Within Temptation
| a.k.a. | ex-The Portal |
|---|---|
| Country | Netherlands |
| Formed | April 1996, Waddinxveen, South Holland, Netherlands |
| Genres | Symphonic Metal, Alternative Metal, Symphonic Rock, Gothic Metal, Alternative Rock, Pop Rock |
| Labels | DSFA Records, Supersonic Records, Roadrunner Records, BMG Entertainment, Spinefarm Records, Force Music Recordings |
| Years active | 1996 (The Portal), 1996-present |
| Website | https://www.within-temptation.com/ |
Line-up (members)
- Sharon den Adel : Vocals (1996-present)
- Robert Westerholt : Guitars (1996-present)
- Stefan Helleblad : Guitars (2011-present)
- Ruud Jolie : Guitars (2001-present)
- Jeroen van Veen : Bass (1996-present)
- Mike Coolen : Drums (2011-present)
- Vikram Shankar : Keyboards (2025-present)
Former members
- Dennis Leeflang : Drums (1996)
- Ivar de Graaf : Drums (1996-1998, 1999-2001)
- Michiel Papenhove : Lead Guitars (1996-2001)
- Martijn Westerholt : Keyboards (1996-2001)
- Marius van Pyreen : Drums (1998)
- Ciro Palma : Drums (1998-1999)
- Jelle Bakker : Lead Guitars (2001)
- Martijn Spierenburg : Keyboards (2001-2024)
- Stephen van Haestregt : Drums (2002-2010)
Within Temptation Discography
| Album title | Lyrics | Type | Released | Rating | Votes | Reviews | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demo (1996) | Demo | 1996 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Enter (1996) | Demo | 1996-09 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
 |
Enter (1997) |  |
 |
Studio | 1997-04-06 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| Restless..... (1997) | Single | 1997-06-23 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| The Dance (1998) | |
|
EP | 1998-06-15 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
 |
Mother Earth (2000) | |
|
Studio | 2000-12-04 | 95 | 1 | 1 | |
| Our Farewell (2001) | Single | 2001-01-22 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Ice Queen (2001) | |
|
EP | 2001-06-01 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Mother Earth (2002) | |
|
Video | 2002 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Live on Air (2002) | |
|
Live | 2002 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Mother Earth (2002) | Single | 2002-05-28 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Never Ending Story (2003) | Single | 2003 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Running Up That Hill (2003) | Single | 2003-05-06 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Mother Earth Tour (2003) | |
|
Video | 2003-11-17 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Stand My Ground (2004) | Single | 2004-10-25 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
 |
The Silent Force (2004) | |
|
Studio | 2004-11-15 | 90 | 1 | 0 | |
| Memories (2005) | Single | 2005-01-28 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Angels (2005) | Single | 2005-06-06 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| The Silent Force Tour (2005) | |
|
Video | 2005-11-21 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| What Have You Done (2007) | Single | 2007-02-17 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| The Howling EP (2007) | |
|
EP | 2007-05-01 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Frozen (2007) | Single | 2007-06-11 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
 |
The Heart of Everything (2007) | |
|
Studio | 2007-07-24 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| All I Need (2007) | Single | 2007-11-05 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Forgiven (2008) | Single | 2008-09-12 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Black Symphony (2008) | |
|
Live | 2008-09-22 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Black Symphony (2008) | |
|
Video | 2008-09-22 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Utopia (2009) | Single | 2009-10-23 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| An Acoustic Night at the Theatre (2009) | |
|
Live | 2009-10-30 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Faster (2011) | Single | 2011-01-21 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
 |
The Unforgiving (2011) | |
|
Studio | 2011-03-25 | 80 | 1 | 0 | |
| Sinéad (2011) | Single | 2011-04-25 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Shot in the Dark (2011) | Single | 2011-09-09 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Crazy (2012) | Single | 2012-09-21 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Grenade (2012) | Single | 2012-10-04 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
 |
The Q-Music Sessions (2013) | |
|
Studio | 2013-04-19 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| Paradise (What About Us?) (2013) | Single | 2013-09-27 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Dangerous (2013) | Single | 2013-12-20 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
 |
Hydra (2014) | |
|
Studio | 2014-01-31 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| Whole World Is Watching (2014) | |
|
EP | 2014-02-21 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| And We Run (2014) | |
|
EP | 2014-05-23 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| The Three Goddesses (2014) | |
|
Split | 2014-08-07 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Let Us Burn (Elements & Hydra Live in Concert) (2014) | |
|
Video | 2014-11-14 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| The Reckoning (2018) | Single | 2018-09-14 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Raise Your Banner (2018) | Single | 2018-11-16 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Firelight (2018) | Single | 2018-11-23 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| In Vain (2019) | Single | 2019-01-11 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
