WITHIN TEMPTATION: ENTER (100TH BLOG POST!)

SCORE: 98/100

THIS IS MY 100TH POST TO THIS BLOG!

The vocal stun of Evanescence mixed with the harmonious gothic metal sounds prevalent in the late 90s-2000s, 'Enter' is a goth essential that you simply can not miss out on. It smears the line between heavy and gorgeous - making a project that manages to be both; every step of the way.

I went into this album entirely blind - a random find in the gothic metal section of the site that had my attention due to the striking, bright cover art. When an album cover is this recognizable it adds an instantaneous sense of allure onto an album, and I was pleasantly surprised by Within Temptation being fronted by a female vocalist; the vocal performances are strikingly melodic and harmonized, with stunning arrangements and a sense of gothic bliss washing over the album - this is a debut that makes a name for Within Temptation.

Sharon den Adel and Robert Westerholt add depth to this album vocally that you won't find anywhere else. Westerholt's deep metallic growls paired with Adel's blissful, ethereal croons and harmonies make for an incredible layer of vocals - the performances wrapping you up like a warm blanket without letting you freeze in the dark atmosphere created by the instrumentals.

It's equal parts heavy and blissful, with a lean to more melodic and stunning soundscapes that blend the line between opera-esque singing and heavy metal; coming together into one gothic wonderland of an album that any fans of goth subgenres are sure to enjoy wholeheartedly. It's a hidden gem that feels like a diamond brighter than the rest, with the album instantly being captivating and the overall soundscapes presented giving off a sense of allure you won't get from any other album.

The pacing of the album is very well done - the mixing and matching of different songs make the somewhat long track runs worthwhile to a very high degree, and the overall structure of the album makes it feel that much more lively. It's incredibly fresh even decades later down the line - and Within Temptation is a goth band that more people need to know about.

'Enter' manages to be an album that is so gorgeous, almost too gorgeous to put into words. It's a near-impossible album to describe while doing it justice; meaning it's a project that you simply have to hear to understand. It's a fully fleshed out body of work that shows an incredible direction coming for the band, making them known with just their debut; a debut that almost feels too striking to be their first LP.

I wasn't expecting to be so floored by this album - it's one of few albums to hook me in so much that it makes me near-emotional, from the stunning compositions to the layering of vocals, instrumentals, and sheer appeal - this is an album that I would recommend to everybody if I could.

Despite being a bit lengthy, 'Enter' is an album that carries out its ideas in a way that is so striking you won't want to put the album down. It's a showstoppingly gorgeous piece from its very beginning, and it's an album that I'm more than happy that I found. There is an incredible mix of heavy songs alongside the slower, more enchanting songs that focus on melody over riffs - but when the heavy beats kick in, they make the album that much more exciting.

A mix between doom metal and gothic harmonies, 'Enter' is an album that gives everything and more, acting as one of the most stunning pieces of gothic rock I have heard thus far.

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