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  Gaza Nightmare Continues

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  Great Albums: Fresh New Life

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  SBT (Sarabeth Tucek) Live

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  Magnum - A Year in Ukraine

  Alessandra Sanguinetti Interview

  The Damn Truth Live

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  The State We’re In Pt II

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  Liverpool Jazz Festival

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Within Temptation In 2011

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Why not do a castle tour like Ritchie Blackmore did a while ago?

Well, that’s something we also played with. That’s something that’s also still in our minds. Also acoustically and then do a castle tour. Yeah. But that’s even a step further again. You know, it’s like a theatre is also very romantic in a way and acoustic-wise it’s very good but with castles you still have the problems like: ‘Hello, ello, ello, ello, llo, llo…’ (imitates an echo), this echoing thing. You know, like you have to do a lot of alterations to the sound probably.

In your biography it says: “they can do more than just symphonic, bombastic metal!”. Do you feel sometimes that you’re being cornered in a certain niche?

Yes, but it’s logical in a way because we are bombastic and we are symphonic and we are metal and all the other things - but we are also able to create intimate songs. We also have very beautiful ballads, we are a band of a lot of extremes. We have a lot of different genres in our music and I think that labelling us just in one corner is not the total package. And it’s limiting in a way but by doing things like this, bringing out the acoustic album, shows that we are more than just, you know, what they think, the label that they think that we have.

As far as I perceived it you chose the label “symphonic metal” yourselves, you came up with that. Are you still happy with that particular label or do you sometimes wish that you never brought that up?

You know, the label always have changed a little bit with us because we always bring out a different kind of album. We started really like, they called us ‘doom metal’ when we started, (adds in a girlish voice) ‘with female vocals’ (laughs). And then it became ‘Celtic metal’ and then with “A Silent Force” they called it “new metal”. And I was thinking: what are we really? Now I think we’re ’symphonic rock’ or ’symphonic metal’, because we are a little bit heavier than rock. So it depends which song you are gonna take, you know. And there is not one label that fits our kind; that fits the whole genre of all the songs that we’ve written so far. So it’s difficult. We go from a very Kate Bush kind of song to a symphonic metal band kind of song. Or very 80s kind of song, because ‘Jane Doe’ for instance is more an 80s song. But somehow they all fit together. If you would bring them out with one production, one way of producing it, they would sound as a complete thing, you know. But because you hear the albums separately there is a different production, different time it was recorded in, and production-wise things change, and that’s the biggest difference I think. If you would record now all these songs on one album they would sound more as one thing; as one, as a whole.

With a variety of styles also comes a variety of wishes from the fans. Every fan seems to expect something different from you: be more heavy, be more melodic, more epic… How do you deal with those expectations? Doesn’t it drive you mad sometimes?

It does, but the only way to go about it is just follow your own instinct and what you like to make. And I think we’ve always made our own course, you know, our own path, what we wanted to do. Actually we don’t take in mind what they want. It’s more like: we have to perform these songs so many times, we need to like our music. So, and we don’t want to put ourselves any boundaries, you know. Like you said, you can’t please everybody. So you better please youself. And that’s the only way. I think that makes you; that makes you strong as a band; I think, if you stand for what you like to do. And then you can have any criticism of anybody, then it’s ok. And we are just a band that needs to have a lot of this, that needs to explore musically and search for its boundaries every time.

Can you tell me something about the direction you’re taking with the new album? Is it gonna be more heavy, more melodic or more epic…?

I’m not sure yet, because we’re not that far… well, we have a lot of demos, but these demos - that’s something that I tell every interviewer because everybody asks and wants to know that, of course. And it’s logical that you want to know because that’s what the fans want to know. But it’s more like: demos change so much sometimes in the end. And you make choices that, for certain songs, won’t be on the album which make the album more heavy or in a certain way. I’m not sure, it depends. I can’t tell you  because I don’t know yet. I wish I could…

within_temptation_-_utopia_artwork

“Utopia” is the single…

It will probably shock a lot of people! No, you know what it is? When you bring out an acoustic album you can’t put a heavy song on the album. It just doesn’t fit the rest of the flow of the album. So we thought: ‘ok! Let’s put an acoustic song then to promote the album and it’s also nice for the fans to have something new.’ And the thing is that I wrote a song with someone, a friend of mine, and when we had written it, it was like: ‘ok, probably we’ll pitch it for this artist or that artist.’ And then we gave it to Robert to listen to, and he said: “That would work perfectly for the acoustic album ’cause it’s an acoustic song!” And ok, it’s very different from what Within Temptation normally does. Normally it wouldn’t fit on the new album for instance. The new album won’t be like that. But it’s a nice side step of what Within Temptation can sound like as well, you know. It’s like, for me it was also another flavour of Within Temptation. But It’s probably the most outside-of-the-box kind of song.

