Dutch symphonic metallers, Within Temptation, have assembled an all-star cast of guests for their upcoming record, ‘Hydra’.
The band's sixth album will feature some of the most revered vocalists in heavy metal, including former Nightwish frontwoman Tarja Turunen, and ex-Killswitch Engage throat-shredder, Howard Jones.
Guitarist Robert Westerholt says the LP also combines a myriad of styles, which ultimately paved the way for the collaborations. “One of the reasons [we collaborated with] Sharon [den Adel, vocalist],” Robert explains, “was because she's sung on R&B releases and some metal releases, which are totally different kinds of music.
“It's also been something we've always wanted to do on an album, so this time we were like, 'Well, why not have a few [singers]'? Especially because this time around the songs are so different, so why not ask people [to collaborate] who could emphasise and make the songs stick out even more?”
Perhaps the biggest surprise in-store for fans will be 'And We Run' – a track that hip hop artist Xzibit contributed to. “He had never heard of us,” Robert laughs. “But he really likes the song, and he's also someone who loves experimenting with different styles of music.
“It might be something that people wouldn't expect, but he's a very musical person who loves to experiment. He also has a very positive, strong character, which is something that appealed to us.”
Sometimes bringing together an eclectic mix of creative personalities has the potential to backfire. But Robert says all of the guests outperformed themselves. “When you send your songs to someone, you never really know what you're going to get back. It can also go terribly wrong. But that never happened. They all did cooler things than we could've possibly imagined.”
Robert also describes the new songs as the group’s most powerful yet. “A lot of the tracks have a lot of energy and I think that's going to really make them work well live. The single has already been released and I think that's something people can really sing along with. That will be pretty cool because we can let the crowd do the singing instead of us.”
Written by David Miso
‘Hydra’ is released Jan 31.
