The Silent Force
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| The Silent Force | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
Studio album by Within Temptation | ||||
| Released | 11 November 2004 29 August 2005 (UK) | |||
| Recorded | 10 May–29 August 2004 | |||
| Studio | Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum Sound Park Studios, Schiedam, Netherlands ICP Studios, Brussels, Belgium Studio #5 and Documentary Studio, Moscow, Russia | |||
| Genre | Symphonic metal[1][2] | |||
| Length | 46:34 | |||
| Label | GUN (Europe) Roadrunner (rest of the world) | |||
| Producer | Daniel Gibson, Stefan Helleblad | |||
Within Temptation chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Silent Force | ||||
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The Silent Force is the third studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation, released on 15 November 2004, by GUN Records. This album is the first to feature Ruud Jolie on lead guitar, as well as Martijn Spierenburg on keyboards, after Martijn Westerholt had to leave the band due to illness.
It was released as three versions: a basic version with jewel case and no booklet; a standard version with jewel case and an eight-page booklet; and a premium version as a digipak with luxury artwork, enhanced CD-ROM content and two bonus tracks (see below).
Only one week after its release, the album reached Gold status in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Finland.
On 5 August 2008, The Silent Force along with Mother Earth were released in the United States on Roadrunner Records.
Contents
1 Production and recording
2 Release
3 Reception
4 Legacy
5 Track listing
5.1 Bonus tracks
5.2 Limited Edition versions videos
6 Personnel
6.1 Band members
6.2 Additional musicians
6.3 Production
7 Charts
7.1 Weekly charts
7.2 Year-end charts
8 Certifications and sales
9 References
Production and recording
Plans for the band's third album came to fruition in 2004, with the release of The Silent Force on 15 November 2004, across Europe. It was produced by Daniel Gibson. In an interview on Buzznet, lead singer Sharon den Adel discussed the title of the album:
"The title of our latest album 'The Silent Force' is actually taken from the title of a book from the beginning of the 19th century from a Dutch writer (who lived in Indonesia when he was young) called Louis Couperus. All the songs on this album are in some way related to that book (or at least the title)."[3]
Release
The band was present at several big European festivals.
In support of the release they embarked on another large international tour in 2005, with dates across Europe (including their first festival appearance in the United Kingdom headlining Bloodstock Open Air) and a one-off show in Dubai. "Stand My Ground" and "Memories", the first singles from the new album, continued the band's run of chart success in the Netherlands, culminating in a second Edison Award. The third single was "Angels". "Stand My Ground" was later to be promoted on the trailer for the film Blood and Chocolate. The band also provided some of the sound track to the videogame Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade, released in March 2005.[4] As of 2005, the album had already sold more than 400.000 copies only in Europe.[5]
In January 2006, Within Temptation won the Dutch Pop Prize (best Dutch pop contribution) and Dutch Export Prize (best-selling Dutch artist outside the Netherlands); the latter one given to them for the third time in a row. The band also reported that they would start playing at festivals starting in April, in addition to going on an international tour at the end of the year.[6] On 5 August 2008, The Silent Force was released in the US for the first time through Roadrunner Records.[7]
The following music videos were released to promote the album and the tour:
- "Stand My Ground"
- "Angels"
- "Memories"
- "Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)" (promo video for the DVD The Silent Force Tour)
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Blabbermouth.net | 9/10[9] |
| Drowned in Sound |  [10] |
| laut.de | [11] |
| Metal Hammer (GER) | 6/7[12] |
| Metal Storm | 7.5/10[13] |
| Rock Hard | 7/10[14] |
Lead vocalist Sharon den Adel during a concert of The Silent Force Tour.
The album earned positive reviews from critics and mixed reviews from fans. Critic Martin White from Blabbermouth.net gave the album a score of 9 out of 10 stars, stating that "amazingly enough, the thick instrumentation and Sharon's angelic delivery are never at odds with each other — a rare feat when it comes to music as complex and involved as Within Temptation's is." Although, the listeners rating from Blabbermouth earned a score of merely 6.5 stars out of 10.[9]
The webzine Lords of Metal was very positive and gave the album 94 out of 100, stating that the album is "one of the most outstanding cd’s of the year". The website also compared the album with the two previous albums Mother Earth and Enter alleging that "it lacks the variety of Enter or the finesse of Mother Earth – but it remains one of the best albums recorded on Dutch soil in the last ten years."[15]
A review coming from Metal Storm webzine was less positive, saying that it's just "a good album" and stating that the band "lost their magic in their new songs" in comparison with what the band did in their previous albums.[13]
Legacy
As of the tenth anniversary of the album release, The Silent Force received a homage article by TeamRock's Metal Hammer magazine regarding its influence both on Within Temptation's career, the heavy metal genre and symphonic metal subgenre itself.[16] In July 2016, Metal Hammer also released a special issue edition claiming the 100 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century in which The Silent Force was awarded the 33th place, over its influence and commercial success.[17] On regarding the ten essential symphonic metal releases, the magazine also found a place for the album, characterizing it as an "uplifting symphonic-based style that was rendered all the more saleable by the irresistible voice and presence of Sharon den Adel."[1]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Martijn Spierenburg | 1:58 | |
| 2. | "See Who I Am" |
| Spierenburg | 4:52 |
| 3. | "Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)" |
| Spierenburg | 4:47 |
| 4. | "Stand My Ground" |
|
| 4:26 |
| 5. | "Pale" |
| Westerholt | 4:28 |
| 6. | "Forsaken" |
|
| 4:54 |
| 7. | "Angels" |
|
| 4:00 |
| 8. | "Memories" |
|
| 3:51 |
| 9. | "Aquarius" |
|
| 4:47 |
| 10. | "It's the Fear" | den Adel | Westerholt | 4:07 |
| 11. | "Somewhere" |
| den Adel | 4:14 |
Bonus tracks
| Special Edition release | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
| 12. | "A Dangerous Mind" |
|
| 4:17 |
| 13. | "The Swan Song" |
|
| 3:58 |
| Netherlands/Australia/Japan release | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
| 12. | "Destroyed" (demo version) | den Adel | Westerholt | 4:52 |
| 13. | "Jane Doe" |
|
| 4:30 |
| US release | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
