SHARON DEN ADEL Says WITHIN TEMPTATION 'Really Wanted To Make A Change' On New Album 'Resist'

WITHIN TEMPTATION vocalist Sharon Den Adel recently spoke with Garage Rock. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the initial feedback to the group's upcoming album, "Resist":

Sharon: "People like that there's a change. They have to get used to it, because it has a different feel to it, but they like the fact that the album is more groovy in certain songs. On the other hand, the thing that some people don't like is the fact that there's a little bit less symphony on it, but that's really for the people that really are symphonic lovers. There's still symphonic sounds to our music, but it's a little bit more minimalistic and only used where it's necessary instead of all over the whole song."

On how taking a break from WITHIN TEMPTATION to work on her solo project, MY INDIGO, affected the direction of "Resist":

Sharon: "I think so. At the time I started writing for MY INDIGO, I didn't know if I wanted to continue [with] WITHIN TEMPTATION. It was for me a discovery, a journey to figure out what do I want to do in the future. While making MY INDIGO, eventually, new ideas for WITHIN TEMPTATION came again. I was really — not just me, but everybody who writes for WITHIN TEMPTATION was really stuck with what kind of direction do we want to take the band and what is the new sound that we want to have for our band, because we're always searching for something that will freshen up our sound, and we couldn't find it at the time — not in metal, anyway. Making this album for MY INDIGO, I found inspiration coming from the more urban kind of music. That's also why the way of singing sometimes on certain songs has changed. There's a different kind of groove and different kind of beat, and different rhythms sometimes even. That really made different melodies. That really changed a lot for WITHIN TEMPTATION, and it's all because of MY INDIGO."

On whether it was "difficult" to make an album with less symphonic elements:

Sharon: "It's always difficult because it's strange for us to do, but we felt so strongly that we didn't want to have it all over. It's still in there, but when we used to write a song, it was like, from the beginning to the end, there was an orchestra in the back. Now, it's like, we use it where we think it has really an impact. The nice thing is when you don't use it, there's more space for other things, like the guitars – they come out better than ever. It's more heavy because of it. Also, I think my vocals really gained from it that it's not everywhere — only the places where it really does something for the music and the song."

On the album's variety:

Sharon: "It's not a conscious thing. What we write is what comes out. We can't control it, really, that much. It's just starting the creative process and also giving yourself the liberty to make any choice you want to, just because it's fun to make something different. If you go from that perspective, then songs will be very different every time. That's what we wanted — we wanted something new. We were a bit fed up with the way we have been writing, and really wanted to make a change. This is the way for us to be more open to different things."

"Resist" will be released on February 1, 2019. It is the band's first release through Spinefarm Records, the specialist hard rock label of Universal Music Group.