Sharon den Adel Confirms Within Temptation’s Next Album Is Taking Shape: “We Have a Clear Vision”
From political themes to sonic reinvention, the band is crafting an album that challenges expectations.
- Within Temptation is already working on new music, despite initially planning to take their time. They started with a slow and careful approach but quickly shifted gears after ideas started flowing.
- The band refuses to repeat themselves, promising a fresh sound that blends old and new elements. Expect more experimentation rather than a predictable sequel to Bleed Out.
- Sharon den Adel is unapologetic about tackling political themes in their music. From the war in Ukraine to women’s rights in Iran, they aren’t afraid to address real-world issues.
So Within Temptation has a plan. Well, sort of. Sharon den Adel insists they “really have an idea what we wanna do next,” which sounds promising—until you realize that the band started with the intention of taking their sweet time, only to immediately flip-flop.
In an interview with the Everblack podcast, the band’s frontwoman explained the rollercoaster process:
“We, we are trying to make… That’s also so funny because I was talking to Robert [Westerholt, guitarist and Sharon’s husband]. He’s, like, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna take our time this time — maybe two years, maybe a little bit longer — just to make the perfect album.’ And then we started writing. ‘Oh my God, it’s going really well. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe we should release it very soon.’ It’s, like, I’m going from left to right.”
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Translation? They had a grand vision of crafting an album with patience and care—until inspiration struck and they threw that whole “let’s take our time” thing out the window.
The Eternal Reinvention of Within Temptation
Den Adel also discussed the band’s insistence on never making the same album twice. (A noble goal, but let’s be real—every band says this.) She emphasized their desire to evolve:
“The fire hasn’t died, so, yes, we do try to continue and develop. But I think that’s what’s always been inspirational to us — not to do the same thing over and over and make that even better, but it’s more, like, to finalize that or something, but more like trying new things.”
Yes, yes—constant reinvention, artistic evolution, pushing boundaries. The usual. But in all seriousness, Within Temptation does seem committed to mixing things up, having gone from symphonic metal to electronic-infused rock to socially charged anthems. Their last album, “Bleed Out,” was a sharp turn into politically charged waters, tackling everything from the war in Ukraine to Iran’s morality police.
This is a band that takes global issues and converts them into symphonic-metal think pieces, like troubadours of old—except with shredding guitars and dramatic orchestrations instead of lutes. As den Adel puts it:
“Back in the day when there were castles, hundreds of years ago, when the musicians were traveling from country to country, what they did is bring the news from one country to another country.”
A bold comparison, but hey, it’s a fun mental image: a bard in medieval Europe singing power metal ballads about world crises.
A Risky Move in a Divided World
Addressing the whole “politics in music” debate, den Adel was refreshingly unfazed. She made it clear that Within Temptation isn’t here to preach, but rather to keep conversations alive:
“We can all be a voice and we can all contribute to the debate on what kind of world do you wanna live in and what do you accept from each other and what don’t we accept from each other. There should be a certain pressure from other countries trying to help certain people in need.”
That’s a delicate balancing act—expressing opinions without coming off as preachy. And, as expected, some people probably won’t like it. But den Adel seems ready for that:
“I’m not afraid of feeling attacked because of the fact that we take a certain point of view.”
Translation: If you don’t like it, too bad.
So… When’s the New Music Coming?
Back to the big question: When are we actually going to hear this “we totally have an idea” new music? Well, considering their initial plan to take it slow has already crumbled, probably sooner than later.
Within Temptation is in full creative overdrive, cranking out new songs faster than they probably intended. Will their next album be another sharp political statement or a grand return to fantasy-laced epics? Hard to say—this band keeps swerving just when you think you’ve got them figured out. One thing’s for sure: predictability is not on the setlist.
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