1. grammarye

   10

   Superb album. Music perhaps more fitting for soundtracks & story telling than straight-up listening, The Unforgiving nevertheless pushes all the right buttons. With upbeat themes mixed in with darker moments, I found that almost all the songs left me wanting to hit the replay button. It's about time someone did music like this; orchestral symphony meets rock - best played loud & unapologetically. Absolutely wonderful stuff.… Expand

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2. IceQueen

   10

   Evolve or die out. Within Temptation's latest offering did just that - evolved their sound. The Unforgiving is a 'concept' CD. The band wanted to give a whole multimedia experience to their fans, that included the CD, videos, short films and a comic book series to tell a complete story. Guitarist Robert Westerholt and singer Sharon den Adel have both stated in interviews that they felt their last CD 'The Heart of Everything' accomplished the sound they had been developing for many years and it was time to move forward in their growth. The Unforgiving is more guitar oriented but it still has the orchestrated undertones that WT is famous for (Just listen to "Murder" and you will hear it clearly). It offers more in the way of Ruud Jolie's under-rated guitar work. And of course, Sharon's voice is still amazing as ever. The songs are solid and range from the rockin "Faster" "Middle of the Night" to the danceable "Sinead" to the heart felt "Lost" . If you are unsure of the change of your favourite band's latest, give it a few listens and you will find yourself singing along and enjoying them as much as you ever did. Remember: evolve or die and I'd rather WT evolved then died off. They are way to good to just fade away. They are currently on a world wide Tour! Catch them live if you can, you will not be disappointed.… Expand

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3. ShaneGreyFox

   7

   I've listened to Within Temptation for a couple of years now and I've come to believe that they have a total of about 10 distinct and original songs that stand out from the rest of their tracks. Most of their music tends to sound repetitive at times but that does not mean they do not have talent. I respect WT as a band and have to say that they are probably one of the best examples of the symphonic goth style bands. The Unforgiving is basically a dip into the 80's, where the band sounds a little less themselves and more pulsing and electronic. The best song by far on The Unforgiving is "A Shot in the Dark"; buy that song on itunes and you'll have the best The Unforgiving has to offer. The best album release by WT to date is probably The Heart of Everything; if you want to actually buy a full album then go for that one. I highly recommend the band, but not so much The Unforgiving, it's probably one of WT's weaker albums. Here are Within Temptation's top songs in my opinion (try listening to a few):
   1 The Howling
   2 Angels
   3 What Have You Done
   4 Our Solemn Hour
   5 Ice Queen
   6 Shot In the Dark
   7 Mother Earth
   8 The Heart of Everything
   9 Frozen
   10 Memories… Expand

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4. ThommyH

   2

   The album is perfectly crafted, and the songwriting is great. But, don't shoot me, the songs are so bland and dull. Sharon spends the whole album screaming her vocals and it sounds genuinely hollow and empty. In The Middle Of The Night is exciting at first but Sharon sounds the same the whole way through the album which is a shame, because I'm a huge fan of Within Temptation and her incredible voice. I just think they could've done so much better with the album, it was disappointing. I hope they reclaim some musical ground for their next album. This one is a creative masterpiece, I'm sure. But when it comes to actually listening to the music and the vocals, it falls flat. However, the Deluxe Edition track, Empty Eyes, is a standout track which, I think, has more life than most of the album.… Expand

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