Within Temptation - Musical Style

Musical Style

The band's first album, Enter was released in 1997, in which music critics defined the band as two heavy metal subgenres, gothic metal and doom metal classifying the release as "gloomy, doomy, slow moving, atmospheric, symphonic gothic metal." and compared it with Tristania and Theatre of Tragedy, two other bands in the genre. Guitar riffs and keyboarding were also praised as the contrasting voices of the two lead vocals at the moment, Sharon den Adel and Robert Westerholt. The next record of the band, an EP entitled The Dance, released in 1998, was called an "important in the development of the band" in which presented "the band's musical growth as they explore the parameters of orchestral, neo-classical metal."

With the release of the second album, Mother Earth, their musical style came to a point of inflexion, where only den Adel keeps as the lead vocals leading the band to more melodic and Celtic songs and more folk influences. Criticism approved the changes in the musical direction and stated that the album "reveals new dimensions in the concept of metal."

Having Daniel Gibson as its main producer, the album The Silent Force was classified as "very melodic, catchy and relaxing" although some critics lamented the band's decision to drive in a more commercial route, comparing the band no more with old gothic metal fellows Tristania and Theatre of Tragedy and now with American rock band Evanescence and criticizing the new electronic elements.

With the released of The Heart of Everything, in 2007, the specialized critics was found divided by the band's new route. Some stated that the album was shallow and only-commercial driven, "perfectly build for MTV". Others appreciated the new direction and found it more variated. About.com agreed with both opinions, stating that "they have the optimum balance of the melody and hooks of mainstream rock, the depth and complexity of classical music and the dark edge of gothic metal." allMusic commented that the band "isn't afraid to get downright symphonic".

In 2011, the band released their fifth studio album, The Unforgiving, the biggest change in their musical direction. Although being mostly well received by critics, some reviewers disliked the changes, with Q magazine calling the album "The metal T'Pau". Besides that, some critics found the "1980s pop, rock and metal" influences a good thing to the band.