Within Temptation collaborated with Beyond Comics on a comic book adaptation of their latest album, The Unforgiving, and the first issue (written by Steven O'Connel and drawn by Romano Molenaar) made its premiere at the Baltimore Comic-Con this past August.
Within Temptation Unforgiving Comic Book 11
The Unforgiving is the fifth studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation, released by Roadrunner Records on 29 March 2011.[3] It was a concept album as one part of a transmedia storytelling project, which accompanied the release of three short films and a series of six comic books. The album followed the band's pattern of incorporating new musical elements on each release, this time marking a major transition point for the band and featuring more pop and 80s influences. Lyrically, the band focused on telling a story with specific characters, also present in the films and comic books.
A comic book of the same name, released simultaneously, was written by Steven O'Connell (BloodRayne and Dark 48) and illustrated by Romano Molenaar (Witchblade, The Darkness and X-Men).[5] Three related short films were released prior to the album, the first of which, "Mother Maiden", was released on 31 January 2011. The first issue of the comic books, Penance, Part One, was released on 18 March 2011, and digitally released by Diamond Digital at the New York Comic Con on 22 October.[6] The second issue, Penance, Part Two was released on 13 May. The third issue, Penance, Part Three, was released on 31 August and the fourth issue, Penance, Part Four, on 2 November.[7][8][9]
A video for "Where Is the Edge" was released on 15 December 2010, along with footage from the upcoming film Me and Mr Jones on Natalee Island.[13] The band also announced that the album would be released alongside a comic book series with the same name, forming a story surrounding the main protagonist, Sinéad.[5]
On 4 December Sharon commented via their official website that they had recorded three upcoming promotional music videos within the course of a week.[14] The band also revealed that, alongside the record and the comic book series, three short films were to be released prior to the album.
The album is released alongside a comic book series and a series of short films, to encompass a concept story. The first single, Faster, was released on January 21, and the first short film, Mother Maiden, was released on January 31.
The concept album The Unforgiving is the fifth studio record by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation. Sharon den Adel makes full use of her vocal style and 3+ octave range, as the band is bringing back the symphonic music of the '80s. The guitars are brought to the front and memorable riffs are backed by a mix of symphonic and electronic keyboards. The album charted all over the world (#50 in the Billboard 200, #23 in the UK Album chart, and #2 in the Dutch Album chart).The Unforgiving is available on black vinyl and is housed in a gatefold sleeve. The package includes a comic-booklet with lyrics and images.Original Release : 2011
And then I went back to looking at the Nuclear Blast web site on my monitor. Through an online ad, I noticed the longtime record label was setting up shop at this year's San Diego Comic Con. It was going around and around in my head because something told me it was a piece of a puzzle. One I had missed. Or didn't even knew existed. Was Nucler Blast launching a new line of music comic books? They had done a Dimmu Borgir comic. Would they pick up the torch left behind by Revolutionary Comics, and do some sort of ongoing project with their signed bands? Did I miss a press release?
Then it got better. I checked out their merchandise page, and saw they had produced a comic book that was based off of their new CD. Which (hello!) was a concept album. Each song was written around the narrative of a story, with characters featured in each song.
The next day I dragged Dave into my office and showed him the video for "Faster." I pointed to the screen and said, "That's the chocalate." Then I clicked onto the band's web site and showed him the comic book. "And that's the peanut butter. What say we make some Reese's peanut butter cups?"
Sharon and Robert wanted to go shopping for comic books before they hit the stage. 98 Rock said Alliance was the payoff. Tommy and Wesley at AT Productions told me to show up with both guns blazing. Purchasing Brand Manager Daria Medved and I then worked together to arrange it so that we could bring along IT Support Manager and professional photographer John Milleker to both the Alliance store and the concert to film what was looking to be a big night with some talented people.
I then produced ancient copies of the KISS and Alice Cooper comic books from Marvel Comics, the Metalocalypse Dethklok comic from Dark Horse, the Cryptic Writings of Megadeth book from Chaos! Comics, and the recent Dimmu Borgir comic from Nuclear Blast.