 |
Resist (2019) | |
|
Studio | 2019-02-01 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| Entertain You (2020) | Single | 2020-05-08 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| The Purge (2020) | |
|
EP | 2020-11-20 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Shed My Skin (2021) | |
|
EP | 2021-06-25 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Forsaken (The Aftermath) (2021) | Single | 2021-12-02 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Don't Pray for Me (2022) | |
|
EP | 2022-07-08 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| The Aftermath EP (2022) | |
|
EP | 2022-12-02 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| The Fire Within (2022) | Lyrics | Single | 2022-12-09 | - | 0 | 0 | |||
| Mother Earth Tour (2023) | |
|
Live | 2023-04-28 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| The Silent Force Tour (2023) | |
|
Live | 2023-04-28 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Wireless (2023) | |
|
EP | 2023-05-19 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Bleed Out (2023) | |
|
EP | 2023-08-18 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Live in Hell (2023) | |
|
Live | 2023-09-22 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Ritual (2023) | Single | 2023-09-29 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
 |
Bleed Out (2023) | |
|
Studio | 2023-10-20 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| A Fool's Parade (2024) | Single | 2024-04-05 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| We Go to War (Acoustic) (2024) | Single | 2024-04-15 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| The Artone Sessions (Acoustic) (2024) | |
|
EP | 2024-04-20 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| The Reckoning (Live in Amsterdam) (2024) | Single | 2024-05-24 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Worlds Collide Tour - Live in Amsterdam (2024) | |
|
Live | 2024-06-21 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Worlds Collide Tour - Live in Amsterdam (2024) | |
|
Video | 2024-06-21 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sing like a Siren (2025) | Single | 2025-05-16 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Ice Queen (Acoustic 2025) (2025) | Single | 2025-12-19 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Somebody like You (2026) | Single | 2026-01-09 | - | 0 | 0 |
Best Within Temptation Songs
| Track title | Album title | Rating | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mother Earth | Mother Earth (2000) | 100 | 1 |
| 2 | Ice Queen | Mother Earth (2000) | 100 | 1 |
| 3 | Our Farewell | Mother Earth (2000) | 95 | 1 |
| 4 | Caged | Mother Earth (2000) | 95 | 1 |
| 5 | Deceiver of Fools | Mother Earth (2000) | 95 | 1 |
| 6 | Dark Wings | Mother Earth (2000) | 95 | 1 |
| 7 | See Who I Am | The Silent Force (2004) | 95 | 1 |
| 8 | Stand My Ground | The Silent Force (2004) | 95 | 1 |
| 9 | Angels | The Silent Force (2004) | 95 | 1 |
| 10 | The Promise | Mother Earth (2000) | 90 | 1 |
| 11 | Never-Ending Story | Mother Earth (2000) | 90 | 1 |
| 12 | In Perfect Harmony | Mother Earth (2000) | 90 | 1 |
| 13 | Jillian (I'd Give My Heart) | The Silent Force (2004) | 90 | 1 |
| 14 | Memories | The Silent Force (2004) | 90 | 1 |
| 15 | Intro | Mother Earth (2000) | 85 | 1 |
Additional notes
Formed as The Portal in April 1996 by the couple Robert Westerholt / Sharon den Adel, with the former's brother, Martijn Westerholt and members of The Circle/Voyage (Jeroen and Michiel), initially with Richard Willemse as drummer. Shortly after they changed name to Within Temptation, found a new drummer (Dennis Leeflang), recorded the Untitled and Enter demos, and landed a deal within a short period of two months with DSFA.
After Martijn Westerholt left the band due to a chronic illness, he was replaced by another ex-The Circle/Voyage member, Martijn Spierenburg (who used to perform keyboards and drums for the aforementioned bands).
Robert and Sharon have married and had kids during the course of the band, resulting in the former becoming a stay-at-home dad, not being part of the touring lineup since 2011.
"Ice Queen", from their Mother Earth album, reached the top three in the Dutch Top 40 charts.
The Voyage song "Frozen" (featuring Sharon den Adel) was put on the internet a couple of months before the release of Within Temptation's The Heart of Everything album because it was thought to be the track "Frozen" from that album. However, both songs are completely different and were a total mix-up. The Voyage track "Frozen" is a reworking of a track recorded by The Circle for a DSFA compilation in 1995. Both Voyage and The Circle are pre-WT bands
After Martijn Westerholt left the band due to a chronic illness, he was replaced by another ex-The Circle/Voyage member, Martijn Spierenburg (who used to perform keyboards and drums for the aforementioned bands).
Robert and Sharon have married and had kids during the course of the band, resulting in the former becoming a stay-at-home dad, not being part of the touring lineup since 2011.
"Ice Queen", from their Mother Earth album, reached the top three in the Dutch Top 40 charts.
The Voyage song "Frozen" (featuring Sharon den Adel) was put on the internet a couple of months before the release of Within Temptation's The Heart of Everything album because it was thought to be the track "Frozen" from that album. However, both songs are completely different and were a total mix-up. The Voyage track "Frozen" is a reworking of a track recorded by The Circle for a DSFA compilation in 1995. Both Voyage and The Circle are pre-WT bands