| 12. | "Destroyed" (demo version) | 4:52 | ||
| 13. | "Jane Doe" | 4:30 | ||
| 14. | "Say My Name" |
| Spierenburg | 4:04 |
| 15. | "The Promise" (live in Tilburg) | 8:00 | ||
| 16. | "Stand My Ground" (acoustic) | 3:43 | ||
| 17. | "Angels" (live in Tilburg) | 4:05 | ||
Limited Edition versions videos
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stand My Ground" | |
| 2. | "Angels" | |
| 3. | "Photo gallery" | |
| 4. | "The Making of Stand My Ground" | |
| 5. | "Screen saver" |
Personnel
Band members
Sharon den Adel - vocals
Robert Westerholt - guitars
Ruud Jolie - guitars
Martijn Spierenburg - keyboards
Jeroen van Veen - bass
Stephen van Haestregt - drums
Additional musicians
- Isaac Muller, Siard de Jong - Celtic instruments
- Ego Works session orchestra conducted by Felix Korobov
- Choir conducted by Konstantin Majorov
Production
- Daniel Gibson - producer
- Stefan Helleblad - additional production, engineer
- Stefan Glaumann, Håkan Fredriksson, Ola Sonmark - mixing
- Bjorn Engelmann - mastering
- Ego Works - production and recording of the orchestra
Charts
|
| Chart (2004–05) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[18] | 12 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] | 4 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] | 53 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] | 1 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[22] | 3 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[23] | 34 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] | 4 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[25] | 30 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[26] | 17 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[27] | 26 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[28] | 28 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] | 22 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[30] | 90 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2004) | Position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[31] | 49 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[32] | 48 |
| Chart (2005) | Position |
| Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[33] | 28 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[34] | 19 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[35] | 76 |
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (BEA)[36] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[37] | Gold | 18,824[37] |
| Germany (BVMI)[38] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[39] | 2× Platinum | 160,000^ |
| Portugal (AFP)[40] | Gold | 20,000^ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[38] | Gold | 20,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
References
^ ab "The 10 Essential Symphonic Metal Albums". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 28 December 2016..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ "Hydra review by Within Temptation". Ultimate Guitar. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
^ "Interview with Sharon Den Adel from Within Temptation". Buzznet. 7 October 2006. Archived from the original on 28 November 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
^ "Within Temptation provide Knights of the Temple video game soundtrack". mobygames.com. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
^ "Within Temptation: 'The Silent Force' Certified Gold In Finland". Blabbermouth.net. 14 August 2005. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
^ "Within Temptation:Receive Awards For Success At Home And Abroad". Blabbermouth.net. 28 January 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
^ "The Silent Force Releases". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
^ Monger, James. "Within Temptation - "The Silent Force" and "Mother Earth"". allmusic. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
^ ab White, Martin. "Within Temptation - "The Silent Force"". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
^ Rauf, Raziq. "Within Temptation - The Silent Force". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
^ Edele, Michael. "Within Temptation - The Silent Force" (in German). Laut.de. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
^ "Within Temptation - The Silent Force review" (in German). Metal Hammer. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
^ ab "Within Temptation - The Silent Force review". Metal Storm. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
^ "Within Temptation - The Silent Force" (in German). Rock Hard. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
^ Tuinman, Ferdinand. "Within Temptation - The Silent Force". Lords of Metal.nl. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
^ "Within Temptation: Silence Is Golden". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
^ "The 100 Greatest Albums Of The 21st Century – only in the new issue of Hammer". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Within Temptation – The Silent Force" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Ultratop.be – Within Temptation – The Silent Force" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Ultratop.be – Within Temptation – The Silent Force" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Within Temptation – The Silent Force" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Within Temptation: The Silent Force" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Lescharts.com – Within Temptation – The Silent Force". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Officialcharts.de – Within Temptation – The Silent Force". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Within Temptation – The Silent Force". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Within Temptation – The Silent Force". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Spanishcharts.com – Within Temptation – The Silent Force". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Within Temptation – The Silent Force". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Within Temptation – The Silent Force". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
^ "Within Temptation: Year-end Dutch Charts". Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^ "Within Temptation: Year-end Belgian Charts". Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^ "Within Temptation: Year-end Dutch Charts". Retrieved 2 January 2012.
^ "Within Temptation: Year-end Finnish Charts". Retrieved 17 November 2014.
^ "Within Temptation: Year-end German Charts". Retrieved 2016-08-22.
^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2005". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
^ ab "Within Temptation" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
^ ab "Timeline". Within Temptation Official Website. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
^ "Dutch album certifications – Within Temptation – The Silent Force" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
Enter The Silent Force in the "Artiest of titel" box.
^ "Portuguese album certifications – Within Temptation – The Silent Force" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
