It all started for me one chilly January evening in
2005. I was on holiday, taking a trip which had started at Rotterdam in Holland and was due to end a week later at Graz in
Austria. It was actually the first occasion I had been to Holland for some time, and little did I know how ironic it would
turn out to be that my trip had started there...or the association I was about to make with that country!
Two days later I had reached mid-Germany. I had missed
the last train into Leipzig, it was cold and snowing, so there was nothing for it but to find a hotel for the night. As I
settled in, I switched on the television and headed for the nearest rock music channel. To start with it was the usual diet
of Linkin Park and Green Day videos...but then something grabbed my attention. A beautifully filmed clip based around an old
manor house, a wonderful rock ballad performed by five guys and a beautiful female vocalist with the voice of an angel. I
had never heard of Within Temptation until now, but I was immediately hooked!
The following day I took steps to find the album from
which the song was taken. And, as I listened to each track in turn, I knew immediately that this was one band which was going
to be more than just a passing craze. Swirling orchestral melodies with a choral backing, fused with a deep and heavy bass,
wonderful guitar riffs and keyboards to create a huge bombastic sound - and topped with Sharon den Adel's superb vocals.
'The Silent Force' barely left my CD player for the whole of the following year!
As time went on, I delved deeper and discovered more
about the band. A friend of mine brought round the previous 'Mother Earth' album, and needless to say I loved that too! As
I went even further back and obtained the early albums - 'Enter' and 'The Dance' I realised not only that this band had
a totally unique sound, but that each album has a different feel to it. Their early work has more of a raw gothic/Celtic
edge, much heavier, and that with each successive release their music has evolved and reached a new and different level.
By April 2005 I had realised that seeing the band live
was a must, and made the trip over to Holland to see them play. To say that their show left me open-mouthed is an understatement! Their
set was not just polished and professional, but took those songs to yet another dimension. Here was a band who actually enjoyed
performing their material, rather than just doing so to sell a few extra albums. Since that evening, I have followed WT to
gigs and festivals across Europe, and reports of those shows can be found in the 'Gig Reviews' section of this site.
In 2006 I became a member of the newly formed official
Fan Club (details for which can be found using the link on the penultimate page of this site) and 2007 saw me collecting
more and more back catalogue and rare releases, along with various memorabilia and of course the new album 'The Heart Of Everything'.
Such that my home is slowly becoming a mini-shrine to the band...While I do of course have a normal life to lead too, I don't
mind admitting that I am just the tinyest bit obsessed with WT. Their music has been not just a pleasure but also a support
through the more difficult times, and so many of their lyrics too seem to have relevance to things which happen in our
everyday lives.
