Steven Orzech - 7/1/2012

I STUMBLED UPON WITHIN TEMPTATION PURELY BY CHANCE A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, WHEN ANOTHER WEBSITE WAS GIVING AWAY A FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD OF DELAIN'S COVER VERSION OF "SMALLTOWN BOY".
NOT HAVING COME ACROSS DELAIN BEFORE, I CHECKED OUT SOME OF THEIR REVIEWS & A NUMBER OF THEM MADE SOME INTRIGUING COMPARISONS WITH WITHIN TEMPTATION WHICH PROMPTED ME TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE VIDEO FOR "FASTER".
I WAS INSTANTLY BLOWN AWAY.
LEAD BY GUITARIST ROBERT WESTERHOLT AND VOCALIST SHARON DEN ADEL, THEIR MUSIC HAS BEEN VARIOUSLY DESCRIBED AS "POP METAL" "SYMPHONIC GOTH" AND "ORCHESTRAL METAL".
VIRTUALLY EVERY SONG ON THIS ALBUM IS BRILLIANT, ALERNATING BETWEEN HEAVY, IN YOUR FACE GUITARS AND DRUMS AND GENTLER BALLADS, BUT WHAT MAKES THIS BAND STAND OUT FROM ALL THE OTHERS IN THIS GENRE IS THE STUNNING VOCAL RANGE OF SHARON DEN ADEL.
WATCHING HER PERFORM IN THEIR VIDEOS IS A SHEER JOY AND THE FACT THAT SHE ALSO HAPPENS TO BE DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS IS ICING ON THE CAKE.
SHARON, IF YOU EVER DECIDE TO LEAVE ROBERT FOR SOMEONE MORE MATURE, I'LL BE WAITING! THE ONLY SNAG IS THAT YOU MAY FIND ME JUST A LITTLE TOO MATURE - I'M 60 YEARS OLD!