The Heart Of Everything we felt we reached a certain end in developing our sound and we had to rediscover ourselves. We finalized our sound with the previous album after working towards a certain sound for many years. We had shut ourselves up from all other kinds of influences and had to renew ourselves to get inspiration to write the new album. The band had all kinds of boundaries – like never listening to the music of the 70s or the 80s - we did not want to be influenced by that cos we had a certain vision of how we should sound. This time is different. It is still Within Temptation, but we added a new flavor to it, the album sounds refreshing again. It is a good step in the right direction. Hopefully the next album that we are already working on is gonna be in the same line that the last work we have done.Combining the album with the short movies and comic was something we wanted to do for a while now. We have always loved bands that added something more interesting to their show. As kids we loved Pink Floyd’s concept album, The Wall. We did our concept different in the way that we don’t tell the story in the chronical order but we made soundtracks to the story that we developed ourselves. The idea involving the movies came first. We wanted to release a movie with the album but it is kind of tricky cos you always have to wait until the film is finished. That wastes a lot of time in case there is a delay so we thought we might not stick to a big movie immediately but do short movies that explain the main characters of our storyline of the comic – what their background is, who they are, why they make the decisions they make in the comic. But we still thought we wanted to have something to do with the movie and produce it ourselves as well.So the fulltime movie is still in the plans.Yes, it is. It is going to take time of course, but we will take the time, even if it is a few years. And in the meantime we will write another album. Hopefully we get to release both simultaneously.It also happens that two of the biggest names in symphonic metal, Within Temptation and Nightwish, have both released soundtrack concept albums in the same year. Does it worry you those two might be compared?Not at all. If you listen to our album you will notice it is taken in an entirely different direction than Nightwish. Nightwish is still in the same corner where they have always been, in the fantasy side of things, which is great in my opinion. The movies we made are based in the real world, they are mostly realistic with a very slight fantasy touch. In our case it is more like the X-Men where characters have certain powers. So we are more on the comicbook side of things while they are more on the fantasy side. Of course when you are doing a concept album you might end up with the same set of tools, but the outcome is always different since the bands are different.Since you specifically mentioned X-Men, was the series among the main influences for the comic?Not the X-Men, but the books we read as we were growing up and a wide assortment of comic books we read when as kids. This is why the medium we chose was a comic book, but the story elements are more based on fiction we read as kids. What would the lead for the story be? What would motivate characters? The biggest question – how will the story end - all came from our favorite books. A lot of reporters ask me if we were inspired by Dexter, but we did not know about Dexter around the time we were working on the concept. Looking back at it now, because I have seen it in the meantime, there are some similarities in the storyline but our characters also have supernatural abilities.How exactly was the band involved in creating the storyline? Did you have some definite suggestions about what the characters should be like, or offer some certain events to take place in the story?We have worked with Romano Molenaar who is a comic artist. He worked on the Chronicles Of Spellborn with us for The Heart Of Everything, the Internet game that we wrote some songs for, and we stayed in contact with him. When the idea of the comic and short movies came into our minds we contacted him. “We wanna develop our own comic, do you know anyone who can write the story for us?†He came up with the American guy, Steven O’Connell. He did not have any scripts lying around at this point, and we decided we would be creating something new. We told him about what kinds of movies we liked, what storyline elements we like, and after that he came up with the basic idea of a medium that gives the second chances to the people who have made the wrong decisions in life. She gives them the second chance to live again, undo some wrongs they might have done in the past in different situations and take out the really bad guys.How crucial are the comics to understanding the album?We did take it into consideration that there may be a part of the audience who is not interested in the comic idea and that of course the album needs to be able to stand on its own. The music speaks for itself, it has a certain flavor going with the 80s. There is a lot of metal involved as well, sometimes some dance tunes and some pop elements. It’s an uptempo and really heavy album, I think. People of my age, a bit older and some of the young people as well will feel they are back in the 80s, it is like a good memory you can pick up again and dive into. But to answer your question, you can perfectly separate those two.You took quite a brave move incorporating some dance and pop elements into the album. In the future is there any genre of music you would feel uncomfortable to work with?R’n’B? [Laughs] Maybe separately from Within Temptation I would not say no but this one is the farthest away from what we are. The synonym for pop music is popular music, but this is not really what we are trying to do. To us, it is more in the direction of…...Catchy?Yes, catchy. We DO love catchy music. But heavy music can be catchy, too. We were afraid in the past to go through with our ideas and state that this is what we want to sound like. We felt that the 80s flavor was a bit too far from what we are as well but we still managed to incorporate it.Are there any particular bands that influenced you?Well, it is definitely Metallica and Iron Maiden, I think it really shows on our album. For instance the song Iron has the strong Iron Maiden vibe to it, and when we wrote Faster we thought it sounds a lot like Wicked Games by Chris Isaak. I was really inspired by Chris Isaak and when we listened to the song our first reaction was – “Nooooo, we have written a song that already exists!