The world tour in 2014 has been expanded with shows in Finland, Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Switzerland.Tickets for the new Eastern European dates will go on sale tomorrow. The complete overview of all confirmed tour dates is listed on the tour page. The ticket links for the new European shows will be added to the tour page at 10.00 (GMT+1) as well.The recording and production of the new album is still underway, which made it necessary to reschedule the previously announced first leg of the tour. The rescheduled shows will kick off on April 6 in Munich. Please look at the tour page to see when the rescheduled shows will take place. Tickets that have been purchased already will remain valid for the rescheduled dates. Read more about the rescheduling and the album, here.
Studio updateAnother update from Robert: The spill your guts week and save it with milkHeya, back again with a studio update!For Sharon and me, this week has been mainly about writing lyrics and singing.It's def not been a week a of sweet, sensitive, innocent songs, no it was more the spill-your-guts-destroy-everything-in-your-way, mad-at-the-world-and-end-up-with-a-soar-throat type of week. Sharon told me yesterday after she was done recording one of the songs…"I don't think I've been singing so loud on a track before, it was almost like I was screaming, but my god it felt so good... Can we do this more?"This morning it was my turn. I had to buy a few liters of milk before going to studio 'cause I had to do some grunting on a song called "Silver Moonlight" (of which you can find the demo on the paradise EP next week). Milk or yoghurt is pretty much the standard recipe to take before doing some solid grunts. It does a bit the opposite of what an apple does for singers, it creates lots of slime in your throat which enables you to let the grunts grooooowl much easier. Also if you sometimes, like me, use the wrong grunting technique and you hurt your voice the cold milk eases the stinging feeling. Anyway it went so well I was surprised I could still do it after so many years. I actually had a lot fun, mmmm also taste for more but no more milk for me this weekend. I had enough for the whole week.Now next week, only one song left to write lyrics on and to record vocals for. After that we can start finalising the arrangements of the songs before final mixing begins. But before that…next Friday we will have a drink on the release of Paradise! May she have an exciting journey through the world.Till then and for now...nothing wrong in CELEBRATING THE WEEKEND !!!Grtz,Robert Sharon, Ruud, Stefan, Martijn, Jeroen, Mike and RobertWithin Temptation
Robert feels the cooperation with Tarja fits the theme of the single and video: “Man can only overcome unjustice and create a better world when they think of us, the world community, instead of the individualâ€.The “Paradise (What About Us?)†EP includes the following tracks:1. Paradise (What About Us?)2. Let Us Burn (demo version)3. Silver Moonlight (demo version)4. Dog Days (demo version)
Update from Robert: About letting your song go and a very courageous TarjaThe moment I'm writing this newsletter the Paradise Video is just out and I can tell you a lot of emotions are going trough us right now at hyper speed. It's always such a special moment when you let your song go, to be free out there in the world on it's one. We have had it so close to us and working on it so much for almost the whole past year. But now it's not longer our growing baby, it's full grown and will stay how it is right now forever.And now it's yours too. For you to like it (or not) and for you to connect to your life, your memories, emotions and fantasy.Bit philosophical maybe but that's how it feels to us.Also, every time we push the refresh button and see the view and like count go up like we've never seen before, we feel very grateful to Tarja. She has showed so much courage by doing the song and video recordings with a, for her at first totally unknown group of people. Regardlessly, she put so much effort and passion in this video. Only because of this openness and courage you can feel can feel pure magic excist between Tarja en Sharon. She has maybe even created the most special release in our musical career for us until now.Back on earth... Sharon is in the studio right now, recording vocals to probably the last song for this album. But I'm just going to push the refresh button a few more times today and already start to enjoy my weekend in Paradise.So ciao for now and ofcourse…I wish you all a weekend in Paradise 2 !!!Sharon, Ruud, Stefan, Martijn, Jeroen, Mike and RobertWithin Temptation
Studio updateA new studio update from Robert: Mixing has started again this week. After Paradise, 'Let Us Burn' is the second song where Stefan Glaumann will put his magic sound on.For us, after the exciting release and a release party with the crew who made the video of Paradise, we got back into the studio again. Mainly to go through the songs and see which ones needed the most attention, to prepare them for mix. For one song we thought it would be cool to let a young girl read a part of the poem that inspired the song. This Sunday we'll try to record her with a smart phone instead of a fancy microphone. Hopefully that will give a cool crappy sound to it. The poem is called 'Ode on Melancholy' by John Keats, by the way. Check it out, it's really beautiful.For the rest, we're also doing a lot of planning now, for the promotion of the album and for the making of the next music video, which we might shooting in the US... then again, maybe not, we'll see.Anyways for now, have fun with the making of video. We really enjoyed watching it. Next week we'll probably also release another video which is also a 'the making of the Paradise video' but then from a completely different angle.But before next week…Ya'll take care and let's do a maximum enjoyment of the weekend !Sharon, Ruud, Stefan, Martijn, Jeroen, Mike and RobertWithin Temptation
Studio updateA brand new studio update from Robert:It's been a good week in the studio. The mix of 'Let Us Burn' is final now and Stefan Glaumann is working on the mix of "Silver Moonlight' as we speak. Both are tracks of which you can find the demos on the EP. The songs are still the same in the core, but they just sound a lot better. Levels are more in control so you can hear the details better and there's simply more energy in songs overall. Can't wait for the mastering of Ted Jensen, because he always adds the final bonus power and energy to the sound.Guitars and keyboards/orchestra are coming in for the last songs and I've also been doing a few growling lines on two other songs here and there.Sharon has done a few 'epic' sounding choir lines but is mostly working really hard on the special edition of the album. Selecting photos and discussing the artwork. Shall we reveal a little bit about the style ? Ok, it's a bit in Art Deco style and pretty rough, to match the heavier character of the album and of course it fits the album title really well.Next week 2 more mixes and planning some new video shoots with prob at least one in the US, but first…Weekend !Y'all have great one!GrtzzzzSharon, Ruud, Stefan, Martijn, Jeroen, Mike and RobertWithin Temptation
Special Effects break downLast two weeks, you could already see two videos showing you how the video for "Paradise (What About Us?)" was made and how Tarja and Sharon got together for a photo shoot.This week, TimSmiT - the VFX artist for the official video - created the video below to show you what was created using special effects for the video.
