:: Within Temptation - Black Symphony

Within Temptation

Over the last ten years it’s become quite commonplace for bands to play alongside an orchestra, and release the collaboration as a one-off special event on DVD. And while there have been some truly incredible examples of the two parties performing together, there’s also been some that were perhaps best left as an idea that should never have been acted upon. But in the case of Netherlands based symphonic rock outfit Within Temptation and their performance alongside the sixty piece Metropole Orchestra and the twenty piece Pa’dam Choir, the combined effort is nothing short of pure perfection. Recorded in front of a sold out audience of ten thousand fans at The Ahoy in Rotterdam, in February 2008, and filmed with fourteen high definition cameras, ‘Black Symphony’ captures Within Temptation at their best, both in the visual and audio sense.

The opening orchestral/operatic tune ‘Ouverture’ (written specifically for the show) starts the show of in a dramatic manner, with the anticipation for the main event heightened by the stunning visuals on the projector screens and the use of lighting which only adds to the overall epic feel of the show that’s about to take place.
From the moment the band takes their places for ‘Jillian (I’d Give My Heart)’, Within Temptation, the orchestra and the choir absolutely amaze throughout the remaining two hour long set with a set list full of fan favourites (a massive twenty-one song set), and visuals (costume changes, pyrotechnics, lighting, visuals on the projection screens and dancers) that ensures that there’s never a lull throughout proceedings. While there’s no denying that it’s Within Temptation’s performance, the band aren’t afraid to share some of the limelight with friends, with Life Of Agony vocalist Keith Caputo helping out on ‘What Have You Done’, ex-The Gathering/Agua De Annique vocalist Anneke Van Giersbergen on ‘Somewhere’ and ex-Orphanage growler George Oosthoek on ‘The Other Half (Of Me)’ helping out throughout the show.

Overall, ‘Black Symphony’ shows Within Temptation at their best (Especially Sharon Den Adel’s incredible vocals), and as close to perfection as you can get in terms of a live concert. Bonus content wise, ‘Black Symphony’ really does give fans value for money, providing you’re counting quantity over quality that is. On the first disc, there’s the fourteen minute ‘Backstage Report’ (Featuring interviews with the band, conductor Jules Buckley, members of the orchestra, Keith Caputo and various fans outside The Ahoy), the seven minute ‘Countdown Black Symphony’ (A brief rundown of the preparations on the day of the concert for the band, the symphony and the crew) and the twenty-four minute ‘Documentary’ (A new band documentary detailing their history and the ‘Black Symphony’ event). While the documentary feature is quite interesting (even if it’s in Dutch), the former two specials are merely filler pieces.

On the second disc, the main feature is another live concert from the band, this time recorded at The Beursgebouw (Eindhoven, The Netherlands) from November 2007. Running for just over an hour, the set (featuring eleven songs) shows that even without the orchestra and choir, Within Temptation can still put on quite a show. Also included are the four promotional video clips from their 2007 release ‘The Heart Of Everything’ (‘What Have You Done’, ‘Frozen’, ‘The Howling’ and ‘All I Need’), an eleven minute ‘The Making Of…’ feature for three of the said videos, and a fifty eight minute ‘World Tour Impressions’ film documenting the band’s world tour that saw them visit some thirty five countries in support of ‘The Heart Of Everything’. There’s also the band’s two song performance on Belgium’s ‘TMF Awards Benelux’ (‘What Have You Done’ and ‘All I Need’, which runs for thirteen minutes), the band’s short four minute appearance on ‘The Dutch Pop Award Show’, the three and a half minute feature ‘Photoshoot Erwin Olaf’ (who shot the photos for ‘The Heart Of Everything’) and the nine and a half minute mini-movie ‘Orchestra Recordings’ about the recording of the orchestral parts for ‘The Heart Of Everything’. Again, while the extras are O.K., they’re hardly essential when compared to the actual live performances themselves. Overall, Within Temptation have produced a stunning live show for ‘Black Symphony’, and wrapped it up with a host of extras that is sure to please the legion of diehard fans that the band have amassed in what has been a hugely successful eighteen months since the release of ‘The Heart Of Everything’.