Within Temptation
Within Temptation is a symphonic-rock band founded in 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt.
A well-kept secret in the Netherlands for the first few years of their existence, the band exploded into the mainstream spotlight across Europe upon the release of their second album, Mother Earth, in 2000. Since then, they have gone from strength to strength selling in excess of 3.5 Million CDs & DVDs with releases in 48 countries, receiving 30 Gold and Platinum awards and 4 Export Awards of the Netherlands as well 2 MTV European Music Awards, 2 World Music Awards and many more.
Completed by lead guitarist Ruud Jolie, keyboard maestro Martijn Spierenburg, bassist Jeroen van Veen, guitarist Stefan Helleblad and drummer Mike Coolen, the current Within Temptation line-up has experienced huge commercial success in their native country and elsewhere. Albums like 2004’s The Silent Force and its sumptuous follow-up, 2007’s The Heart Of Everything, have mesmerised an ever-expanding fan base, setting new standards for symphonic rock and metal along the way.
The band’s fifth studio album “The Unforgiving”, was released in March 2011, alongside both a comic book series and a series of short films that together encompass a story. The first single, “Faster”, was complemented by the first short film “Mother Maiden”. The second short film, “Sinéad”, is tied in with the similar titled single from “The Unforgiving” and the third single “Shot in the Dark” tells the story of the third short film titled “Triplets”.
In 2011 Robert announced that he will be taking a step back from live performing and focus on writing new music, producing shows, the comic and future movies. Guitarist Stefan Helleblad joined Within Temptation after having worked with the band behind the scenes for years. Together with Stefan, the band started the European Unforgiving tour in September, visiting over 40 different cities.
Following up on 2011’s Top 5 album ‘The Unforgiving’ was no easy task for Westerholt, singer Sharon den Adel, guitarist Ruud Jolie, bassist Jeroen van Veen, keyboard player Martijn Spierenburg, guitarist Stefan Helleblad and drummer Mike Coolen. After all, WITHIN TEMPTATION have never been a band to be content with simply repeating their past. With ‘Hydra’, their sixth studio album since their 1997 debut release ‘Enter’, the group have raised the bar once again, writing their fastest, most powerful material in years and inviting a stellar cast of guests to help them deliver the music to their worldwide fanbase.
