ALBUM REVIEW: Worlds Collide Tour – Live In Amsterdam – Within Temptation

WITHIN TEMPTATION embark on a symphonic odyssey live in Amsterdam with a new visual and audio experience recorded at their posthumous 2022 Worlds Collide Tour. The show, rescheduled no less than four times from the beginning of the pandemic, marked the homecoming of the Dutch gothic rockers, who co-headlined the sold-out tour with alternative behemoths EVANESCENCE. Released alongside a 64-page hardcover artbook, the live recording chronicles the band’s most iconic releases of the last three decades, drawn from their eight studio albums. 

The stage is set with steampunk paraphernalia, including a supersized mechanical head whose eyes ominously glows within the gloom. The blackened recording of Winston Churchill’s first broadcast as prime minister, with echoes of the Nazi’s seemingly-unstoppable occupation of France in 1940, swells into a symphonic explosion of string instruments. Our Solemn Hour the opening song is commanding and gripping, providing powerful agency for those in the crowd and watching at home. 

The show continues full steam ahead with Faster, which is energising, but perhaps a little too early in the show as it is arguably their biggest hit with the most Spotify listens. Paradise (What About Us?) hits harder with live vocals from the crowd. Vocalist Sharon den Adel breaks to reflect on the “crazy things happening in the world right now” pushing into Stand Your Ground. Adel is then lifted into the air, with blazing phoenix wings, for the beginning of Angels. Standout moment. 

EVANESCENCE‘s Amy Lee joins the band on stage to conquer The Reckoning. The vocalists match and compliment their vast ranges with cascading choruses, and a powerful moment is captured as Adel and Lee lock hands as the song finishes. Adel hits notes with stunning accuracy, letting her voice shine in every song. Musically the recording is tight, but sonically begins to veer during Supernova, as the poppy riffs seem almost out of place in a show with such ferocity. Dedicated to Adel‘s late father, this track is held up by its emotion, but the Runescape synths don’t produce enough power to match the rest of the set. 

The set then follows with some of the industrial outfit’s newer tracks, including Don’t Pray For Me, which at the time of recording came from their not-yet-released but anticipated album Wireless. The song is an impressive display of the band’s capabilities, but the pre-recorded voiceover is jarring in a live setting. Adel is hoisted into the air again for All I Need, which contrasts wonderfully against the intense power of the previous sets. The ballad gives the set the much needed breathing room it needs, before the band leaves to begin the encore. Adel thanks the crowd before Ice Queen begins to play, a throwback that goes down spectacularly with the crowd singing back to the band. They finish with Mother Earth, an uplifting ending that provides the endnote a set of that scale needs. 

The live album is sonically mixed well, and compliments the playing on stage. Visually it’s spectacular both in the design of the stage but also the lighting that really packs a punch. Industrial riffs melt into the cool synths, as the band commands at times the impressive pyrotechnics. Most importantly, the crowd empowers the band, reacting to their every move with devil horns like a glue that holds the recording together. Tight drums set the standard of the sound in the Ziggo Dome with tenacity, and ultimately WITHIN TEMPTATION prove that they can provide a powerful experience for anyone watching.

Rating: 7/10

Worlds Collide Tour (Live In Amsterdam) is set for release on June 21st via Force Music Recordings.

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