36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great album by WT, July 28, 2007
First I'd like to make one note. There are three versions of this album out. This version is probably the smartest choice. It's less than half the cost of the imports and it also includes one more song, Stand My Ground. Sure Stand My Ground has already been released on Silent Force. But you're still talking about half the cost and one added bonus song. It sounds like a no-brainer to me.
I got into Within Temptation with their album Silent Force. I immediately fell in love with their music. Their mix of orchestral music and heavy mettle riffing along with Sharon's amazing voice range landed their music as an instant staple in my collection.
This album is no less amazing. The lyrics can be related to by anyone. The variety in each song keeps the album from getting dull or redundant.
If you like Within Temptation, this album will not disappoint. If you've never heard their music before, I heavily suggest both this album and Silent Force. This album would probably be a great starting point, though, given it's price.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Won't repent to a mortal whom is all to blame, October 18, 2007
It should be noted that I'm new to Within Temptation--this being my first CD by them--so with that in mind, I love this CD. For whatever reason I always got Within Temptation and After Forever mixed up (my apologies if you take offense to that), seeing as how I'm not a huge fan of dual male/female vocals like what After Forever sport, you'd see the reason I kind of passed over WT for so long. What brought me to finally buy a WT CD? Stand My Ground.
For me, The Heart Of Everything is one of those CDs where you kick yourself for not listening to it sooner. There's a little bit of everything on here...powerful riffs, sing-a-long choruses, great verses, excellent lyrics, and possibly my favorite ingredient, a few of the songs truly have that 'epic' feel to them. Since buying THOE I haven't stopped listening to it and it only gets better with each further spin. I only find myself saying "Oop! Now there's a good song!" It's been a long while since a CD has evoked this kind of emotion in me.
Being new to WT, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into so I just put the CD in and let it play. The Howling came on and, well, it's beyond the most perfect opener. It has that 'epic' feel I mentioned and Sharon's delivery only elevates the song more. Past that, if you're looking for some heavy tracks, What Have You Done (I prefer the extended version myself), Our Solemn Hour, The Heart Of Everything, Final Destination, and The Truth Beneath The Rose are all right up your alley. Feel like a ballad? All I Need and Forgiven are among the most tasteful I've heard recently. As for the rest, Frozen, Hand of Sorrow, The Cross, and Stand My Ground are all extremely impressive as well.
My favorite songs are The Howling, Frozen, Final Destination, All I Need, and Stand My Ground. If you're the least bit interested in female-fronted bands then definitely check this out. WT put most bands like them to shame and that's coming from someone who is in LOVE with female-fronted bands. Past that, I got nothing more to add. Highly recommended.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most Excellent, October 18, 2007
This album finds a more refined, focused and commercially viable piece of work from Within Temptation. Gone are the growling male vocals and long musical journeys. This statement without hearing the album could be a kiss of death BUT not so here. The band put Sharon Den Adel in front with a microphone and she delivered the goods. This is an excellent album, the songs have good melodies and hooks that make them very likeable. This is my second album by the band, the first one I bought the music was good but the production or engineering was bad which was a real shame. When you hear The Heart of Everything you will understand why there is boung to be comparisons to Evanescence. I don't own any of their albums. I heard the first one but didn't like it enough to buy it. Within Temptation have more tools in the box and do a better job with the genre. When I discovered bands like Nightwish, Tristania, Epica etc I could not believe this great music was out there and American radio was so narrow minded as to not introduce this music to the air waves. Hopefully Within Temptation can break through with this album and once established bring back some of the original rawness. Heart of Everything even has a couple ballads which are very good. As some one mentioned the songs do seem to have formula but it doesn't stop the talent from shining through. As some of the songs built up in emotion I was expecting a little jamming or more Progressive filler but some one kept the songs in a neat little package. I don't mean for this to sound critical, it's just that this album is very different from my other, Sins of My Beloved. As a finished product this is a good thing. I am enjoying this album a lot and expect it to be in my listening stack for some time to come. I hope the album does good things for the band. I encourage you to give The Heart of Everything a listen.
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