Customer Reviews

Enter

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first track on this CD, "Restless," starts out with just a piano and Sharon den Adel's beautiful, clear voice. By the time the rest of the band has joined in at full crunch, just after the two-minute mark, you'll already be sold on this great band from the Netherlands. Comparisons to The Gathering, Theatre of Tragedy, etc. are unwarranted. Within Temptation don't sound like any other band. While they do fit the "Goth-Metal" mold very loosely, their sound is all their own. They have something of a spiritual, Celtic atmosphere to their sound that just doesn't sound like anyone else. Sharon den Adel's voice just soars. She does sound a bit like Kate Bush at times, but more operatic at other times. She trades vocals with a male "death" growler a few times on the CD, but it only increases the interest of the listener, as it is not an overwhelming presence. The only reason this release does not get 5 stars from me is that I have heard their second CD ("Mother Earth") and it is even better. So, this is a 4 only in comparison to their next release, otherwise it's an easy 5.

Too bad more of this kind of music isn't appreciated by more people. I have seen people comparing Within Temptation to bands like Theatre of Tragedy, 3rd And The Mortal, and Orphanage, but the band has something else really unique going on.

The most dominating part of the whole sound of the band are the vocals of Sharon (who's on the cover of the album, the poster, the postcards and the sticker as well) who's clear vocals bring us through this enjoying ride. To top things off, the occasional death grunts bring the variation.

The music on the album is dominated by the keyboards of Martijn Westerholt who gets an amazing amount of bombast out of a piece of silicon. The doommetal foundation of the songs finishes off this album. If you are a fan of this stuff, I STONGLY urge you to pick up anything by Orphanage (see my review of "By Time Alone").

This is Within Temptation's debut that has finally been released in the U.S. It's not a bad album but very different from their later work. The songs are a bit darker, longer and more heavy and there's also a few tracks that feature male growling. But of course, the highlight here is Sharon Den Adel's beautiful angelic voice. My favorite tracks are Restless, Enter, Pearls of Light, and Candles. This is a good album but hopefully, Roadrunner will be smart and release both Mother Earth and The Silent Force in the U.S.

Similar to Theatre of Tragedy's first two releases, Within Temptation is both haunting and beautiful. Within Temptation is heavier than Theatre of Tragedy, but the music is wonderful when combined with keyboards and orchestration. Like they say on their website, "The goal that Within Temptation pursues is creating atmospheric music, by combining agressive metal with spherical female vocals and synthesizers. With their music Within Temptation tries to take their listeners on a journey to a fantasy world, where magic still exists." and they do a wonderful job! If you're a fan of melodic doom metal or atmospheric metal, this is a CD to check out!

First of all, I would not recommend buying this at Amazon for the ridiculous import price. Instead, purchase it theendrecords.com for only $13.00, as I did. It's a much safer buy for your wallet if you ask me.

Here we have it, the album that began the successful career of this platinum-selling Dutch band. I wouldn't rank this debut quite with Mother Earth, but it is a great buy for fans of the gothic sound. The quality that Enter possesses (which unfortunately later releases lack) is the fact that it stays true to its genre. Whereas Mother Earth has more of a symphonic rock sound, and the Silent Force has that of a pop-rock vibe, Enter can definitely qualify as a gothic record, no doubt. The lyrics mention such ideas as war, murder, and a damsel in distress who cannot cope with the ghost of a failed relationship. Sharon den Adel's soothing voice, which bears a sense of maturity despite her youthful appearance, is surprisingly less dominative here. Even more surprising, is the use of both male grunts and heavy guitars - two factors stripped of following releases. Some of the members of gothic-metal band Orphanage even make an appearance on certain tracks.

Enter kicks off with the charming single, "Restless". This is a very beautiful song, whose tenderness borders that of a ballad. There is a great solo towards the end that should not be overlooked. Following this is one of my personal favorite WT songs, the title track "Enter". Here we are given a taste of the heavier and darker side of this wonderful band. The chorus is stellar and unforgettable, offering lyrics as "give me your wings/to flee from my ivory tower" that can only be accompanied by justice with Sharon's sweet and gentle voice. "Pearls of Light" is a softer track, with very soft and beautiful melodies that creep on you with a sense of subtlety. I don't care too much for "Deep Within", which for some reason features only male vocals. "Grace", however, is one of the better tracks of this album. Sharon's vocals have a certain shrieky-ness to them that can draw comparisons to Kate Bush (which she unfortunately gets too much of). The instrumental "Blooded" was an excellent idea, although it clearly wouldn't fit in with their newer, more commercial material, so I wouldn't expect to see something like this again. "Candles", for some reason, didn't move me quite as much. I can't say why, but I feel it drags on a bit.

All in all, a wonderful beginning that led to greater things. I wouldn't recommend this as your first WT purchase, but for fans of the other releases, this is essential. Also recommended to fans of Theatre of Tragedy, After Forever and the Gathering.

8.5/10

Not their best but still a good album. However I am writing to let you know to watch out for defective copies. My cd had a 2 second blank space during track 8, candles. It did not sound like a thing the band did on purpose. SO I had amazon replace it and the replacement was the same. at 2:14 or so on track 8 the song sound stops while the counter keeps going. Tried it on 3 cd players and a computer. Still enjoying the cd though. Other albums of interest would be Within Temptation MOTHER EARTH, Nightwish ONCE, Anti-M DAMAGE, Lacuna Coil...well anything Lacuna does rocks, and Evanescence.

I had a friend of mine bring this cd back from Germany for me 3 months ago and I still can?t get over how good it is. the vocals are unbelievable, the musicians are great. I got into this style of music a few months ago and am so glad that I found it.
the piano version of Restless is so good. I think it sounds better without the rest of the instruments. the other band that I really enjoy and that is like Within Temptation is After Forever. now they do have more gravely mail vocals but still the same concept. After Forever is a little more raw.
My next purchase is Mother Earth, I cant wait.

"Enter" is good work, but the new album "Mother Earth", is brilliant. (not available outside Europe yet)

This is a great CD ! The perfect blend of classical and doom, death metal. Beautiful female vocals with inserts of male death, doom vocals. Nicely produced and well done CD. Not your run of the mill hardcore black metal. I really can't compare this to any band out there. Within Temperation at this point is a stand alone. One of my favorite CD's and I highly recommend it.

Within temptation has to be the best band ever, gothic metal and amazing voice, everything you could ask for. Her music is so amazing and she is like a siren and her words will take you to a different place. This is one cd you must have in your within temptation collection.