WITHIN TEMPTATION Shares Music Video For 'Ritual'

Dutch metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION follow the release of their brand-new studio album "Bleed Out" with a provocative, zombie-vampire-gore-fest-splatter-horror video for their current single "Ritual", just in time for Halloween.

Brutal and brilliantly comedic, while calling to mind the work of legendary animator Ralph Bakshi and the Rotoscope school of animation, the video for "Ritual" calls out the behavior of male sexual predators in the workplace, the street, the sports-field and more. What if women behaved as aggressively as the men who seek to take advantage of them, and what if they fought back to exact a terrible revenge?

Singer Sharon Den Adel says: "'Ritual' is a sexual song, about seduction and a woman taking power in a male-dominated world. It was inspired by watching Tarantino's movie 'From Dusk Til Dawn' and is a light-hearted moment in our album, which focuses mainly on the political and repressive issues in the world.

"We have always wanted to do a horror-style video for Halloween, and this song gave us the perfect chance to do that, using AI-technology to create something truly awe-inspiring. But it also addresses some of the recent news-stories of men behaving badly and imagines what would happen if a badass woman fought back in the most terrible way.

"So get ready for blood, violence, fangs and humor. Happy Halloween to you all!"

"Bleed Out" signifies a bold leap forward for the band. From contemporary, hard-hitting, and djenty riffs to soaring melodies displaying their symphonic roots, WITHIN TEMPTATION has created a sonic journey that fuses diverse musical styles and thought-provoking themes. This is an album that is as epic as it is unflinchingly outspoken, and now more than ever, this is a band who isn't afraid to make a stand on issues the members care about.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, WITHIN TEMPTATION have shifted their focus from writing about personal emotions and societal subjects to tackling global injustices and reflecting the tumultuous state of the world in a way that other artists seem unable or unwilling to do.

While songs such as "Wireless" and "We Go To War" examine the authoritarian aggression on display in Ukraine and other warzones, the title track itself addresses the plight of women fighting for their rights in Iran after the murder of Mahsa Amini.

The album also grapples with the complex issues around a woman's right to choose in recent single "Don't Pray For Me" and throughout, this impassioned and political focus is reflected in the intensity and heaviness of the music. Embracing a new era of musical exploration and lyrical depth, WITHIN TEMPTATION have pushed boundaries and showcased their artistic evolution, delivering a fist-in-the-air proclamation of both their moral convictions and their fearless approach to music.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe