I was first introduced to the music of Within Temptation by surfing on YouTube, a video sharing website, and I stumbled across the band. I have to say, the type of music that this band produces is my favorite for the genre. I love epic sounding music. I like music with an instrumental edge that still retains the awesome element of rock. Within Temptation does that for me. I love playing it in the car and listening to it as I drive. It really puts me in touch with something deeper than most popular music does.
So I’ve picked ten favorite songs of theirs and am going to explain why I’ve deemed these songs as exceptional favorites.
1. Mother Earth
This was not the first Within Temptation song that I heard but it is absolutely my favorite. First of all the music video to accompany the song is absolutely gorgeous. I love all the themes of nature and the feeling of majesty captured in the vocals and instruments. This song is epic. I cannot express how much I love the way it is composed.
2. Overcome
Overcome is my second favorite song by Within Temptation but is was a hard call because it is almost as epic sounding as Mother Earth. The vocals are haunting and beautiful. There is a beautiful movement throughout the song and it is one I have used to make a video with. It is one of the most moving heroic sounding songs I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. Every time I hear it, the song practically moves me to tears.
3. Angels
This is the song that started my whole obsession with Within Temptation. The first time I heard it I knew there was something unique about this band, something that I liked, something that clicked with me. The vocals in this song are so hauntingly beautiful and it was the singer’s voice that captured my ears the most. The whole transition from vocal to rock instrumentals really transforms the song and gives it an appealing impact on its audience which is why I like it a lot. The nostalgic feeling it gives me for Within Temptation really makes it my third favorite choice.
4. Intro
This song does not have vocals in it per say. It is the first track on the CD Silent Force. It is just a very creepy beautiful song to me. It feels like it belongs in a movie soundtrack. The piano is very dark and mysterious sounding. The faint background talking is very eerie and disturbing as well.
5. The Swan Song
The aspect of this song that I love the most is the slow piano and the haunting vocals. Part of the reason Within Temptation really appeals to me musically is because songs like this are so sad sounding but in a grand way. The emotion this song can draw out of my heart is amazing and I’ve yet to see another band achieve that with their music to this date. The song is beautifully sad and is quite emotional which is why I put it in my top ten songs.
6. Deceiver of Fools
This was another song that appeals to me lyrically. The vocals are slower in this song than what I usually like, at least in the beginning. But the melody is slow and haunting in its own way. Towards the middle the song picks up and becomes more epic sounding. This is what I really enjoy in my music. An epic driving movement in both vocals and instruments. Deceiver of Fools does this well.
7. Aquarius
This song makes my top ten list because I have happy memories of driving with my girlfriend in the car and listening to this song. We usually drive around in the summer in her car listening to music and last year Within Temptation was a big favorite of ours to play while driving. This song is nostalgic for that reason, as are most in my list.
8. It’s The Fear
This song is a newer favorite of mine. Originally I would listen to my absolute favorites on loop for hours before branching off into sampling other songs on the CD. This one really captured me with the beautiful vocals, again, and the instrumental movement that I prefer in my music. In music, I appreciate epic sounding but also beautiful haunting vocals. It’s The Fear delivers that.
9. The Howling
The Howling follows a similar pattern in the songs by Within Temptation that I like, starting off sweet and gentle and then progressing into a rock transition. I love this song for the epic sounding action music. My favorite type of music falls under this category. The Howling is more action oriented than emotional but it is still beautiful and stirs my heart up.
10. Dark Wings
I liked Dark Wings for its stirring epic sound. It’s actually the lyrics that really appeal to me. The vocals, in my opinion, are not as good as my other top favorites but the instrumental side of the song is very cool sounding. The lyrics easily capture my imagination.
