Within Temptation
Enter

THE REVIEW

The first CD from the Dutch sextet, Enter (originally released only in the Netherlands), has a different sound compared to their later works: a metal with dual vocals (a clean female voice and a male growl) influenced by gothic and doom. Sharon's voice, despite her young age, is already at a good expressive level.
The album opens with “Restless,” the most beautiful track on the album. Keyboards accompany the sweet Sharon, making the piece very melancholic. Then the guitars come in (much more present compared to the band’s other albums). “Enter” is another great track, quite heavy, where we witness a duet between male and female voices. The orchestrations are beautiful. “Pearls of Light” is the track most influenced by doom, slow and dark. “Deep Within” is a track where we only have the male voice, and it’s well executed. “Gatekeeper” begins with natural sounds followed by orchestrations. The piece that separates the initial part from the sung section is very well done. “Grace” could have turned out much better, “Blooded” is an instrumental-only piece, “Candles” is another doom-influenced piece (what a difference compared to the tracks of "Mother Earth"!) with a sublime Sharon. The piano notes are beautiful.

In short, the CD is definitely enjoyable, despite the not-so-great production and some less successful passages. Naturally, it is recommended for all fans of the Dutch group.