â€But then after some more listening we understood that it is in fact really different.But it was one of the songs I listened to a lot when I was a kid – Wicked Game. Such a sexy song! [Laughs]When you are working on an album, do you take into account the critique from the fans and critics on your previous works, or rather entirely trust your own judgment?You can only follow your own judgment at the moment you are making the album. When you are constantly afraid of what other people will think of your music this puts you into constraints. You have to believe in yourself and love what you are doing. It is impossible to make music for other people. Of course afterwards there are useful things that people can say and you will take it with you for the next album if you think it makes sense.What is your favorite track of the album and the one you most enjoy performing live?In The Middle Of The Night is one of my favorites because it is just a heavy, heavy, heavy song. The riffs are just amazing. But playing live I do think Sinead is the one that always gets to people. It is a very uplifting song.What has touring with Stefan Helleblad been like so far?[Laughs] We have definitely improved our English because everyone started speaking English in the band since he can’t speak Dutch. But he plants in really well and we have known him for a lot of years already. He was behind the scenes working as an engineer in the studios.There are still very few women in the metal scene. Would you say you are treated differently by the fellow band members, the fans and the community? Also, have you ever encountered any crazy male stalkers?[Laughs] I blend in quite nicely with the boys, I think. But when I come back from the tour I am like “Ah, it is all going to be female talk now!†You also start talking like them as well. Oh my God, what is coming out of my mouth?I am used to having the guys around me, and they don’t treat me any differently. I would not LIKE them to treat me any differently. The only thing different for us is that I need my own room backstage. Some of the guys are really hectic, always talking, always doing something, always making sounds, and I sometimes need to concentrate and have a bit of my own space. It comes in handy if I want to focus on something, relax or warm up my voice.And we have really wonderful fans. Of course you always have some extreme things happening, but the biggest part of our fans are really relaxed, outgoing and friendly. We usually have normal conversations without any hysterical things going on, and there is not much difference between the girls and the guys when it comes to our fans. But we had a couple encounters, especially in Italy and South America. In the North people are more reserved, but in some countries the fans might give you a car chase and the like. But it is fun in its own way! [Laughs]What is the most important item or demand on Within Temptation’s raider?Something to eat or drink? The guys really like the whiskey. Or scotch.Never anything eccentric? Some performers ask for 40 kilos of ice per person or a certain make of car to pick them up.I think they are just making it up. And they ask for those things because they want a golden halo around them. It is all made up to feel extra special. For us, just a normal cup of tea and some liquor is the real rock’n’roll kind of thing. Just to get loose before you go onstage.So what is the best way for you to get loose before you go onstage?I just need my own space to get into the show or to watch a DVD from a band we like with the guys, especially Iron Maiden. We get into the music and get pumped up to go onstage, that works really well for us. And we have a game system on tour with us most of the time, but this is rather for the guys. I might do a racing game once in a while, but Ruud and Robert and Jeroen are really into gaming.What is your most vivid memory from the tour?Martijn singing “I’m A Barbie Girl†in a karaoke bar in Tokio! Everyone was totally wasted, him included, and we had a Japanese friend with us who guided us through the city. It felt like a surreal kind of movie! Singing and eating sushi at the same time.Also countries with a totally different culture from your own are really exciting to play. And of course there is sightseeing. Every culture has its own special things, it is always exciting to see how different people express themselves… for instance, Finland is really beautiful about the way how the people here love music. There are so many great bands coming from here and also almost everybody you meet is playing in some kind of band or has some sort of musical background.Do you have any particular favorite Finnish band?I like Stratovarius a lot.What are you up to in the new year and are you planning to make any resolutions?I am planning to dedicate more time to charity in Holland. I really like the concept of the company behind it. A lot of people would like to do volunteer work. Myself, I would love to do some when I am home, it makes me feel good to know I can help someone I don’t even know. This company is called We Care. They have a daughter company in a lot of cities. Everyone can sign up for certain days and projects. If you sign up you have to come of course, but it is not like they tell you that you have to do, for instance, 20 days a year. Sometimes, if you have more time, you can do more, and if you have less time, you can do less. For instance it can be packing gifts for children in orphanages who have never had a present from Santa Claus. People just bring gifts for them. A lot of people buy things they never get around to use, so they just bring them in for the kids instead of letting those items sit in the closets. And you just sort the items according to age, package them and write down the name. The person who got me into this said they now have a whole warehouse full of packages, and the people just kept coming and coming. It is such a good feeling to do something good. I am going to do more for that company in the next year, and I hope I am able to also give the project more exposure by doing more work for them. This would be lovely.
