Within Temptation are one of the biggest symphonic metal bands on the planet, amassing six full-length albums and a few festival headline shows over their almost-20-year career. Leading the Dutch seven-piece throughout has been the all-powerful Sharon Den Adel… but what music does she listen to when not making rooms shake with her voice?
Let’s find out!
The first record I bought was…
The Moody Blues – Days Of Future Passed (Deram, 1967)
“I was brought up with a great musical diversity – my family loved everything from Deep Purple and ELO to Queen and Kate Bush. I was four years old when my brother and I went to buy this because I loved Nights In White Satin. We were living in Indonesia and the record store didn’t sell original records so we had to buy copies!”
My favourite album artwork is…
Jeff Wayne – Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version Of War Of The Worlds (Columbia, 1978)
“It scared the shit out of me when I first heard it – I didn’t know what I was buying! I was four years old and my English wasn’t good at the time, so I was more interested in the cover. The darkness of the music really intrigued me.”
The album I wish I’d made is…
Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes (East West, 1992)
“I love lyrics and hers are amazing. It really touches you, it’s so visual and intense. With metaphors like ‘I got the anti-Christ in the kitchen yelling at me again’, you can really see this woman going mad about nothing!
The album I break the speed limit to is…
Nirvana – From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah (DGC, 1996)
“Some of these songs were recorded at a concert I wasn’t allowed to go to – it was too far away in the big, bad city of Amsterdam. It’s forbidden in my car or I’ll get a speeding ticket. I’ve already got one… they’ll take my licence away next!”
No one will believe I own a copy of…
Grease – Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (Polydor, 1978)
“I played this record daily from the age of four to 13. You’re The One That I Want is my favourite! It’s one of my guilty pleasures… actually, I don’t feel guilty about it at all!”
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A kid asks me what metal is, I hand them a copy of…
Iron Maiden – Piece Of Mind (EMI, 1983)
“Young and old will love this album; it has epic guitars and a great album cover! Iron Maiden make music for all times and all ages. When we were playing with them, we saw three different generations of families all going crazy to the same band. It’s amazing! You can always go heavier, but this is a good place to start.”
The album I want to be remembered for is…
Within Temptation – Hydra (Dramatico, 2014)
“Hydra is still my favourite album. It was a natural development into what we wanted to sound like [in 2014]. I’m really into uptempo songs, so it summed up all the kinds of music I like, with inspirations from both the alternative side and the metal side.”
The album I want to try again is…
Within Temptation – The Silent Force (Gun, 2004)
“It’s full of loops – nobody uses those nowadays because they sound so synthetic, but it’s typical of the trends of that time. I love the songs because they throw me back to having to record on tapes, but there are more modern sounds to use now.”
The most underrated album is…
Paradise Lost – Gothic (Peaceville, 1991)
“They laid down the genre for bands like us. Every feature of the genre now is in that album. They even used opera singers and nobody ever did that back then! The combination of sounds on that record was an inspiration to everyone like us and they never got the credit for it.”
The album I want played at my funeral is…
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Exodus (Island, 1977)
“It should be a happy album because I think you should celebrate life! Bob Marley is critical in his lyrics at times, but also very positive. Although I like heavy music, a funeral’s heavy enough. We need contrast, so let’s do something more uplifting! Let’s get together and feel alright!”
Within Temptation 2018 tour dates
Oct 11: Grand Hall Siberia, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Oct 13: House Of Culture, Novosibirsk, Russia
Oct 15: Kosmos, Yekaterinenburg, Russia
Oct 17: Milo Club, Nizhny Nivgorod, Russia
Oct 18: Stadium Club, Moscow, Russia
Oct 19: A2, St. Petersburg, Russia
Oct 20: Metro Areena, Espoo, Finland
Oct 22: The Annex, Stockholm, Sweden
Oct 23: Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway
Oct 24: Valby Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Oct 26: Sala Ziemi, Poznan, Poland
Oct 27: Torwar, Warsaw, Poland
Nov 09: O2 Academy, Birmingham, UK
Nov 10: O2 Apollo, Manchester, UK
Nov 11: O2 Academy, Glasgow, UK
Nov 13: O2 Academy Brixton, London, UK
Nov 16: Le Zénith, Paris, France
Nov 17: Lotto Arena, Antwerp, Belgium
Nov 19: Palladium, Cologne, Germany
Nov 20: Rockhal, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Nov 21: Samsung Halle, Zürich, Switzerland
Nov 24: AFAS Live, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nov 25: MartiniPlaza, Groningen, Netherlands
Dec 08: Columbiahalle, Berlin, Germany
Dec 09: Mehr! Theater, Hamburg, Germany
Dec 11: Forum Karlin, Prague, Czech Republic
Dec 12: Tüskecsarnok, Budapest, Hungary
Dec 13: Gasometer, Vienna, Austria
Dec 15: Fabrique, Milan, Italy
Dec 16: MHP Arena, Ludwigsburg, Germany
Dec 17: Zenith, Munich, Germany
Dec 18: Jahrhunderthalle, Frankfurt, Germany
Dec 22: 013, Tilburg, Netherlands
