Search - Within Temptation :: Mother Earth

Copy protected

Ejrekai | Pflugerville, TX | 05/02/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In the corner of the binding of the cd on the front left bottom corner, you will see a very tiny label listing "copy control." It won't play on my computer unless I install the stupid player that's included on the cd. iTunes freezes when I tried to play it at first. I wouldn't have bought this cd if I knew it was copy-protected. I'm currently looking for a work around to get this on my iPod. I didn't even think about BMG being Sony, so now I have to search my computer for spyware. It's funny how the people who actually pay overinflated prices especially for imports are the ones who end up getting punished. I purposely buy products to support the artists, but I don't want to pay for Sony to compromise the security of my computer."

A masterpiece

L. Zimmerman | Nebraska | 08/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I read the reviews and finally caved in to the pressure that was bellowing inside of my and finally bought this cd, god i wish i wouldn't have waited so damn long, this cd is amazing, everything, from the singer's voice to the production, i have some other music along these lines, like After Forever, and my previous fav Epica "the phantom agony", but this cd has pushed those aside, it blew away the after forever cd i have and squeeked by the epica cd barely but, hell i'm not ever finished listening to this cd i'm on track 5 and i was compelled to write this review, thats how good the cd is, like another reviewer said before me. BELIEVE THE HYPE, this cd is worth every penny. look foward to there next cd whenever it may come out."

Prog goth finds its first classic album

Arthur Digbee | Indianapolis, IN, USA | 08/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The album begins with a little dance in 3/4 time to start the title track, using the synthesizer to suggest Celtic flutes and horns. After four lines, the dance repeats, adding a chorus who lays down some chords in the background. Then the instrumentation goes electric, playing the same theme twice but with a hard rock feel-and a drum/bass riff added at the ends of lines 1 and 3. A series of dissonant chords on off beats set off the melody. After four chords as transition, the second instrumental verse repeats. The entire introduction conveys the sense of a Creation and evolution, with harmony, dissonance, and the entry of man's machines in the story. The music evolves nicely, introducing variations in both melody and instrumentation.



After this, Sharon den Adel's soprano enters over the electric instruments, retaining the rhythm of the dance but changing the melody. Drum and bass pick up some of the themes from the introduction, playing variations on the drum/bass riff among other bits. After this verse, den Adel moves to the chorus, sung impossibly high, with an effect that it as striking as the Queen of the Night in the "Magic Flute" (but not quite that high). The verse and chorus repeat, with some changes in instrumentation and drum parts, after which the male chorus sings a slow bridge. Though still in 3/4 time, the use of dotted half notes conveys the sense of a switch to common time, suggesting monks singing chant. When this passage repeats, single and then double drum strikes warn of the coming return of metal passages, and remind us of the underlying 3/4 time. Finally, the "monks" summon den Adel back in a call-and-response that return us to the main theme on metal. This summoning of forces takes us back to the main themes, which are further developed and the remaining tensions resolved. Then the piece is brought to a close with a bang, using reptitions of the original drum/bass riff.



In short: these are serious musicians at the top of their game.



The rest of the album never quite reaches the compositional skill of the title track, but it's still an astounding album. The second track, "Ice Queen," became a hit in Benelux, and once again plays den Adel's vocals against a metal instrumentation. It starts hard and switches into acoustic passages, much like classic Jethro Tull. (As a curious aside, native English speakers may be confused by the non-idiomatic title at first, since an ice queen is a particular kind of woman, and we probably would have called the lead character something like "Frost Queen" instead --- as if I could write lyrics in Dutch.)



"Our Farewell" is one of three ballads. The most impressive ballad, to my mind, is "The Promise," which tells a revenge story of two linked promises. It suggests late medieval Europe both lyrically and musically. Like most of the songs on the album, it either tells a story of Mother Earth or of some characters passing along her way.



"Dark Wings" follows classic rock structures most closely, and will satisfy those who want their goth (or metal) to rock hard. A few songs are overly repetitive both musically and lyrically, such as "Caged" and especially "In Perfect Harmony," but every classic album has a song for complaining about.



Will you like this album? If you're a genre-crosser, you'll love it from the first. It does have some features that might put some people a bit off. Almost everything is in a minor key, as one expects of a goth album. I think that a richer mix of minor and major keys probably would have made the album flow better between songs at times. The album as a whole uses a lot of 3/4 (and 6/8 and 12/8) time, and this might annoy some listeners who expect their rock in common or half time. It certainly doesn't lend itself to rock dancing, unless you like waltzing at a rock concert, but it sounds great for listening at home. Many of the songs lay down a fast drum and bass guitar part in 12/8 (or whatever), while den Adel sings a more ballad-like part in the high ranges. The effect is reminiscent of Heart - a band with hard rock roots that goes heavy on ballads. If you want your rock to rock out, the album will sometimes feel too slow. However, the dramatic tension of metal and soprano almost demands this structure.



But, as you can probably tell from my first two paragraphs, "Mother Earth" isn't for rocking out. It's progressive rock at its finest, joining those mostly European, mostly Goth bands that combine metal instrumentation with a soprano singer. In "Mother Earth," Within Temptation drops death grunts and growls entirely, playing den Adel's voice solely against the instruments instead of having her duel the growls. It works. Den Adel has a lovely voice, the finest in progressive rock since Annie Haslam of Renaissance.



My only objection is that it's hard to get my daughter to give me the CD back."