We’re starting the year off with an acoustic Tour Vlog video! Also in 2012 we’re continuing to show you a lot of content from The Unforgiving Tour.We’re trying our best to get a glimbs of every city and show, but as our camera skills aren’t the best in the world yet, you might have the idea that we forgot some parts but we didn’t! For now enjoy video #16 of The Unforgiving Tour Vlog:
2012 started of great by wining 3 Loudwire Music Awards! Tnxxx í lot for voting for us! After all your nice words it’s safe to say that we can only thank you for this, as Loudwire reported:“Within Temptation fans proved their devotion by helping the band win two of the biggest honors in the 2011 Loudwire Music Awards — Artist of the Year and Rock Album of the Year. In the Artist of the Year category, Within Temptation beat out 9 other very deserving bands.â€And also in Loudwire self acclaimed most important category, ‘Rock Goddess of the Year’ you helped Sharon out to win this title.“In our most popular category, Within Temptation singer Sharon den Adel edged out Evanescence singer Amy Lee to win the Rock Goddess of the Year in the 2011 Loudwire Music Awards.More than 50,000 fans voted in the Rock Goddess of the Year category, and only a few hundred votes separated Sharon den Adel from Amy Lee. The Within Temptation frontwoman received 40.5% of the vote, while the Evanescence vocalist garnered 39% of the vote.It was a fierce battle, but credit must go out to den Adel and her adoring fans, who voted religiously throughout the past month.â€
June 8, 2012Nova Rock Festival, Burgenland (AT)Date of Within Temptation's performance: TBAIn 2012, Within Temptation is playing at Austria's biggest rock music festival: Nova Rock!The festival is one of the largest festivals in Europa and takes place from the 8th till the 10th of June, 2012. The Festival is located in Nickelsdorf, Austria and draws around 30,000 35,000 fans per day.Next year, besides Within Temptation, the line-up consists of Metallica, Slayer and Machine Head amongst many others.For more information on the festivaal, visit Nova Rock's website'
We promised we’d continue to show you a lot of content from the Unforgiving Tour in 2012 as well, so here is a new episode from The Unforgiving Tour Vlog!Last week’s vlog showed some of our adventures in Brussels, and today we’re taking you to Germany! Watch as Sharon takes you sightseeing in Dresden on our day off and how we all get in shape for the show with a good work out! Join Sharon backstage after the show, too!
Last.fm published a top 100 of artists that had the most listeners in 2011. The countdown shows the amount of listeners the acts gained over the past year through their community page on Last.fm.You guys played Within Temptaion songs over 45 million times. This makes Within Temptation is the only Dutch act in the top 100 of 2011.
On the 1st of June, Within Temptation is playing at Parkfeest Oosterhout in the Netherlands.The festival takes place on Friday the 1st and Saturday the 2nd of June. The line-up consists of Dutch acts only and on Friday night Miss Montreal, Destine, Racoon and Krystl are performing before Within Temptation will rock the stage.Check the tourpages for more information on this, and other festivals in 2012.
Recently we started with Google+! Don’t be afraid; we’re not leaving you on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or any other social media tool. We just like to experiment with new things, and are always looking for other ways to communicate with you.We’re still checking out G+ functions and in the near future hope to come up with some awesome competitions, livechats etc. Right now we’re also trying to make G+ intetresting for you and not a copy of our FB page or Twitter account. So if you have any tips what you like’d to see on G+, let us know! Yes, we are working on ‘hangouts’, so keep an eye on our G+ page!A big welcome to the first 2.500, the so called ‘early adapters’, those who are not afraid to experiment with us ! For you we posted unique never before published photos of Sharon from when she was little..
Within Temptation is coming back to Appelpop this year!Appelpop is a free festival in Tiel, the Netherlands and is one of the largest of its kind. This will be the 7th time Within Temptation is playing at Appelpop.
Within Temptation is coming to spain for Sonisphere festival! The festival takes place on the 25th and 26th of May in Madrid.Next to Within Temptation, Metallica, Soundgarden, Slayer, and Kyuss Lives! are performing, amongst many more. Ticket sales for Sonisphere Spain start on Tuesday, the 31st of January.This summer Within Temptation will also be playing at Gods of Metal!Gods of Metal is the biggest Italian metal festival, held annually since 1997. It takes place on the 24th of June. Besides us, Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Manowar, Opeth, Lamb of God are already confirmed for this festival. .The day before God of Metal, Within Temptation will perform at Park City Live in Heerlen, the Netherlands.Park City Live is a two-day event taking place on the 23rd and 24th of June. Aside from our performance, you can also see Ilse DeLange, DeWolff, Peter Pan Speedrock and De Kraaien perform during the festival, giving everyone something they like.
