Delusion-Elle

So the new Within Temptation album leaked on Monday. And I was too wrapped up in schoolwork to notice until today. Damn. Okay, well, I've been craving some new Within Temptation so this thing leaked at a good time. I have just enough time tonight to do a little track-by-track "first impression" commentary.

1. Why Not Me: The intro track. I've heard it before through samples and whatnot. It's creepy and it has a voiceover to set the mood at whatnot. Not all that fond of it.
2. Shot in the Dark: The drum beat sounds à la trip-hop, which is an interesting quality to introduce to Within Temptation's music. The lyrics aren't all that special. Overall this is a catchy, pleasant-sounding track. Whoa, it's been so long since I've listened to Within Temptation; did they always have guitar solos in their songs?
3. In the Middle of the Night: Me gusta that guitar opening rift. Minus Sharon's "oooh-oooh"-ing, I like the intro quite a lot. Nice orchestral stabs. I like the energy and drive. The titular line sounds kind of silly to me, especially when it leads into this crazy little riff. I kind of miss Sharon's higher register vocals.
4. Faster: This is another track I've heard before as it was WT's leading single from this album. (I think, don't quote me on that.) Another pleasant-sounding song, though much more down-tempo than the previous track. Don't get me wrong; it doesn't lose the energy completely, but the contrast was a little jarring for me at first. "AND I CAN'T LIIIIIIIIVE IN A FAIRY TALE OF LIIIIIIIIES" Just noticed at the 2:00-2:15 mark this "Hey! Hey!" chanting in the background. Odd. But I'm liking the little section that got cut out in the edited version. Nice.
5. Fire and Ice: The string-heavy intro sounds very soundtrack-esque. It reminds me of a particular soundtrack actually, but I can't put my finger on it. At 1:30, I have labelled this as a sleepy little ballad. At 2:00, good to see that it's picked up. This ballad definitely benefits from the added instruments. Now that I've gotten over that little kick of life, this song is still kind of 'meh' as a ballad for me. It isn't at that level that their previous ballads are at.
6. Iron: Am I the only one reminded of "The Other Side (Of Me)" upon hearing the opening guitar riff? Well, anyway, I like that they've picked up some energy with this track. There's somewhat of a Celtic feel to it, too. Or maybe it's just me. I think it's the lilt. Not loving the lyrics, though I'm liking everything else. I keep hearing "Oh damn ... (the war is coming)" which is weirding me out. Maybe I'm just tired. Unless WT suddenly became obsessed with the word "damn". FFFUUUUU voice over. Y U NO LET THE MUSIC JUST BE? If anything, this song has fantastic orchestration and instrumentation, not fantastic vocals. Oh wow. And a guitar solo! KEY MODULATION. Okay, I'm liking this song more now, even with the vocals. "DON'T WALK AWAY!"
7. Where is the Edge: This is another song I'd heard before thanks to the little music video for that "Me & Mr. Jones" movie (I probably wrote that wrong). I'm not super crazy about this song, though it's catchy. It has that same catchiness quality as "Faster" and "Shot in the Dark". There are certain aspects of this song I quite like though. For example, the voice distortions at around 1:50 and the little string riff at around 2:00.
8. Sinéad: The intro is soft and dream-like. Oh my gosh, is this another electronic drum beat? Regardless of whether or not it actually is, it has that same electronic/trip-hop/dance quality to it. Mmm, very nice when the rest of the instruments come in. I like this song. Even if it has this weird kind of fresh, crystalline look in my mind. This song is also a lesson in the pronunciation of Irish names (e.g. Sinéad, Siobhan, other names with that trick 'Si').
9. Lost: The intro made me mentally facepalm because it sounds like so many of those songs we learned in Guitar class. Arpeggio, let's go! There's a little motive that they keep using in the songs on this album. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, but it's something I've noticed that keeps popping up in a few of their vocal lines. This song is a bit of a yawner. Maybe it needs a few more listens. As much as I appreciate the power in the "HELP ME, I'M BURIED ALIVE" line, it contrasts a bit too much with the rest of the song for my tastes. Overall, not an outstanding song, but pleasant enough.
10. Murder: Oooooh creepy intro. I'm getting images of one of those black and white movies and a scene with villains in trenchcoats. I like the dark feel to this song, though the vocal distortion is not overwhelmingly brilliant or anything. Actually, I don't like the verses because of that distortion. The chorus is catchy. Interesting little choral runs.
11. A Demon's Fate: This song starts with a distorted vocal intro. I really like the syncopated rhythm. There's a frantic sort of feel to this song. I like the bridge. The chorus not so much. And the vocal intro comes back from time to time. WHOA just heard the Phantom of the Opera motive. This actually sounds like metal. AND there's a guitar solo. Nice.
12. Stairway to the Skies: Based on the title of this song, the intro sounds much darker than I'd expected. Ah, there's that uplifting feeling. There are certainly elements of this that are reminiscent of The Silent Force, but overall I can't find any hooks in this song to keep this song in my head. Again, not a bad song, but it doesn't really stand out for me.