Ever since the popularity explosion of Evanescence, bands with female vocalists have either sprung forth fully formed as if born in cloning tubes, or already existent bands with female vocalists have begun modifying their sound to attempt to capitalize off of the success of Amy Lee and company. Within Temptation is kind-of sort-of a band who falls into the latter category; originally their catalog was mostly symphonic goth rock featuring heavy drama and orchestrated backdrops, but starting from their fourth album, The Silent Force, Within Temptation has started trending toward a more marketable sound. The Heart of Everything continues that trend, and actually seems to eclipse its competition in a lot of respects by keeping true to its roots even while it’s grasping for mainstream success.
The single best thing about The Heart of Everything is the presentation. One part mainstream nu-metal rocking combined with orchestral elements makes The Heart of Everything feel fresh when compared to its contemporaries, and helps the music to feel similar enough to enjoy it, yet different enough to not be stale. Tracks like “The Howlingâ€, the title track, “Final Destination†and what will most likely be the debut single, “What Have You Done Now?†are well-composed and well-written, and it’s nice to see metaphors in place of the normal similes most musicians seem to use today. One can only take so many “Gee I hate my boy/girlfriend so here’s a song about what a craphead said person was/is†before one feels oneself becoming stupider, and it’s nice to see some people read the occasional book once in a while.
That said, The Heart of Everything is pretty formulaic in its layout, which hurts after more than one listen through. “What Have You Done Now?†is the biggest offender here, as it seems to be laid out point-by-point identically to “Bring Me To Life†to the point that you’d almost think both songs were by the same band. Most of the tracks also feature the same “build a verse track, drop everything but the symphonics/guitar to lead into the chorus, then bring everything back when the chorus hits†structure that gets old after the sixth song that does it. Does it sound good? Absolutely. But it’s still repetitive.
All told, The Heart of Everything is a great record for those who aren’t quite tired of the “female nu-rock†trend just yet, and it manages to do some things that make it unique in its own right. It’s not going to reinvent the genre, and the structure is a bit formulaic in a lot of respects, but if you were let down by Karmacode and The Open Door you’ll most likely get your fix with The Heart of Everything.
Website: Within Temptation