It’s kind of a mean question: but would you say it’s pop or rock?

Well, that’s difficult. I think it’s still… well, it’s not rock, but it’s not pop either. It’s somewhere in-between. It’s just a very melancholy in a way. So pop is hardly ever, well, sometimes it is. I don’t know. It’s somewhere in between, you know. But Within Temptation does also have a little bit of pop influence. They have metal, they have rock, they have symphonic - and also a little bit of pop. It is what it is. And that makes us, you know. I think that also, we have a lot of melody to it that easily is put in the corner of pop, of course.

“Utopia” is a duet with the English singer songwriter Chris Jones who also has been working with trance DJs. What makes him so good that you really wanted to work with him?

I met him because I wrote a song with Armin van Buuren, the no. 1 DJ. And when I wrote the song I got to hear some other songs. And I performed one time live in a venue and I met him. And I heard his song, and I heard his voice. And he has such a nice voice. And he’s a singer/songwriter and, like I’m doing Within Temptation and he’s a also a singer/songwriter - more rock, pop rock kind of thing. And he has such a great voice and he did one thing with Armin van Buuren. And like I also did one thing just because I like dance as well. I like reggae, I like all kinds of things. And I’m not doing this Within Temptation but I’m doing this as Sharon, you know, and this with Armin. And the same for him, you know. He just wanted to do several things, different things, you learn from it, you grow from it. And you like different kinds of music. It’s not that you like only one thing. You like different flavours of music. And I just thought like: ‘ok, we need a song that needs to be a duet, otherwise it is just a duet kind of song.’ And we thought like: ‘ok - let’s ask him! And so here he is.’ And I think he’s good. He’s a really nice guy from Liverpool and totally nice to work with.

But the fans don’t have to worry about you drifting off into a dance direction, do they!?

Well, I don’t say, I won’t say that I will never do it again because it was a very good song, I think. And I will never deny that because I like dance music also. But Within Temptation is my first priority and it always will be. So…

You became a mother for the second time a few months ago. Would you say that this expererience kind of flows into the lyrics or the music you write?

I think it makes you even more emotional. We women are, of course, women in general are more emotional most of the time. But when you become a parent I think you become even more emotional. Yeah. I don’t know, it opens… it takes off a little bit of the hard edge, (laughs) the furnace. Not the furnace, but how do you say, the topping or cover of something. But it didn’t influence my musical writing. Not that I know of actually. No, I can’t say it did.

But how do you bring band life and family life together? You’re not taking the kids with you on the road, do you?

I did! Already, yeah! Yes, I did! And she loved it! (laughs) She really likes it. And, you know, the band is such a big part of our lives and we love to make music. I can’t imagine not doing this anymore. So we have to integrate it in some kind of way to have the best of both worlds.

With Within Temptation you received so many important awards in the last years. How much do they actually mean to you? Do you keep them in the living rooms or do you use them as doorstoppers in your practice rooms?

Aaah, well… No, we have a nice closet, see-through closet from glass, you know, that they’re in there most of the time. But I must say the ones that are the most meaningful for us are the ones that was voted for. Because that still is like: if you don’t get the votes from your fans anymore, then you’re like: ok… is the love gone? (laughs). No, no, no, just joking. But it’s more like: ‘ok, you were probably out of the picture too long, or whatever, then you’re not sure.’ But it’s special when people vote for you because that’s the most difficult one. You can’t influence that. So, that’s the most important ones for us, yes.

Besides the theater tour that is already booked for next year: is there also a “real” tour coming up soon?

No, because we want to bring out first the new album and then we’re gonna start again. Maybe, maybe one or two shows, but It’s not sure yet. It depends on how the album goes, how fast is goes. If there is, then there will be - if it goes fast all of a sudden - then we will have more time. And then you can a show here and there. And that would be lovely because I miss the stage so much. So it’s nice to be back again when we can.

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