Within Temptation - Mother Earth

2003 reissue of 2001 album includes four bonus tracks, 'Restless', 'The Dance' (Live at Utrecht 1998), 'Enter' (live at Utrecht 1998) & 'Bittersweet'. A landmark release that set new standards for creativity, musicianship, & taste. BMG. Album Description

Regarding Copy-Protection Concerns

After just a first listen (which isn't really enough for forming a strong opinion) I will say that this album is excellent; just what I was expecting, based on other reviews and on the fact that I own (and love) _The Heart of Everything_. I'll update this portion of my review at a later date.

What I write to share with you now is a word about copy-protection. I think the key may be in not installing the software that is included on the CD. My computer gave me a message saying something like "some files will need to be added, do you wish to continue?" and I said no. Then I proceeded to open Audiograbber (v 1.82) and rip all the tracks from the CD for encoding to mp3 (well, ogg vorbis, actually) for use on my Iriver Clix2. Then, just to see, I tried playing it with Windows Media Player and it plays fine. So I guess I would suggest disabling autoplay on your CD drive before you load this disc into your drive. Creating a windows restore point might be wise as well.

Hope this helps.
May 29, 2008

Exceptional

Exceptional album - as good (or even better) as "The Heart Of Everything". A really pleasant surprise for an old fan of Purple, Zeppelin and Heep. Either it is symphonic-, epic-, or female-fronted metal, doesn't matter. The music is good, the performance is amazing. March 26, 2008

Music 4 stars, CD 2 stars

There's little else to say that other reviewers here have not said already. The main problem with this album is that for the listener that expects gothic heavy metal, you'll only get two or three gothic heavy metal songs and the rest is folk-song material with a slightly "larger" production. Think Loreena Mckennit. This isn't to say the music is bad, it's just that what we get isn't what has been advertised to us. As far as the quality of music, the problem is lead singer Sharon den Adel. She sounds fine when the music is in her range, but the higher the register the worse she gets. Deceiver of Fools is especially difficult to listen to because the automatic double tracking makes her out-of-tune voice sound even more out of tune.

But I gave this CD only two stars because of Sony's patently terrible copy protection. Nine times out of ten the player you put your disc in can't play it well, and if you put it in your PC you will be commanded to install software. DON'T DO THAT. Who knows what spyware Sony wants to pile on you? Instad, download a program like VLC Player that can play the CD without extra software. The CD case itself warns that Macs and other non-PC systems can't play the CD, but VLC Player should play it.

It's a shame BMG saw fit to ruin this CD by putting their copy protection on it. It seems that it never occurred to them that doing so would make people not want to buy it. January 25, 2008

Mother Earth - just about the greatest thing ever

The music on this CD is amazing. The kind of songs you never get sick of, even if you listen to them every day for months on end until you could sing every word in your sleep.

The entire CD is exciting, mesmerizing, meaningful, epic, and entertaining. I honestly can't imagine anyone who doesn't like Mother Earth. It would make excellent music for a horror movie soundtrack, but is still great to listen to while doing homework or hanging out. I played this CD while my family was eating dinner, and everyone at the table was soon dancing and swaying along like they were in a stadium at a concert. (They were just making fun of me for liking 'metal,' but I could tell they enjoyed it anyway.) Even the last two live songs are enjoyable--although I can't stand those growls/screams/grunts/whatever-you-call-thems, they are still worthy as proof that the band performs well live.

If you're wondering exactly what type of music this is, well, it's symphonic metal. That just means that it has classical elements such as choirs, strings, horns, piano, and sometimes even harps. An element unique to Within Temptation is their flute, which gives many of the songs a Celtic, folk-ish quality. And everything classical never overshadows the metal guitars, drums, and bass, of course. It seems like a strange combination, classical and metal, but it works remarkably well. And Sharon... she has the voice of an angel. She is absolutely perfect for Within Temptation. She's never whiny or obviously opera-ish, but she sings every word beautifully. I could write pages about her voice... but anyway.

The songs:

Mother Earth - A great start. At first, there's just the flute, and then the guitars join in. You're sitting there, mesmerized, and then Sharon starts to sing, and you start to drool because your entire existence is absorbed by the sheer awesomeness of the music. And it's great that the song (and the CD) are about Mother Earth. There are so many Christian bands out there, and while I don't have anything against them, it's so nice to hear something different for once. Later on in the song, there's some chanting, and then it's back to Sharon for the rest.

Ice Queen - Wow, this song rocks. It's not about a cold, emotionless woman -- which you might expect from the title; it's actually about a witch/sorceress who conjures ice. Cool, huh? Sharon's vocals on here are amazing; they blend impeccably with the instruments and the choir and produce a fast-paced work of art that leaves you wishing it could never end. No wonder it was a radio hit in Europe! I only wish I could have been there.

Our Farewell - Slower, mellower, and more acoustic than many of the other songs. For a 'goth' band, it's strangely harmonic and upbeat. Depending on my mood, this song can be either corny and clichéd or sweet and sincere. However, I do have a problem with the line, "you are not alone in life, although you might feel that you are." It's meant to be a profound moment in the song, but it ends up being funny. But I never let it spoil the CD because it's sung beautifully and Within Temptation is from the Netherlands, after all.

