WITHIN TEMPTATION ENTER album

Enter is the debut studio album by Dutch symphonic metal/rock band Within Temptation, released by DSFA Records in 1997 (see 1997 in music). The album prominently features lead singer Sharon den Adel's vocals as well as guitarist Robert Westerholt's gruff death metal growls. Lex Vogelaar, founder of Orphanage, supplied the guitar parts for 'Pearls Of Light', as well as producing the album, and Orphanage vocalist George Oosthoek performed some of the growls on 'Deep Within

Recording

One week after they signed with DSFA, Within Temptation started recording Enter. The tracks on the album were new versions of the tracks that had appeared on Within Temptation's demos. It was recorded in Studio Moskou, Utrecht, and it was completed and mixed within three weeks.[3] Robert Westerholt remembers that "it was incomparable to the first recordings we did earlier, this one was much more professional. After all a nice experience, but a very quick one. 'Enter' was recorded in two weeks and mixed in three days, so it was very difficult for we couldn't take time to develop songs. But it was a nice experience - it was our first album!"[3] Vocalist Sharon den Adel recalls that "I only had one and a half days to record my parts and it was quite hectic, just a short warm-up and then 'Go

Style

The album's style is very instrumental compared to the band's later works. Many of the songs have longer instrumental sections and fewer lyrics. On several songs Westerholt provides growling (in contrast to later albums on which it is rarely used).
The lyrics focus on darkness, ghosts, wars instead of fantasy, love, and nature on later albums. Enter has been classified as Symphonic Gothic doom by some critics
Although it didn't enter the Dutch album charts in its release year, Enter eventually rise to #32 in 2002, after the great success of Ice Queen.

1.   "Restless
2.   "Enter
3.   "Pearls of Light
4.   "Deep Within
5.   "Gatekeeper
6.   "Grace
7.   "Blooded
8.   "Candles