The Unforgiving

As I was thinking about what to write about for this month, I noticed a theme developing through my recommendations: aside from my post about Jonathan Coulton back in October, I've been suggesting a lot of groups fronted by female vocalists. I'm pleased to say that I won't be breaking that chain; at least, not this month. Instead, I'm going to recommend to you what was easily my favorite album when it was first released, and continues to show up in my playlist every month or so: 2011's the Unforgiving by Within Temptation

Although Evanescence is more well known in the United States and although they did not create the genre, Within Temptation is largely responsible for the current incarnation of the genre known as symphonic metal. Within Temptation was a pioneer in transforming symphonic metal into a genre distinct from its parental styles of gothic and classical metal. Key traits of the symphonic metal genre are an emphasis on atmospheric sound, lyrics that focus on a wide variety of subjects, and a female lead vocalist.

The Unforgiving is Within Temptation's most recent album and it was released along with a companion three-part comic book series that tells the story of the characters hinted at through the album's music. The best feature of the album is the songwriting itself; you're not going to find the typical grunting, hellfire-and-death paeans of most metal here. Instead, you get songs that are complex and rich with both stories and meaning. It's the kind of album that you listen to on repeat; first just to absorb the sound and then, over and over again to decipher the meaning for each song.

For my money, the centerpiece song is Faster. It is at once both reminiscent of the heart and soul of the 80s while showcasing Within Temptation's current musical and stylistic maturity. It's energetic without being overwhelming, deep without being maudlin, exciting without being exhausting. It's the kind of song you'll keep in your exercise playlist as well as one you'll listen to just for the music itself.

Although the Unforgiving is a marked departure from Within Temptation's previous grandiose orchestral thunder of 2004's the Silent Force, in my opinion, this is their most sophisticated and complex album to date, with Faster being not only my favorite song from their entire body of work, but one of my favorite songs, period.

Give it a listen. See if it doesn't end up occupying your CD player or playlist for a few weeks.