Caged - An emotional song about betrayal and the rage that follows. Pretty much any woman can relate. This song has the guitar solo that my family was dancing along to. Also, Sharon's voice takes on a different style here, which some of you might find strange. It's deeper in some parts and angry and emotional in others. The music is slower and more deliberate, which just fits the theme of being scorned and hurt.

The Promise - So long it even has its own movements, like a classical piece. It's a tragically sweet story of love, death... and revenge. You have to appreciate the entire eight minutes, from the long intro to the pained, somewhat sudden ending. Although it does not drag on and it never seems too long, its length unfortunately prevents anyone with music-ADHD from enjoying it. I find it a masterpiece, which is good, because it truly is a masterpiece.

Never Ending Story - Another slower, mellower, more acoustic song. The lyrics are full of interesting imagery and the instrumentation shows off Sharon's voice, but the rest of the band could have saved this song from its more maudlin moments. Of course, the instruments that are present still do a good job and the song is over before it loses its freshness. I just prefer symphonic metal that... you know... has metal in it.

Deceiver of Fools - Almost as long as "The Promise." Starts off slow and quiet, then alternates between the full band and just Sharon and a few ambient instruments. The lyrics are epic in a LOTR-ish way, but not overly D&D like many other symphonic metal bands. The combination helps this song stays interesting -- and entertaining -- for over seven minutes. Nicely done!

Intro - Well, it's in the middle of the CD, it doesn't really serve any purpose, and it's pretty much the same simple melody repeated for over a minute. But it leads well in to the next song:

Dark Wings - Starts out fast and hard and just gets better. The lyrics could be from a suspenseful fantasy novel, and they combine with the fast-paced music, creating a little opera all on its own. Seriously, if I wrote a book, this song would be my only inspiration. It's an entire magical, action-packed story in slightly over four minutes. And it definitely doesn't hurt that the tune is impossibly catchy, the production is impeccable, and the end leaves you wanting to hear it again... and again... and again. Can you tell I love this song yet?

In Perfect Harmony - The only song on here that sort of falls short for me. It should have been written about half as long. The music, as always, is nice, but the lyrics I find cheesy and repetitive, depending on my mood. They sound like an old fairy tale put to music. It has a nice message, and as I said before, I love how the CD is about nature. But this song could have been rewritten to be so much more meaningful. At least it's not the actual end to the CD because of the bonus tracks.

Restless - The music (and the title) convey the emotions perfectly. The lyrics are about betrayal and confusion. The music isn't as hardcore as some of the other songs, and the lyrics aren't as epic, but there's something appealing about this song. I can see it having broader appeal than the rest of the CD as it is more of a rock song than a metal song. I wish it was on the real CD instead of being a bonus track.

Bittersweet - Oh, how I wish this song was longer! It's gorgeous. It's the first Within Temptation song I ever heard, and I fell in love with it after just a few seconds. There are no guitars here, but the rest of the music is a magical combination of piano, flute, harp, the choir of angels, musical sparklies (you know what I mean), and of course Sharon's voice. This song is so sadly sweet... sweetly sad... just breathtaking and romantic but completely un-maudlin. I want to hear this song in my head forever.

The other bonus tracks - I rarely listen to these, for a number of reasons. First, I don't like demonic screams/grunts/growls, which is why I love the rest of the CD. Also, I don't like listening to music recorded from a concert somewhere. I would much rather see them live for real or listen to their actual studio-recorded songs. It seems like a ripoff to record music from a concert and sell it on a CD. Third, "Bittersweet" makes a better ending to the CD than these live tracks could ever be, and it seems a shame to listen to music I don't particularly enjoy that also shatters the ethereal mood I drift in to from listening to "Bittersweet."

~~~

As for the copy protection, DON'T install the software that it wants you to. It can make your computer more vulnerable to viruses and spyware. So don't do it!! I was able to import the CD to itunes on a mac with no problems. If you don't have a mac, see if someone you know does, then import the files on their computer and email them to yourself. Hooray, problem solved!

Don't let this copy protection get in the way of this great masterpiece of a CD. The annoyance can be bypassed painlessly and the music is gorgeous once you get to it.

IMPORTANT--
If you can wait until August, Mother Earth will be released in the United States. So, you will be able to buy it on itunes (or anywhere else) along with Within Temptation's two newer CD's, The Silent Force and The Heart of Everything. The itunes files you buy will still have copy protection on them, of course... just not the kind that can give you spyware and viruses.
I sincerely hope the United States release will be followed by a United States tour. I would give anything to see them live! January 16, 2008

The most amazing group EVER!!!

I have all of her cds and I have never been so happy to have them. She has a voice of a siren and I am in a trance every time I hear her sing. I love this cd so much and I have to say that it is a masterpiece. If you get this one you must get all of her other ones because they are like a story, if you have one chapter you want to finish the book. Her voice is so amazing. Many people compare her to evanescence and that is true she is somewhat like her only I think better. You must get this cd and when you do you will become a fan for life. January 8, 2008

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