WITHIN TEMPTATION ENJOY BANNER YEAR

Within Temptation enjoyed a banner year in 2014. The veteran Dutch symphonic rockers began the year by releasing “Hydra,” their sixth album, in late January, and the disc promptly bolted to No. 16 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. In October, Within Temptation embarked on its first North American tour in seven years.

The band is ending the year with a special treat for fans: the rerelease this month of its long out-of-print debut album, “Enter” (1997), and the release of the double-live CD- DVD, “Let Us Burn: Elements and Hydra Live in Concert.”

The “Enter” CD also includes the band’s 1998 EP, “The Dance.” Listening to “Enter” and “Hydra” shows how far Within Temptation has evolved over the past 17 years. As evidenced on “Enter,” Within Temptation began its career as a gothic metal band in the style of Paradise Lost, one of the group’s main inspirations. “Hydra,” conversely, shows a much more dynamic band whose songs pack more of an immediate punch. The album includes unlikely guest spots by rapper Xzibit and Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner.

The “Let Us Burn DVD” is the perfect visual companion to Within Temptation’s music and also a contrast in styles. The “Elements” portion of the video was shot before 15,000 fans in Belgium in 2012 in celebration of the band’s 15th anniversary. The Hydra portion of the DVD features a concert in Amsterdam filmed in May of this year.

We spoke with singer Sharon den Adel.

This year has been huge for Within Temptation. What are your thoughts looking back on 2014?

It has been a great year but you never know what to expect. You always go with the flow and hope people like what you are doing. In America it’s going better than ever before. We have gotten a lot of attention in the press and on social media. We’ve been on an upward spiral in America and that’s one of our highlights.

You just re-released the band’s debut album, “Enter” (1997), which has been long out-of-print. What motivated you to do so?

When we were doing the promotional appearances for “Hydra,” especially in New York and L.A., fans would say how difficult and expensive it was to get the album. We thought, why not put it out again and get the price down. We talked to Nuclear Blast (Within Temptation’s record label). We were not sure if they would be open to it but they very much wanted to do it and dived right into it.

What do you think when you go back and listen to “Enter?” It’s very much a gothic-doom metal album and miles away from what Within Temptation sounds like in 2014.

It brings back a lot of nostalgia. We had one or two days to do vocals and I was trying to finish the lyrics at the same time. I remember going like a freight train with writing lyrics. We had so many different labels that people gave us, doom metal and then folk metal. I loved Paradise Lost and they had an opera singer on one of their songs and it was amazing. They were one of the first death metal bands at the time that had melody. Compared to now, there has been a lot of musical development in how we write songs. Our music has also changed in terms of how it sounds and is produced. Our first demo was on a cassette tape.

What can you tell us about the new Within Temptation DVD, “Let Us Burn”?

There are two shows on the DVD. The “Elements” show is an anniversary show where we played an arena in Belgium. It was a huge success and we love it. We played with a big orchestra and it worked well because we want to make epic music. It was the ultimate way for us to perform live. The “Hydra” show is more of a club show and we also love playing in more intimate settings so you get to see that part of us as well. Whatever size show we play, when you get on the same wavelength of the crowd it is a magical moment.

How was your first North American tour in seven years that happened the last couple of months?

The energy from the crowds was great. People were very excited. We were thrilled. People are doing a great job of spreading the word. Some people flew for a couple hours to the shows and that is amazing. One particular favorite moment came in Philadelphia. There was an 80-year-old man there. We are one of his favorite bands and his two sons drove him four or five hours to see us. You have to seize the moment and go for your dreams, and he was doing that.

What are Within Temptation’s plans for 2015?

It is going to be a very busy year. We will do a theater tour and a lot of summer festivals in Europe and we are hoping to come back to America to play places we did not get to this year. And we’re writing new music at the same time. It is looking to be another fun year.