I assured her once again it was hers. She turned to me and said "You come find me after the show tonight. Come to our merchandise stand. I will take care of you." Her words were genuine, and her emotion was real. This was a woman who truly appreciated comic books, and in the above photos you can see how she carefully removed the book from its bag. She treated it as though she were recovering a sacred text from some lost library.
When the show ended, John and I headed backstage with Daria and her husband and we were gracefully led into a room with food and plenty of adult beverages, which Robert assured us was just as much for us as they were for the band. Martijn (keyboards) and new drummer Mike both came over to us, shook our hands, and encouraged us to hang out. So, over some eats and drinks, we talked about our fascination with the comics biz, new smart phone technology, and the ideas we could bounce off of each other as The Unforgiving comic book was just rolling out, as only issue #2 had been been listed in the September issue of the PREVIEWS catalog. Daria was kind enough to give away her Red Sonja comic from Dynamite Entertaiment to guitar player, Ruud, who exclaimed after he saw the book's cover, "Now this is what a comic is supposed to be."
In the mostly male-dominated world of heavy metal, it's always refreshing to see more women getting involved in the genre. Such is the case with Dutch melodic metallists Within Temptation. Led by singer Sharon den Adel, the group issued their fifth studio album overall in 2011, The Unforgiving. As with their previous efforts, Within Temptation specialize in what is known as symphonic metal, but to their credit, it doesn't come off bombastic or overwrought (like many other similarly styled bands who tend to lean more toward the prog metal side of things). The key to avoiding this trap is letting the songwriting rule supreme, as opposed to merely focusing on showing off your chops, and Within Temptation do just that. Case in point, the lead-off single "Faster," which manages to contain elements of hard rock, but also seems like it could easily cross over onto the pop charts (thanks to a hook-heavy chorus). Elsewhere, melody is equal to metal, as evidenced by "Shot in the Dark," "Where Is the Edge," and "Stairway to the Skies." And it turns out there is a reason why The Unforgiving comes off as sounding cinematic: the group issued a series of short films (and even a comic book), in which the tunes from the album provide the soundtrack. A concept album that doesn't get weighed down by the story line is a rarity, but it is something that Within Temptation succeed at with The Unforgiving.
"Sinéad", the second of three short films giving further insight into the concept of WITHIN TEMPTATION's fifth studio album, "The Unforgiving", can be viewed below. Due on March 29, the CD was produced by Daniel Gibson and is based on a comic book story written by script writer Steven O'Connell (BloodRayne, Dark 48). The band asked comic artist Romano Molenaar (Witchblade, Darkness, X-Men) to draw the characters and scenery of "The Unforgiving", which is set for release via Sony Music in Continental Europe and Roadrunner Records in the U.S., U.K. and Ireland, Japan and Australia. The films are based on the comic storyline; the characters are impersonated by actors. Each film is followed by a band performance that, all together, form a dark and compelling tale of life, love, revenge, rage, and regret. All three short films and the music videos are featured on the special edition of "The Unforgiving", which also contains the music videos of "Where Is The Edge" and "Utopia" and the names of everyone who joined the band's Facebook campaign in December 2010.
If you care enough about the WITHIN TEMPTATION approach, then you'll appreciate that it is a concept album based on a Steven O'Connell comic book written specifically for it. Each song basically mirrors the comic's narrative. The melodies are well enough written to keep one's interest and the classiness of the recording is hard to ignore. "The Unforgiving" is a better than average album for "metal" of this sort, but the stuff of critical acclaim it is not. Dedicated fans will no doubt find a deep musical well that is difficult for the casual fans to locate. That's par for the course. Overall, it is a good experience. It is also a fleeting one.
The band's fifth studio album, The Unforgiving, was released in March 2011, alongside both a comic book series and a series of short films that together encompass a story. The first single, "Faster", was released on January 21, and the first short film, Mother Maiden, was released on January 31.[12] The band has sold more than 3.5 million copies of the album worldwide.[13][14][15] 2ff7e9595c
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