Within Temptation Bring a Spectacular Night of Symphonic Metal to Wembley Arena!!

Within Temptation Bring a Spectacular Night of Symphonic Metal to Wembley Arena!!

Within Temptation delivered an unforgettable night of symphonic metal that can only be described as absolutely mind-blowing, to a packed Wembley Arena on Saturday night as part of their long anticipated ‘Bleed Out’ tour!! With support from German post-hardcore band Annisokay, who’s cover of the Linkin Park track, ‘One Step Closer’ went down an absolute storm with its ferocious riffs and pounding drums and the packed audience loved them! The absolute highlight of their set was when Sharon den Adel joined them onstage to sing ‘Like a Parasite’. Sharon, who was wearing a Annisokay t-shirt had an incredible connection with Annisokay vocalist Rudi Schwarzer and was clearly loving every moment!!

Every part of Within Temptation’s set was pure perfection! It looked like something out of an epic gothic fantasy film! The stage set as a huge gothic cathedral with gigantic LED screens creating a visually stunning backdrop of biblical proportions that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a Hollywood film set! And when the band took to the stage to gigantic jets of smoke and a burst of blinding light with their opening track, the epic, ‘We Go to War’, the audience erupted into a frenzy of excitement!

It seemed like mere moments before they launched into their second track of the night, the stunning, ‘Bleed Out’, from their new album after which the tour is named! Driven by its pounding drum intro and Sharon’s hypnotic vocals, it was absolutely faultlessness!

 

But whilst the hits came thick and fast, a beautiful blend of their newer material and many of their older crowd pleasers, the fact was that this carefully orchestrated performance was so well thought out and beautifully delivered that the whole show was just one exquisite journey through a winding road of musical perfection!

This show was full of incredible moments, but one of the absolute highlights had to be where, Alex Yarmak joined the band on stage to duet with Sharon on their 2024 hit ‘A Fools Parade’. As they performed, the background showed a poignant film that reminded the fans that the war in Ukraine is very much still happening, thought provoking and incredibly moving, it was enough to take your breath away and bring tears to your eyes!!

Another special guest on the bill was ex-Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen who duetted with Sharon on the incredible ‘The Promise’ and ‘I Feel Immortal’. The warmth and connection between Sharon and Tarja was absolutely beautiful. They looked like two incredible strong woman born to perform together! And their performance made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

But this was the show that kept on giving and this was never clearer than when they played their final track of their set, the energetic and thrilling ‘Faster’! But if the fans thought this was it and they were heading back out into the cold London night, then they were wrong, as the band returned for a four song encore! One of the best of which was the spellbinding ‘Paradise (What About Us?) where Sharon duetted with Tarja once again! Their performance could only be described as breathtaking! The band choose to close this incredible night with the extraordinarily moving and visually stunning ‘Mother Earth’, Sharons performance was full of emotion and could have warmed the coldest of hearts and the backdrop had to be seen to be believed!!

So breathless and full of absolute joy, the ecstatic audience left the venue, knowing that they’d been part of an incredible night that they would never forget!!

Photos of Within Temptation

Photos of Annisokay

 

Words and photos by Louise Phillips

All photos are owned by Louise Phillips Music Photography

For more information about tour dates and to connect with the band visit: within-Temptation.com

Our very own Ore Biho from TotalRock had the pleasure of speaking to Sharon about what the ‘Bleed Out’ tour means to her! Check out the interview now!!

Within Temptation Setlist:

We Go to War
Bleed Out
Ritual
Don’t Pray for Me
Wireless
The Reckoning
Shot in the Dark
Stand My Ground
A Fool’s Parade
The Promise
I Feel Immortal
Supernova
Faster
Encore:

Our Solemn Hour
All I Need
Paradise (What About Us?)
Mother Earth