Within Temptation: Resist

More than two decades together and now with seven albums behind them, Within Temptation have become something of a fixture on the melodic, symphonic metal scene. Seldom staying the same from one release to the next, it was 2011’s The Unforgiving release - which in many ways relied on an expertly executed 80s edge to get its message across - that truly took the band over the top and into the big time. With hindsight, Hydra, the 2014 follow-up was the sound of a band not quite knowing what to do with that new found success and the pressure it brought to deliver more of, well, the same. In the end that was exactly what Within Temptation did, merely tacking on some growls and raps to force some sort of growth into a solid set of songs that were happy just being what they were.

Heading into Resist singer Sharon Den Adel has openly spoken of how this delayed release was make or break for the band, the real possibility being that if something hadn’t changed prior to its recording, that they might have ceased to be. In the meantime Adel recorded and released her much more mainstream pop sounding My Indigo, an interesting album that seemed to signal the singer had worked that side of things out of her system. However, with words such as dark pop, urban and modern being used by the singer in reference to this set of songs, maybe that was a premature presumption? Oddly, while the frontwoman has clearly intended for Resist to yet again push the Within Temptation envelope, the end results feel more like a step backwards into territory that many others are now happy to occupy. With Adel’s clear, impressive voice at the helm, Resist could be no other outfit than the one revealed here and yet the ponderous “Endless War� sounds like countless bands that used to follow in the WT wake. While the modern, clicking percussion on “The Reckoning� and its annoying warbled fanfare motif, is a rather unimpressive manner in which to open this album’s account.

Again, Den Adel herself proves peerless, but with tracks like the low slung pop of “Firelight�, there’s little opportunity for her to truly take this album by the scruff of the neck and pull it away from the middle of the road. “Mad World� on the other hand feels like an aberration, and with a similar feel to the pumping, thumping melodic rock of The Unforgiving and a more impassioned vocal, it stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Resist isn’t bad - Within Temptation are too long in the tooth for that. It is however, decidedly under whelming and, rather worryingly, it really struggles to stand out from the crowd - a trick this band have pulled off again and again. With Hydra not really standing the test of time as well as you’d hope, and now Resist struggling to really know what it is, I’d suggest that if the band were at a crossroads before they reached this point, then Within Temptation should stick things in reverse and look for an alternative route. This isn’t a terminal situation, but with the one true standout moment merely proving how ordinary the rest of this album is, there’s no denying we should be concerned.

Track Listing
1. The Reckoning 
2. Endless War 
3. Raise Your Banner 
4. Supernova 
5. Holy Ground 
6. In Vain 
7. Firelight 
8. Mad World 
9. Mercy Mirror
10. Trophy Hunter

Added: February 24th 2019
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Within Temptation - Resist online
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Language: english

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