Within Temptation is a Dutch metal/rock band founded in 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. Their music is described as symphonic metal, although their earlier material, such as Enter, was gothic metal. In an interview, Den Adel said they fell into a symphonic rock genre with various influences. In a later interview with 3VOOR12, Sharon stated that "we consider ourselves more a symphonic rock band ... we are in my opinion no gothic band".
After the release of their first album Enter, the band became prominent in the Dutch underground scene. It was not until 2001 that they became known to the general public, with the single "Ice Queen" from the album Mother Earth, which reached #2 on the Dutch charts. Since then, the band won the Conamus Exportprijs four years in a row. Their next albums The Silent Force and The Heart of Everything debuted at #1 on the Dutch charts. In 2008, they released a live DVD and CD, Black Symphony, recorded with the Metropole Orchestra. This collection was followed in 2009 with An Acoustic Night at the Theatre.
In 2009, the British DJ/Producer Steve Birch released a single called The Temptation Within, which samples the intro from The Silent Force.
The band's fifth studio album The Unforgiving, was released in March 2011, alongside both a comic book series and a series of short films that together encompass a story. The first single, "Faster", was released on January 21, and the first short film, Mother Maiden, was released on January 31. The second short film, Sinéad, was released on March 21.
The band's current members are:
Sharon den Adel – Lead vocals (1996–present)
Robert Westerholt – Rhythm guitar, Grunts (1996–present)
Jeroen van Veen – Bass guitar (1996–present)
Ruud Adrianus Jolie – Lead guitar (2001–present)
Martijn Spierenburg – Keyboards (2001–present)
Mike Coolen – Drums (2011–present)
Track listing An Acoustic Night at the Theatre
1. "Towards the End" (Sharon Den Adel, Martijn Spierenburg, Robert Westerholt) – 3:27
2. "Stand My Ground" (Den Adel, Daniel Gibson, Han Kooreneef, Westerholt) – 3:53
3. "Caged" (Den Adel) – 5:19
4. "All I Need" (DenAdel, Westerholt) – 5:20
5. "Frozen" (DenAdel, Gibson, Westerholt) – 4:31
6. "Somewhere" (Feat. Anneke van Giersbergen) (DenAdel, Westerholt) – 4:19
7. "The Cross" (Den Adel, Spierenburg, Westerholt) – 4:57
8. "Pale" (DenAdel, Westerholt) – 5:08
9. "What Have You Done" (featuring Keith Caputo) (DenAdel, Gibson, Westerholt) – 4:33
10. "Memories" (Den Adel, Spierenburg, Westerholt) – 4:00
11. "Forgiven" (Den Adel, Spierenburg, Westerholt) – 4:42
12. "Utopia" (featuring Chris Jones) (DenAdel, Gibson) – 3:49
Bonus tracks
1. "Utopia" (Demo version) – 4:31 (Amazon MP3 Germany)
2. "Hand of Sorrow" (Live in Eindhoven 2007) - 5:43 (iTunes)
3. "Restless" (acoustic version) - 5:58 (Play.com MP3 UK)