Studio updateAnother word from Robert: Stress, who ? me? us? nah no way... why? aaaaaarghOk I do admit. It was a kind of a stressful week and that's perhaps an understatement.It had to do with that a lot of things that needed to be finalized for the album, and finalized means final... no way back... for ever and ever... and ever... final. Like the names of the songs, the order of songs, a selection of 100 pages of photos for the special edition, the artwork. Also the credit list which is also always kind of a thing. You know millions of people are possibly going to read them and if you then spell somebody's name wrong, get his function/contribution to the album wrong, or even worse forget to thank him when you did thank the other less important person... well you get the picture, not happy people. And of course we want happy people, or at least most of them.Strange thing is also when you decide the order of the album that you realize there's only one good possible order to put the tracks in.But also realizing when listening to it, know that's it's really a hell of an exciting album to listen to from beginning to end. Really can't wait know to let you all see and hear it.Now a good thing of finalizing is that you don't have to think about the stuff you finalized anymore which means...we can have a real good celebration of the weekend!Hope you do the same and make it at least until the next newsletter cause then there will be some biiig and 'final' announcements going to be made. Hold on tight!Cheeeers !!Sharon, Ruud, Stefan, Martijn, Jeroen, Mike and RobertWithin Temptation
Studio updateStudio update from Sharon:Writing a studio-update in the studio, how appropriate…lol.Still in the phase of receiving mixes from Mr Viking: Stefan Glaumann and we have been preparing ourselves for the press days today and tomorrow, which are held at the famous Wisseloord studios. In the background Robert was making mixes for 'Edge of the World' & 'Dog days' as we had no finished mixes of these songs yet to present to the journalists.Looking back at this week, we left for Brugge, Belgium, on Friday to mix music with a few days off. We needed to catch our breath. We've been working long days for a long time and needed a bit of a break. So we went to Brugge for three days & I can recommend it. What a city, so much to see and to do. On Saturday evening we went to the 'Metal Female Voices Festival' to join Delain on stage for two songs; 'No compliance' & the golden oldie 'Restless' which Martijn wrote the music for together with Robert so that was a bit nostalgic for The Westerholt's & me; walking down memory lane back stage with our previous tour manager 'Rik' & Delain and telling each other 'on the road stories' with a nice glass of red wine/ beer and discussing Dutch politics with Charlotte's boyfriend… Superb!The day after, we went back to 'MFVF' after a day of culture in Brugge, to meet up with Tarja & her husband. After the show we went to their night-liner where we also met Floor Janssen and we finally drank the glass off wine didn't have time before at the video and photo shoot. We ended up telling each other on-the-road stories again and almost pissed my pants, so hilarious and so recognizable!!! It became one of those weekends, you'll never forget!Now I've got to hit the sack because the day will start early tomorrow, cheerio folks!Lots of love, SharonSharon, Ruud, Stefan, Martijn, Jeroen, Mike and RobertWithin Temptation
Studio updateAnother studio update from Robert: Eating socks and more.Bumpy last ride to the finish of this album but at least the finish is getting really close. Another 3 mixes finalized this week and almost finished arranging the first radio single which will be the last one to be mixed next week or just after.It's really surprising sometimes how a song can get a different feel when you add some other lines and instruments. A sad theme played by a kind of 'Twin Peakes' piano was added to the chorus and did a lot for the song. It gave it a very sad feeling. Also a swelling string section 30's style for the verse and a 'Game of Throne'-like cello in the intro made the whole song fall into place. It's a real special song for us not by the least because of who is singing the song with Sharon. This time no female singer from the scene but one of our big heroes of the nineties.Anyway next week the announcement HAS to be made. No more socks to be eaten so no way to escape it or else I will go into hiding in a safe house (preferably somewhere warm with a private beach)For now enjoy me suffering and of course the weekend is there to celebrate the end of the week and stay strong till next one !!!AlohaSharon, Ruud, Stefan, Martijn, Jeroen, Mike and RobertWithin Temptation
