By Maxwell McClellan

One of the more unique things about the metal genre of music is the countless sub-genres that make it up. Among heavy metal, death metal, and power metal, one of the sub-genres I have always been a fan of has been symphonic metal. So while I enjoy practitioners such as Nightwish, the one I enjoy the most is another giant in the field, Within Temptation. Led by vocalist Sharon den Adel, Within Temptation has been producing quality music for at least 17 years, with their first album being 2003’s “Mother Earth”. I’ve enjoyed many of their classic works such as “Shot in the Dark,” “Angels,” and “A Demon’s Fate,” but it’s their latest single, “The Purge,” released just last November, currently has my interest. While the current circumstances of covid-19 have put a lot of creative projects on hold, it is admirable that Within Temptation still found the passion and motivation to release a new single.

Upon listening to “The Purge,” I was immediately drawn into it. The first thing that is absolutely worthy of note is den Adel’s vocals; she has the voice of a goddess and it has only gotten stronger in the years Within Temptation has been active. To compliment her absolutely mesmerizing voice are the fantastically crafted lyrics. Within Temptation has always had lyrics that express vivid images and deep emotions, and “The Purge” is no exception. The song essentially tells a story of an internal struggle, one where the subject is trying to move forward with her life while being shackled by past pains. This feeling is evident in verses such as, “I hate the darkness of my past/The cold rebelling, it drives me mad/And it follows me/It’s carving the heart out of me,” where the subject evokes feelings of the cold along with visceral imagery to completely portray the intensity of their inner struggle and the pain of years behind them. This sets the stage for the rest of the song, in which the subject declares that they must purge themselves of this sickness as it consumes them and blinds them. What I find to be very interesting about this song is how the subject wishes to conquer this feeling on their own and embrace their own power and defiance. In the lyrics, “Yeah you want me to fight it/And you want me to let go/Yeah, you tell me to fight it/And you damn me if I don’t,” it is implied that there is another party to the subject speaks to, one who appears to be controlling how they feel and act in some way. The fact that the subject mentions this before ultimately deciding to purge themselves in their own way cements this song’s many messages, such as finding one’s own power, breaking down any adversity in their past, present, and future, as well as not letting anyone dictate their actions. 

Within Temptation has always had songs about self-empowerment and striking back at the demons that plague you and I’m happy to see that “The Purge” continues that message. With a powerful instrumental and the ever-amazing voice of den Adel, “The Purge” is definitely worthy of being one of Within Temptation’s newest hits. They have been one of the largest symphonic metal bands for years now and they are only going to continue going strong.

Maxwell is a culture writer for La Tonique.