Within Temptation - Enter

The goth-rock act's 1997 debut album features eight tracks. Rough Trade. Album Description

Awesome!

If you like Evanescence, you'll like Within Temptation. They just get better and better with each CD they put out! I'm already looking forward to the next one. June 16, 2008

Watch out for defective copies

Not their best but still a good album. However I am writing to let you know to watch out for defective copies. My cd had a 2 second blank space during track 8, candles. It did not sound like a thing the band did on purpose. SO I had amazon replace it and the replacement was the same. at 2:14 or so on track 8 the song sound stops while the counter keeps going. Tried it on 3 cd players and a computer. Still enjoying the cd though. Other albums of interest would be Within Temptation MOTHER EARTH, Nightwish ONCE, Anti-M DAMAGE, Lacuna Coil...well anything Lacuna does rocks, and Evanescence. April 8, 2008

Great album, but get one of their later ones first.

I started my Within Temptation collection with Silent Force and then went on to get Mother Earth and Heart of Everything. These albums have made me a permanent fan of WT. So seeing their albums, both new and old, finally coming stateside is nothing less than a dream. I would highly suggest getting any one of their albums.

Enter is where it all began. There are vast differences in style on Enter than in their later albums. As such, I would not recommend this as your first WT album. It's so vastly different in style from their later albums, it could give you the wrong idea about what to expect from them now. I recommend either Silent Force or Heart of Everything if you're looking for your first WT album.

That is not to say Enter is a bad album. On the contrary, I rated this album five stars for a reason. Enter is a stunning first venture for WT. On all their albums, WT has knack for blending angelic vocals, death growls, orchestral music and heavy metal guitars.

But nowhere is that mix as stark and brutal than on Enter. The death growls by Robert Westerholt are pushed back more into the mix on later albums. On Enter, they are prominently featured along side Sharon's more soothing and angelic voice...and it works.

This is a must have for Within Temptation fans. Again, I would not recommend it for your first Within Temptation album. Check out their later albums. Get used to what they are now. But then if you come to truly love their music and if you come to call yourself a fan, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.
December 23, 2007

Fantastic start for an amazing band

Within Temptation is a band from the Netherlands that has been releasing symphonic metal/rock for over 10 years. Their debut album "Enter" contains the humble beginnings of a band that is now considered a fore-runner in the genre. After listening to "Enter", it's easy to see why.

The album successfully combines many different types of musical sounds: male growls, piano solos, guitars, keyboards, and even odd sounds that one wouldn't expect to be included in such a genre. As such, their songs aren't predictable in the slightest. There's always something interesting to be heard on the album, which is not only enjoyable to listen to; but it's a refreshing break from the generic songs and chords played by other bands, namely mainstream ones. It's extremely rare, in my opinion; to find an artist that manages to compose songs that are so different from each other in style and tempo, yet still make them sound amazing. Not only that; but each song tells its own story as it unfolds. Most of the songs you can relate to in some way or another.

Both the first and closing tracks, "Restless" and "Candles" combine the melodic vocals of Sharon den Adel with background keyboard/piano melodies, yet making them sound completely the opposite of each other. The combination works perfectly, making both the songs a highlight of the entire album. Of course, male growls are included on "Candles", contrasting Sharon's soft voice with a harsher male counterpart (fellow guitarist Robert Westerholt). Yet, somehow it works perfectly with the pace of the song.

The title track "Enter" is also a beautiful song. The keyboard is used a lot during the piece, making it mostly instrumental. The beginning even has a major goth sound with what sounds like a slow violin (they probably used something else, but that's what it sounds like to me) The beginning of the piece creeps along slowly until the keyboards enter the song creating an exquisite and unconventional catchy tune. The male growling is present once again, but fits with the dark tone of the song leading into the vocals, contrasting the harshness of the song again with a female voice. At over 7 minutes long, the song never gets tiring. That is a feat unto itself.

"Pearls of Light" is an ode to the past, with fantasy elements mixed in wonderfully with the background music. It's nostalgic in a way, about one's decisions in life and straying from one's own identity. The song isn't as heavy as the others; but the message is strong. It's a song everyone can relate to. And of course, it's sung beautifully.

The fourth track "Deep Within" is the only track I couldn't relate to. It's the only downer on an already perfect album. All male growls made it hard to understand the song. Secondly, the growling didn't always work for me.

"Gatekeeper" is another mostly instrumental piece that builds as it goes along. The music is pulsing even though it starts out slow. But WT's strength lies in the fact that they can lure you into a sense of calm, while building the song up. Soon without realizing it the feelings of anxiety and excitement build-up for the listener. And this is before Robert and Sharon begin to sing in the song.

The following song, "Grace" is a truly haunting piece. It seems to be focused around war and soldiers. A choir is present in the background, adding to the dark feel of the song. Sharon's voice changes from harsh to light in this song. She manages the transition well adding to it a feel of regret and sadness. "Fallen from grace/help me rise again/Fallen from grace/Help me through." It's a song that stuck in my head for a while after listening to it. Another wonderful song.

The final song is instrumental. It's called "Blooded". Centered around a specific melody, the song takes off drawing the listener in. Just when you feel you've got a handle on the chorus, WT changes things up. While still playing a similar tune, other sounds and melodies are added on top of it. The instrumental song draws everything from fear to suspense forming a picture of the battle taking place.

Overall, "Enter" is a wonderful debut album. I highly recommend it. December 18, 2007

Musically, great... Vocally - pretty rough...

I picked this up the other day based on the strength of their more recent stuff.. Musically, it's raw, packs a punch and is a lot of fun to listen to.

Vocally, however, the whole "monster growl" sound seems forced and fake.. Almost like a parody of more popular death metal bands or even Rammstein.. It's completely needless, as the lead singers voice is so strong and beautiful.

I gave this a three based on the great musical sound, but don't buy this if you don't like growling vocals... December 13, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...