When Dutch legends WITHIN TEMPTATION fully updated their sound on 2019’s “Resist” it took me quite a while to reconcile the band I used to know from albums like “The Heart of Everything” (2007) or live concert “Black Symphony” (2008) with this modernized version of the symphonic/Gothic stalwarts. Like most bands out there, they also needed a new outlet for their music when their old style just wasn’t enough. Continuing on this trend but in a more metal direction, “Bleed Out” is catchy and energetic with up-tempo anthems and relevant lyrical themes. The band’s eighth studio album is set for release on October 20th, 2023, via Force Music Recordings.
With more than half the tracklist being released either as stand-alone singles during the pandemic or as appetizers for this upcoming full-length, the point is that listeners already know what to expect from “Bleed Out.” Incorporating the lockdown songs in the album’s final tracklist was a risky move to make but that doesn’t mean “Bleed Out” doesn’t hold any surprises or that the rest of the tracks are just filler material because that is not the case. The album is significantly heavier than “Resist” as the balance between hooky/poppy melodies and the metal side of their sound leans more towards meaty guitars, thundering bass, and pounding drums, even if spacy synths and electronic elements still pop up here and there. It’s also more cohesive and fluid in the way the music flows but with enough dynamic in the overall sound design so as to keep listeners engaged.
In many ways, this album represents the culmination of WITHIN TEMPTATION’s sonic change that started creeping in slowly with “The Unforgiven” (2011) and “Hydra” (2014) before diverging into pop-territory/alternative metal on “Resist.” Consequently, these eleven songs prove that sometimes a reinvention is not just welcome, it is also necessary to stay relevant on the metal scene. This is the reason the 2020 singles “Entertain You” and “The Purge” as well as the 2021 single “Shed My Skin,” featuring German metalcore band ANNISOKAY, were so well received. The same goes for the 2022 single “Don’t Pray for Me.” Still merging a dark symphonic aesthetic with a more aggressive soundscape both “The Purge” and “Don’t Pray for Me” acted like a bridge between the band’s classic sound and the more modern metal-sounding “Entertain You” and “Shed My Skin.” Of the most recent singles, the ominous and brooding anthem “Bleed Out” does the same by bridging the gap between the four unreleased album tracks and the six already-known songs.
With an overarching narrative about the evils of war spanning many tracks plus other relevant issues on the other songs, this album connects musically and intellectually with the listeners. As such, while the hard-hitting riffs and soaring melodies on such tracks as “The Purge” or “Don’t Pray for Me” invite to headbanging, the thought-provoking lyrics on such tracks “Entertain You” (about social outcasts), “Bleed Out” (based on Masha Amini’s death), or “Wireless” (about authoritarian aggression) are perfect for ruminations and discussions. Musically, the band masterfully navigates between their classic symphonic sound on cuts like the bombastic track “Unbroken” and the more synth-infused moments like the heavy opener “We Go to War” thus making the album feel like an epic journey through somber soundscapes and ominous moods.
Consequently, “Worth Dying For” is a lush composition that boasts some swirling synths, orchestral elements, and booming drums that create a big wall of sound on top of which Sharon den Adel’s piercing voice soars freely. This track is capped off by a blazing guitar solo. The recently released single, radio-friendly “Ritual,” and the following track, groove-laden yet doomy “Cyanide Love,” see that band treading new-ish ground with their swinging rhythms, synth/electro effects, and reverb on the vocals, the latter being a move I never expected from WITHIN TEMPTATION. I think that “Cyanide Love” is the wild card of the album that will have fans either loving its melodic heaviness or hating its playful and seductive vocal delivery. However, when you have such a dark and intense album songs like these latter two make for a welcome change of pace and mood.
Music is not meant only to entertain us but also to provoke a thought, an idea, or even a reaction. This is the type of energy that WITHIN TEMPTATION channel on “Bleed Out,” an album that is as pertinent and on-target with what’s happening in today’s society as it is tight and close-knit in its musical expression. Alongside EPICA, WITHIN TEMPTATION can be trusted to uphold the values of the genre while exploring different styles so as to properly showcase their artistic evolution, which they have done to perfection with this new magnum opus. I honestly see “Bleed Out” appearing on various end-of-the-year lists as this is truly album-of-the-year material that proves why this Dutch band is such a force to be reckoned with on the metal scene.
Written by Andrea Crow
Tracklist
- We Go to War
- Bleed Out
- Wireless
- Worth Dying For
- Ritual
- Cyanide Love
- The Purge
- Don’t Pray for Me
- Shed My Skin (feat. Annisokay)
- Unbroken
- Entertain You
Lineup
Sharon den Adel – lead vocals
Ruud Jolie – lead guitar
Stefan Helleblad – rhythm guitar
Jeroen van Veen – bass
Martijn Spierenburg – keyboards
Mike Coolen – drums
Label
Force Music Recordings
