Within Temptation - Black Symphony
Performance 
Production
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Within Temptation - Black Symphony
Performance |
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Along with being the perfect title for this DVD, Black Symphony would have also been a great band name for this Dutch, symphonic-goth band, had vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt not settled on the less sinister sounding Within Temptation when they founded the band back in 1996. That is not to say that Within Temptation are going to be opening for Cradle Of Filth any time soon, but if you are into the woman-led, symphonic-rock and metal sounds of bands like Nightwish, The Gathering, and Epica, then you will probably dig this band too. This style of music is not something you are going to find filling my CD case any time soon, but I do occasionally enjoy some of the stuff that these bands put out. Although I had not previously owned any Nightwish albums, I was still able to enjoy their excellent End Of An Era concert DVD, and Within Temptation's Black Symphony falls into the same category. A reader of this website highly recommended Black Symphony to me a few months ago, and low-and-behold I found it for sale at Amazon.com as a CD/DVD combo for around $16. There is also a more expensive Blu-ray edition available from various online sources. Black Symphony was recorded on February 7, 2008, in front of a sold-out crowd of about 10,000 fans at The Ahoy stadium in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, which shows you just how big these guys are in their home country. For this special performance, the band was accompanied by the 60-piece Metropole Orchestra, as well as a 20-person choir. The show also featured guest appearances by Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering), George Oosthoek (ex-Orphanage) and Keith Caputo from the US metal band Life Of Agony, who sang on the band's first single to chart in North America, "What Have You Done," from their 2007 album The Heart of Everything. The beginning of the concert was shot entirely in black and white while the orchestra and choir warmed up the crowd with an ominous "Ouverture." The stage looks incredible, with a giant video screen adorning the back of the stage, flanked by two smaller screens on each side, and displaying a giant portrait of Medusa, or some other she-demon, and various other gothic images. The black and white intro provided for a dramatic effect when the band launched into the opening song, "Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)," and the colorful light show kicked in. Frontwoman Sharon den Adel is not only an excellent singer, but she is quite the fashionista as well, changing outfits every few songs for dramatic affect. Her multitude of dresses range from dark red and black colors, with lots of feathers and frills, to wedding dress white. You would have to be the most discerning Within Temptation fan to not be thrilled by this 22-song set list, as it features songs from all four of their albums, including the metallic "The Other Half (Of Me)", featuring the death-metal-growling of George Oosthoek, from their 1997 debut album Enter. They also play nearly every song from their latest album at the time, The Heart Of Everything, with the only exception being the song "Final Destination." Within Temptation are certainly at the top of their game here, and the orchestra's performance was superb. The band's energy and enthusiasm are amazing, and the adoring crowd is in rapture throughout the whole concert, but there is just not much about this music that really captivates me and demands repeated listens. Sharon den Adel's operatic vocals dominate every song with little variation in style, and you will certainly have to appreciate this style of singing to truly be able to enjoy the concert. Although she is certainly a great singer, her style really began to wear me down after a few songs. The production quality of this DVD is impressive overall, although there were some post production video effects that I did not care for, and the camera angle changes came much too fast and furious. There was an abundance of great camera shots from just about every vantage point in the arena, but the overall direction was much too chaotic for my taste. It would have served the viewers better to slow down a bit and really capture the grandiosity of this event. The video was recorded in Hi Def, but it wasn't the sharpest presentation I have ever seen, and there were a lot of out of focus shots. DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, and PCM stereo audio mixes are provided and they each sound excellent. Mixing a large orchestra, choir, and rock band together in a large concert hall cannot be an easy task, but this DVD lives up to the challenge. I'm not sure how it actually sounded live at the concert, but on this DVD the band could have been mixed a little louder, as they were often drowned out by the orchestra. The following bonus features are also included on the DVD: Within Temptation fans should be thrilled by this impressive concert video. The band went for broke with this Black Symphony concert production, and they most certainly delivered. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - July 2011 |
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Running Time: 126 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - September
2008 |