Within Temptation have been around for 27 years, breaking each door down from symphonic metal, gothic, alternative, and pop. They’ve been through it all. Releasing seven studio albums from 1997 to 2019. It’s a question of how far can they go? Well, they proved that they never back down without a fight by pushing the metal envelope a bit further with their eighth studio album, Bleed Out.
A very unique album by proving themselves that they’re are more than just a metal band. After all, metal is more than just a five-letter word. They delve deeper into the darker territories, tackling the themes of the war in Ukraine, women’s right in Iran, and the women’s right to choose. Sharon herself, has finally unleashed her angelic wings and is soaring across the sky to have her voice heard, across the globe.
Three years in the making, they wrote the album in the winter before it came to a screeching halt when the pandemic hit as they were about to hit the road with Evanescence for the Worlds Collide Tour originally. After COVID hit, it gave the band time to write new material for the new album. For the sextet, they are more stronger than ever.
‘Ritual’ has this slithering tone that is inspired by Robert Rodriguez’s 1996 horror cult classic, From Dusk ‘till Dawn. There’s something ‘80s about this track as it becomes a hypnotic call-and-response between Sharon’s clean and megaphone voice by luring her victims into their doom as she drinks their blood, and getting out, is the hard part.
Now there’s been some mixed reaction of the video for the title-track because of the usage with A.I. Now I don’t want to get into a lot of trouble with it, but the music and song has this fighting stance with a clock-ticking rhythm section, angelic textures, energetic chorus, and brutal sounds from Jolie, Helleblad, and Veen lending each other a helping hand.
The only thing I can say about the video is that it bears a striking resemblance to the 2019 and 2023 video game, Blasphemous’ 1 & 2. That’s all I have to say, nothing else. ‘Don’t Pray for Me’ has some nods to Muse’s golden years with The Resistance-era, but it gives Temptation a chance by returning to their roots with the Silent Force-era where they’re continuing where they left off by making a semi-sequel to ‘Stand My Ground’.
Daniel Gibson’s vocals share a duet with Sharon as he grabs her arm for dear life, making sure she doesn’t fall to the abyss before she lets out some high-energy operatic vocals while returning to the brutal, electronic, alternative rock technique by not fitting in with the cool crowd on ‘Entertain You’.
Listening to the closing track, it has this weird combination between the Core-era from Stone Temple Pilots, Lady Gaga’s sped-up version of ‘Bloody Mary’, and Underworld’s techno-beat ‘Born Slippy .NUXX’ from the Trainspotting soundtrack. I was quite surprised on how Within Temptation have done their homework by hitting the dance floor before bringing in German metalcore band Annisokay to add those flaming fires, burning brightly on ‘Shed My Skin’.
Both Christoph Wieczorek and Rudi Schwarzer add in this Jekyll & Hyde approach on the vocals, detailing struggles people are going through these difficult times. It then turns into a battle of personalities as they reach the finish line.
Going through all of the amazement the band went through, Bleed Out is an album done right. It has been a while since I’ve listened to them. And this was the right album at the right time to be released to give 2023, an electrical jolt. That all said, Within Temptation have enough strength by giving their fans, the welcoming handshake they properly deserve.
