Within Temptation

Interview date

Novembre 2009

Interviewer

Ostianne

I N T E R V I E W

Interview Sharon den Adel


Hello Sharon, and thank you to answer my questions and the French webzine http://auxportesdumetal.com You had announced 2009 as a sabbatical year, but "An Acoustic Night At The Theatre" has been released few weeks ago. So, it's not an entire sabbatical year, isn't it?

No definately not. Besides the AANATT we are of course also writing a lot for the new studio-album, but it's a sabbatical from playing live...

During your Theatre Tour you didn't play any of "Enters"' songs. Why?

No special reason. We just tried out a lot of songs and these came out best acousticly to our opinion.

You had toured only in the Netherlands and in Belgium in 2008, and in 2010 you will do another theatre tour in these two countries. Why do you do this tour only there?

There is really a culture here of bands playing in theaters acousticly and in other countries it's a bit harder to get that done. Besides this we didn't want to sacrifice to much writing/recording time for the new album. Now we can be in the studio during the tour.

There are a lot of ballads in this album. Was it simpler to work on these ballads than on the electric songs for these acoustics shows?

Naturally ballads transform better to acoustic arrangements then big bombastic orchestral and choir based songs. However there are still quite some heavy songs played acousticly WHYD, Stand my Ground, Caged, The Cross and also our ballads are very often full with heavy guitars...not this cd however.

You filmed one of you show, but you will not release a DVD. Why?

The show was recorded on camera's but we couldn't really achieve the look and feel of the show with it. We always want to stand behind what we bring out and this wasn't really up to our expectations.

On this acoustic live and also on this tour, there is a duet with Anneke Van Griesbergen on Somewhere. You already did it for your show in Ahoy, which has been release as a CD and DVD. So why did you did this duet again?

It was part of the show and fit's really well on the cd.

You have released "The Black Symphony" last year, which was already a live CD (and DVD). Don't you think it can be too much of live CD in such a short time for people or do you see it as a kind of gift for your fans?

We always wanted to bring out an acoustic cd just cause it's something really different for a change. It's quite exciting to see what happens to your songs when you strip them down so much. This theatre tour was a perfect opportunity to finally release one.

There is as unreleased song on this new album, "Utopia". Why did you choose to do it as a duet?

Just like WHYD the song just asked for it. So we always try to obey the demands of a song.

And why did you release this song as a single, instead of a song of the acoustic show?

Cause this is a new song and for people something fresh but still connected to the acoustic feel.

Can you talk to us about the video clip of "Utopia"?

Just like sometimes a song can do this video and the storyline devoloped itself when we started to get ideas down for the video. It serves the song to our opinion very well.

Do you understand the worries of your fan about the possible split of Within Temptation because of some band members' side project?

I always understand worries of fans about their band to split cause that's just what you don't want them to do. However side projects is no reason to worry about a split. That's just a sign that people in the band are still very creative and can also develop themselves next to Within Temptation. WT will always be there as long as we are still inspired and think that the album we are working on will be our best ever.

What is the importance for you to work with various artists who don't play metal music?

I wouldn't say it is important to do cause WT is really where I can put my soul in but I'm just somebody who just loves to make and create music and doing that sometimes with different people in different styles can be very exciting and surprising and most of all fun to do.

Can you talk to us about the way you work your voice?

Well before a show I use a youtube movie I got from youtube with vocal warm-up excercises. Then ofcourse in the studio I always try to find new ways to use my voice as sometimes a new song needs that. So I guess every album I'm still learning new things and my voice keeps developing.

People reproach Within Temptation to do an accessible music throughout the years. What do you have to answer to that?

That started actually already when we released our Mother Earth album. We've learned not to listen to much to both negative and possitive opinions about our music. It's doesn't bring us anywhere musically. We always simply try to create.

Within Temptation has been created in the nineties. As an "old" band what do you think about the bands which has been created during the lasts years?

Haha, well I'm just listening to another old band's (Creed) new record and I think it rocks big time !

And what do you think about the bands, which take their inspirations in your music?

That's very cool. Music is a lot about inspirations so if we trigger other musicians it means we've done a good job.

They're a lot of symphonic bans, which are well known, which are coming from the Netherlands (You of course, but also Delain, Epica After Forever even if they don't exist anymore etc.). How do you explain that?

I guess it's a popular kind of music over here though I do think there are also a lot of bands like that in other countries.

As you may know, people are waiting for a new studio album. Have you some little things to say about your work on this new album?

We really deep down into the writing of it and all I can tell is that the new material is very exciting and fresh to us. In some kind of way I think it's going to be a creative milestone.

With one of your next album, do you think we will be able to you at the Wacken Open Air and Metal Female Voices Festival, which are important festivals?

Touring is at this moment still not planned so that's still pitch black.

What can we wish to you for the upcoming months and years?

A lot of inspiration from the Gods of creation. Creating exciting music and live shows that's what our way of life (mostly ;-))

I really want to thank you for your time, and hope you will come back very soon with new songs!!!

Same here and I'll get right to it ! The best to y'all