Two years have passed and on this wintery evening it was time to welcome back to the Midlands, the Dutch Symphonic Masters Within Temptation. With the temperature plummeting outside the arena there was no such fear of this being replicated inside the complex as the anticipation steadily evolved and swelled with a healthy crowd already in attendance for the Germanic support act Annisokay who were bringing their punchy and addictive post hardcore to the Nottingham arena.
With the lights dimmed we were torn apart with the ferocious riffs and battering percussive backbone of Annisokay, the twin vocals from Schwarzer and Wieczorek gelled together like two grains of sand and the thicker strings from Leukhardt only went to add the brawn to the proceedings. A heavy and obliterating ‘Into The Abyss’ saw the stage infiltrated with energy and gusto while ‘Throne Of The Sunset’ really allowed Wieczorek the opportunity to present his cleaner vocals. ‘Like A Parasite’ saw Sharon Den Adel gatecrash the party and add her angelic and majestic vocals to the track while the cover of ‘One Step Closer’ was powerful and impressive and a true catalyst to the party which had just erupted in the Arena. ‘Calamity’ attracted an impressive roar from the crowd on its introduction and the set closer ‘STFU’ ignited a sing along with could have been worthy of headliner status, it was loud and passionate and a gift which will have undoubtedly left Nottingham emblazoned on the memories of each and every one of the Annisokay band and crew alike.
A brief turn around and the stage was set. The lights dimmed once again and the stage sparked into life with all corners of the stage being occupied by the strings, keys and skins in a display of passive territorial chess. Within Temptation were in the house and the matriarch Sharon Den Adel emerged sporting a haloed mask and she wasted no time in unleashing her vocals on us with passion and power, unbridling ‘We Go To War’ with pinpoint precision which only led to a quintuplet of tracks from ‘Bleed Out’ which savagely hunted us down. The set continued to attack us and not allow for any respite in order to take stock and catch our breath, no sooner than the ‘Bleed Out’ package had faded out than we were being transported into the back catalogue and continuing our journey with fresher anthems and true legends from the Within Temptation discography. The dual attack of ‘Shot In The Dark’ and ‘Stand My Ground’ was absolutely phenomenal, each one bringing its character to the cavernous structure and the baying worshippers tonight. The drum work from Coolen was a constant presence throughout, a barbaric and mesmeric lesson in how to manipulate and tame a kit with precision and detonating power, while Helleblad and Jolie intertwined with their delicate strings and beautiful dexterity to conjure up hypnotic and compulsive riffs and solos which gripped your vision and didn’t let go until you ripped your retinas in the opposing direction.
Alex Yarmak then joined Den Adel on the vocal duties for a rendition of the song which they had previously collaborated on, ‘A Fools Parade’, before Tarja Turunen then emerged to take over the mic and join Den Adel et al on an absolutely absorbing and magnetic ‘The Promise’, a beautiful and emotive exhibition of angelic and pure vocals which was closely followed by a cover of the Tarja psalm ‘I Feel Immortal’, a stunning and scenic illustration of how two voices can merge to become one in a glorious meeting of harmonies.
‘Supernova’ and ‘Faster’ then closed the main body of the set before Churchill took control of the airwaves and Van Veen et al forged a masterful and commanding ‘Our Solemn Hour’ which led effortlessly into an absolutely stunning and emotion provoking ‘All I Need’. Tarja then joined us again for an anthemic and absolutely gargantuan ‘Paradise (What About Us)’. A simply perfect trio to send us on our way with, one would have thought, but then we were attacked with the anthem that is Mother Earth.
As I made my way towards the exit of the arena, I couldn’t help but feel that there had been an obvious omission from the set tonight. One of my favourites, the song which had triggered my entry into the Within Temptation world and my subsequent 20-year adoration of the Dutch Symphonic Royalty, the colossal ‘Ice Queen’ was missing in action tonight. That was until I was greeted with the snowstorm which had erupted while we were indoors, it was a blizzard of epic proportions and I simply thought, with a wry smile, they hadn’t left it out of the set, they had simply left it outside as a final sign off. Within Temptation, thankyou so much, who knows I might even see you in a small field next June.
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