Enter (Within Temptation album)

Last updated

Enter
WT - Enter albumcover.jpg
Studio album by
Within Temptation
Released7 April 1997
Recorded1997
StudioStudio Moskou, Utrecht, Netherlands
Genre
Length45:46
Label DSFA
Producer
Within Temptation chronology
Enter
(1997)		 Mother Earth
(2000)
Singles from Enter
  1. "Restless"
    Released: 7 April 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Blabbermouth.net 7.5/10 [2]
Chronicles of Chaos Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 7/10 [4]
Metal Hammer (GER)6/7 [5]

Enter is the debut studio album by the Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation, released by DSFA Records in 1997. After the band became more widely known in foreign markets, it was re-released by the independent label Season of Mist in North America in 2007, and by Nuclear Blast in 2014. It was produced by Lex Vogelaar, founder of the Dutch death metal band Orphanage, and had to recorded, completed and mixed within three weeks.

Contents

The album prominently features lead singer Sharon den Adel's vocals as well as guitarist Robert Westerholt's gruff death metal growls. It is considered a gothic metal release with elements from doom metal, and the lyrics focus mostly on dark and supernatural themes. The track "Restless" was released as the first and only single. Although the album failed to achieve commercial success at the time of its release, it entered the Dutch Charts in 2002 after the commercial success of the band's following album.

History

Recording

One week after they signed with DSFA Records, Within Temptation started recording Enter. The tracks were new versions of demo tracks. It was recorded in Studio Moskou, Utrecht, and it was completed and mixed within three weeks. [6]

Robert Westerholt remembers that "it was incomparable to the first recordings we did earlier, this one was much more professional. After all a nice experience, but a very quick one. 'Enter' was recorded in two weeks and mixed in three days, so it was very difficult for we couldn't take time to develop songs. But it was a nice experience - it was our first album!" [6] Vocalist Sharon den Adel recalls that "I only had one and a half days to record my parts and it was quite hectic, just a short warm-up and then 'Go'!" [6] Lex Vogelaar, founder of the Dutch death metal band Orphanage, supplied the guitar parts for the track "Pearls of Light". Orphanage vocalist George Oosthoek performed some of the growls on "Deep Within". [7]

Style

The album's style "sits between gothic metal and doom" [1] and is very instrumental compared to the band's later works. Many of the songs have longer instrumental sections and fewer lyrics. On several songs Westerholt provides growling (in contrast to later albums on which it is rarely used). The lyrics focus on darkness, ghosts, and wars instead of the more common fantasy, love, and nature-centred lyrics found on later albums.

Release

Although it didn't enter the Dutch albums chart in its release year, Enter eventually rose to No. 32 in 2002, after the great success of the song "Ice Queen". [8] The album, along with The Dance were re-released in the US on 18 September 2007 by the label Season of Mist. After the great reception of later albums and the Hydra World Tour, Nuclear Blast decided to release a together re-issue of both Enter and The Dance on 10 November 2014, in order to give the new listeners access to the band's early material. [9] By the end of 2018, the band released the album for the first time on vinyl format. It then entered the Dutch Vinyl Charts on number 6. [10]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Restless"
6:08
2."Enter"
  • R. Westerholt
  • den Adel
  • Richard Willemse
7:15
3."Pearls of Light"
  • R. Westerholt
  • den Adel
  • Willemse
5:15
4."Deep Within" (feat. George Oosthoek)
  • R. Westerholt
  • den Adel
4:30
5."Gatekeeper"
  • R. Westerholt
  • den Adel
6:43
6."Grace"
  • R. Westerholt
  • den Adel
5:10
7."Blooded" (instrumental)R. Westerholt3:38
8."Candles"
  • R. Westerholt
  • den Adel
7:07
Total length:45:46
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
9."Restless" (classical version)5:39
Total length:51:25

The 2022 Limited Numbered Edition also includes the EP The Dance in its entirety before "Restless (classical version)".

Personnel

Within Temptation

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart (2002)Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [11] 32

References

  1. 1 2 "Within Temptation - Enter review". Metal Storm . Retrieved 9 June 2016. The album sits between gothic metal and doom
  2. ↑ Van Horn jr., Ray (2015). "Within Temptation - Enter & The Dance". Blabbermouth.net . Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  3. ↑ Bromley, Adrian (5 May 1997). "Within Temptation - Enter". Chronicles of Chaos . Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  4. ↑ Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 503. ISBN   978-1-894959-62-9.
  5. ↑ "Within Temptation - Enter review". Metal Hammer . Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 "The World Without Us - Time Travel Photography". allthememories.org. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013.
  7. ↑ Enter (CD Booklet). Within Temptation. Vlissingen, The Netherlands: DSFA Records DSFA 1007. 1997.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ↑ "Within Temptation - Enter (album)". Dutch Charts.nl. Media Control Charts. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  9. ↑ "Within Temptation's 1997 Debut Enter; 1998 Ep The Dance To Be Reissued". Bravewords.com. Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "Within Temptation - Enter".
  11. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Within Temptation – Enter" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
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