Two Discs of 26 songs by Within Temptation & the Metropole Orchestra for their 2008 album Black Symphony. This includes a Bonus DVD. Within Temptation is a six piece female fronted Rock band hailing from Holland. They... more » are a huge international success with over 2 million albums sold worldwide. Within Temptation's most ambitious staging to date, Black Symphony was a unique concert at Rotterdam's Ahoy Arena on February 7, 2008 sold out months in advance. Within Temptation performed to 10,000 fans with the 60-piece Metropole Orchestra and a 20-voice classical choir, as well as on-stage stilt performers, costume changes, and an array of stunning pyrotechnic and lighting effects. The colossal production extended to Europe's largest video screen reaching across the entire width of the stage,and 14 full HD cameras.. Roadrunner. 2008.« less
Two Discs of 26 songs by Within Temptation & the Metropole Orchestra for their 2008 album Black Symphony. This includes a Bonus DVD. Within Temptation is a six piece female fronted Rock band hailing from Holland. They are a huge international success with over 2 million albums sold worldwide. Within Temptation's most ambitious staging to date, Black Symphony was a unique concert at Rotterdam's Ahoy Arena on February 7, 2008 sold out months in advance. Within Temptation performed to 10,000 fans with the 60-piece Metropole Orchestra and a 20-voice classical choir, as well as on-stage stilt performers, costume changes, and an array of stunning pyrotechnic and lighting effects. The colossal production extended to Europe's largest video screen reaching across the entire width of the stage,and 14 full HD cameras.. Roadrunner. 2008.
CD Reviews
Epic!
Sleepwalker | New York, NY | 09/25/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As a fan of Within Temptation, I have been waiting for this DVD to come out since they announced the show back in February and now it's finally here. This dvd is brilliant, sure it's not the same as the European release but the main concert is what's important here and it's fantastic. There are no other words to describe the vocals of Sharon den Adel combined with a live orchestra. Within Temptation was made for something like this and I love the new arrangements to some of the songs including "Mother Earth", "Stand My Ground", and "Angels". Adding the pyros, video screens, lights, dancers, and sounds made this one of the best live performances ever captured on film.
This version of Black Symphony contains a cd with 13 live songs and a DVD with the full 22 song concert and a few special features:
Backstage report- a 13 minute interview with the band, crowd, and orchestra before and after the show.
Documentary - runs for about 23 minutes and it features the band discussing a little about their career with rehearsal footage from black symphony.
Countdown - 8 minute overview from the day of the show.
For anyone that wants to know the technical stuff, the show is shot in widescreen and contains 2.0/5.1/DTS sound.
Every fan of Within Temptation must pick this up! You won't regret it."
UNBELIEVABLE!!
William Brennan | Rockaway, NJ USA | 09/23/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I recieved my long awaited copy of Within Temptation's "Black Symphony" today. This concert is simply fantastic! WT, The Pa'dam Choir, and the Metropole Orchestra provide a feast for the senses the likes of which I've never experienced. You may think I'm exaggerating, but I assure you I am not. If this live DVD doesn't get them world wide acclaim, then nothing will. Sharon den Adel is absolutely stunning and an unbelievable talent. Her voice absolutely soars to incredible registers and is unwaivering over the two hour event. The rest of the band forms a very cohesive unit and their playing is flawless as always. The Metropole Orchestra and Pa'dam Choir make this an even more spectacular event. Nothing can compare to having them live on stage with the band. Recordings would just not have been the same. I won't describe the entire concert here. I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I will say I highly recommend this CD/DVD to everyone. Five stars hands down. Go out and get it!!"
An Absolutely Stunning Performance.....
David J. Heward | , NJ United States | 09/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you have never had the privelidge of seeing the Silent Force Tour on DVD (originally released in PAL a few years back & now just released in NTSC format) you will finally get the chance to see on of the BEST bands in the genere and wow how they have evolved since then. WT pulls out all the stops for this unbelievablly stunning performance. On stage they look so excited and enjoying this perofrmace so much you can feel it. The sound and picture are crystal clear shot in HD and the whole package is a top notch effort. All the classics are here and they open the show with a Jaw dropping rendition of Jillian- they then power thru their amazing cataloge while the symphony orchestra & choir accompaines them to an amazing effect. They have video screens, pyro, stilt walkers and various other FX to make this on extrodinary evening of music and a MUST have DVD. Period. Do not miss The Black Symphony it one show you will never forget and want to watch over & over again."
Best live album I've ever listened to
Stephen M. Sturgeon | Indianapolis, IN United States | 09/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm usually wary of live performance albums. The goal of live performances is to give a fantastic performance for the audience attending with a CD/DVD release being secondary. Most live recordings I hear suffer from the fact that you just can't have a microphone everywhere. This causes the mix between vocals, instruments and audience to be very uneven. Sometimes an artist will get cute with their songs. Sometimes it's simply the fact that it is a live album and mistakes will be made that you simply can't edit out.
Sometimes you get a performance that breaks the mold and delivers a good CD/DVD performance as well: Simon and Garfunkle's concert in the park, Metallica's S&M concert. But these breakings of the mold are usually the exception to the rule.
Within Temptation doesn't just break the mold with Black Symphony, they shatter it. This is quite easily the best live performance album I've heard, bar none. The mix between symphony, singing and audience is amazing. It could very well rival what would come out of a studio. Sharon's singing is flawless from beginning to end of this more than 2-hour concert. If there were any mistakes made, I certainly didn't notice them.
The lighting, the pyrotechnics, the orchestra, camera movement, Sharon's own knowledge of how to please the crowd, all of it works together to deliver an amazing event. If it was this amazing in my own living room, I could only imagine what it was like really being there. A previous review says he wouldn't describe the entire concert in his review because he didn't want to ruin it. I won't describe the entire concert in my review simply because words fail.
No, this is not an exaggeration. This is not just the sycophantic praise of a fan that thinks WT can do no wrong. This is an honest review of someone who has listened to many a live recording and has been left cold by all but a few. The production costs to make this album must have been through the roof, because nowhere have I heard an audio mix from a live show work as well as this. Nowhere have I seen camera work done as flawlessly. No were have I seen a live event get captured so well on camera. This is a must have for Within Temptation fans. I'd say it's a must have for anyone who wants to see definitively how live recordings should be done.
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1