The Aftermath EP by Within Temptation
V2/Bertus kindly provided me with this EP.
Sharon den Adel, front woman of the band Within Temptation, founded in the Netherlands in 1996, needs no further introduction in metal circles. And neither does her fabulous voice. Neither does the band, known for their bombastic sound and sophisticated live performances. This photo disc EP The Aftermath EP from 2021 contains four songs from the live streamed show "The Aftermath - A Show In A Virtual Reality". The band was skeptical about a streamed live performance without fans during the pandemic and so a post-apocalyptic virtual fantasy world was created in which the band performed live. Within Temptation wouldn't be Within Temptation if this EP wasn't also specially designed. And that has a small flaw.
A picture LP/EP always has some interference when scanning. Fortunately, the four songs are pretty loud and the crackling noises disapear in the background. This "blemish" is therefore only minimal. 180 gram vinyl, transparent with printing. The entire cover is also stylishly designed.
Musically, there is the well-known perfectionism, Sharon's voice in the foreground and the rest of the band has absolutely nothing to hide. Metal hearts beat faster! "Forsaken", "The Purge", "Entertain You" and "Shed my Skin" can be found on side A. There is no soundtrack on side B. The songs are of course perfect. This is not really my musical world, but I still have deep respect for Sharon den Adel and her band.
Technically and musically there is nothing to complain about. The selection of songs is also good. The only question that remains is who would buy a one-sided picture EP for €25? First and foremost fans and collectors. And me? I would have passed it by. Of course vinyls are more expensive to produce and more complex ones like this have their price. Fans and collectors can get their hands on it. If you just like bombastic metal, you can't go wrong here either.
The photos are all from my EP. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.
