Within Temptation is a Dutch rock band founded in April 1996 by vocalist Sh… Read Full Bio ↴Within Temptation is a Dutch rock band founded in April 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. The band went through numerous style changes, blending various genres throughout its career. Their debut album Enter and early singles were in vein of gothic metal. From Mother Earth (2000) album onwards, the band shifted to symphonic metal genre, which brought Within Temptation to popularity. Their recent albums, starting with The Unforgiving (2011), lean towards alternative rock and synth rock . In an interview, den Adel described her band's style as symphonic rock with various influences. In another interview, den Adel stated that "We consider ourselves more an atmospheric melodic symphonic metal/rock band... In my opinion, we are not a gothic band but we have gothic elements".

After the release of their debut album Enter in 1997, the band became prominent in the Dutch underground scene. It was not until 2001 that they became known to the general public, with the single "Ice Queen" from their second album Mother Earth, which reached No. 2 on the Dutch charts. This was followed by the band winning the Conamus Exportprijs, a Dutch music award, four years in a row, and a fifth in 2016. Their next albums The Silent Force (2004) and The Heart of Everything (2007) debuted at No. 1 on the Dutch charts and expanded their international recognition. In 2008, they released Black Symphony, a live album recorded with the Metropole Orchestra. This was followed in 2009 by An Acoustic Night at the Theatre, another live album, this time with acoustic renditions of the songs.

The band's fifth studio album, The Unforgiving, was released in March 2011 and was one part of a transmedia effort, alongside both a comic book series and a series of short films that together encompass a story. The album saw the band increasingly venturing on new musical territories outside symphonic metal. Their sixth studio album, Hydra, was released in early 2014 in Japan, Europe, and the United States. The album advanced the band's exploration of new musical genres and features guest appearances from various artists: Finnish singer Tarja Turunen, who appears in the lead single "Paradise (What About Us?)"; Howard Jones, former vocalist of American metalcore band Killswitch Engage; Dave Pirner, lead vocalist of American alternative rock band Soul Asylum; and American rapper Xzibit. The band had extensive airplay on BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom with one of the songs from the album, "Whole World Is Watching" featuring Pirner.

Their latest studio album, Resist, was released in February 2019 and incorporates influences from other musical styles such as industrial and EDM. By 2016, the band had already sold more than 3.5 million albums worldwide.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Within_Temptation

Studio albums
Enter (1997)
Mother Earth (2000)
The Silent Force (2004)
The Heart of Everything (2007)
The Unforgiving (2011)
Hydra (2014)
Resist (2019)
Bleed Out (2023)

Ouverture
Within Temptation Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

"O deus eicie"

Mortatis animus solum est.
Letalis animus concidamus unis.
Osstendo malum, osstendo lux.
Anima mortatis eternum est.

Anima irrata belli somnium.

Anima quiesa evitae somnium.
Anima mortatis eternum sunt.

Mortatis animus solum est.

Letalis animus concidamus unis.
Osstendo malum.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Within Temptation's song Ouverture are in Latin and are open to interpretation. The phrase "O deus eicie" roughly translates to "Oh God, throw out." The rest of the lyrics seem to revolve around the concept of death and the eternal nature of the soul. The line "Mortatis animus solum est" means "The soul of death is alone," and continues with the idea of a lethal soul that brings together individuals. The song also touches upon the duality of good and evil, with "Osstendo malum, osstendo lux" meaning "I show evil, I show light."

This song sets the tone for the album and is meant to serve as an introduction to the band's sound and style. Within Temptation is known for their use of classical music and opera-style vocals, which are evident in this song. The band was formed in the Netherlands in 1996 and has released several successful albums over the years. Singer Sharon den Adel's powerful vocals are a signature element of the band's music.

Line by Line Meaning

O deus eicie
Oh god cast out

Mortatis animus solum est.
The soul of death is alone.

Letalis animus concidamus unis.
Let deadly souls fall together.

Osstendo malum, osstendo lux.
I show evil, I show light.

Anima mortatis eternum est.
The soul of death is eternal.

Anima irrata belli somnium.
The angry soul is a dream of war.

Anima quiesa evitae somnium.
The calm soul is a dream of avoidance.

Anima mortatis eternum sunt.
The souls of death are eternal.

Mortatis animus solum est.
The soul of death is alone.

Letalis animus concidamus unis.
Let deadly souls fall together.

Osstendo malum.
I show evil.