RW: Yes, exactly, Roger Waters. But his show wasn’t that big anymore, but still it was pretty good.

SDA: There was no show actually, hardly any show.

CK: Did you like that, where did you see that in a theater?

SDA: No, it was in a big stadium actually.

CK: He didn’t fly a pig through the audience?

SDA: (Laughs) No, no, nothing like that – he had some rear screen projections. But still, it was very impressive. Ninety nine percent is the music and that should be the most important thing and his music is of course amazing. So, it doesn’t matter.

CK: Yeah, more so than the visuals, I so agree.

RW: We were always big fans of big shows.

SDA: Yeah.

CK: I’m getting the privilege of a lifetime, I’ve seen you in New York two rows away and the other night five rows away, I’ve seen the big show vicariously through the dvds, but to see you perform right in front of me, it’s unbelievable. Let’s get to the album, I love all the songs on the new album – there are too many to mention and you don’t have the time to go through them all so, I wanted to focus on “The Cross”, your vocal performance on that track particularly when you say “My Dear”….

SDA: Yeah.

CK: It is so venomous, cutting, slightly sarcastic and so subtle at the same time, only a listener who really loves music can hear all of that in just those two words.

SDA: I think it’s pretty impressive that you say that because that is how I tried to approach it. Yes, it says a lot of things (laughs) …

CK: It’s the way you deliver “My Dear” – it does all of that, it says so much in two simple words. And I just love it every time I hear it, and I could never hear it enough. Do you have a particular vocal performance on this new album that you are most proud of?

SDA: Well, there are two songs I am proud of. That song in particular became very special to me. I love the song, it’s one of my favorites. It almost did not make the album because of the fact that I wrote it together with Martijn in a different tempo but it was too quick, you couldn’t really play guitar to it. So, I wanted it to be really heavy, slow, dramatic, and really an angry kind of song, but it didn’t work out. It took me a year to get the right rhythm and right atmosphere and it finally made it to the album in the last few weeks of the recording. So, I finally got to say “Yay!”.

CK: It took you a year? It’s a masterpiece.

SDA: Yeah, it took a year to get it to the final way it became. It had a totally different rhythm. It was much faster, it had the same atmosphere but it was much faster before.
But, you couldn’t play guitar to it the way it was before, so I had to make it much slower and find the right rhythm. So, I heard a song on the radio and I recorded a piece of it and handed it to the producer and said, “ok, this is the rhythm I want to have more or less.” He totally understood what I meant and then everything began to fall into place and then we finished it.

CK: Was it one of the last things you recorded so it was almost like a miracle at the end of the recording sessions?

SDA: Yeah, actually a little bit because we almost gave up literally on it so... And the other song I’m really proud of is “The Heart of Everything” because I sing with a heavier kind of way, a little bit more aggressive, and I thought I could never do it. If you play a certain song in a certain tonality like this very low and very heavy then I can’t sing it like I sang on “Mother Earth” apply a very high vocal because it doesn’t come across then. It needs balls and I had to search for mine a little bit.

CK: Yeah, I think some of my friends who also love your music when they first heard it they said to me is that Sharon?

SDA: (Laughs ……)

RW: It’s her.

CK: I love it. Two more things on “The Cross” and I’ll get off that one, the instrumentation on that track, it’s very weird, there is a distorted cello on there and Stephen played the drum track on a crappy drum set?

RW: Yeah, yeah, exactly that’s the story and it became for us the experimental song on the album.

CK: It’s very experimental and that’s what I love about your band every time you take a new chance, I’m right there with you.

RW: I think we need that as a band. Every time we try new things for ourselves. That is also where we get our inspiration. So that track was really an eye opener to try out a lot of new things.

CK: Another thing I completely adore on that track and I swear I’ll drop it on this – I call it the laugh track.

SDA: Laughs …. The laugh track? (She starts to imitate the vocal)

CK: It was always there, you were just experimenting?

SDA: I was just experimenting, I also did it in on another song, but we had it taken out as it was just too strange. But, it just seemed to fit that song with the slight sarcasm kind of thing and the lyrics ….

CK: Yeah, yeah, you’re mocking the person.

SDA: Yeah, it just fit with that song and also the (she sings a vocal melody that follows the keyboard line on the opening of the track)

CK: Yeah, that’s the part that follows the piano part. The first time I played someone that part as I wanted to turn them onto it, he was like I can’t believe her voice on that part – it is so high - Yeah, it’s real.

SDA: Yes, at first it was a vocal line by itself, then he started playing over it in the studio and trying different things out and then someone came up with the idea to pitch my vocals, so it’s a little bit pitched, that is what you hear, so it’s a combination ….

RW: That’s a combination of her normal voice with a pitched vocal.

SDA: Yeah, we recorded another vocal an octave higher and pitched it. So, it’s comes across a little natural but also has a creepy kind of feel to it.

CK: I also love “Hand of Sorrow” it’s probably one of my favorite tracks ever, the first time I played it I immediately thought that’s an instant Within Temptation classic, it has all the elements of everything you’d expect and then so much more when you come in on that explosive chorus, oh my god, what can you tell me about that song? What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you think of “Hand of Sorrow”?

SDA: Well, we were searching for a certain kind of atmosphere. It was actually one of our weird songs, it’s a strange song, it’s a story about … what is the best way to describe it as we wrote the lyrics first ….

RW: The lyrics are not too hard to explain. It is based on the story of Robin Hobb the fantasy writer, “Royal Assassin” and the principle is just that sometimes you have to make choices in life, between your responsibilities, your principles and higher goals and your own personal life and your own personal wishes and desires, and sometimes you have to make sacrifices for a higher belief – that’s what this song is about. And that’s of course is the king’s apprentice – he kills for a higher cause. And it’s also a moral fight within yourself if you are doing the right thing or not. That’s what that song is about.

SDA: Also, there is a bit of a contrast of what the song is about and the feeling of the song. The song doesn’t feel that sad.

CK: No, it’s up tempo and a rocker. The beginning, the piano intro and outro is a little different and contrasts with the main song’s vibe and feeling.

SDA: I’m not sure anymore, it’s also a kind of a waltz?

RW: No, it’s not a waltz.

SDA: It feels very, not happy, but floating. That’s why I thought it was a waltz as waltz’s tend to float in a way.

CK: When the “Frozen” video was released I heard about how you are going to use the proceeds from the single to donate to local domestic abuse charities in Europe, sometimes your lyrics are kind of vague and cryptic, and are meant to be open to the listener’s interpretation, is that video a literal interpretation of the lyrics or just a message you wanted to present?

RW: No, the video is just a message. The lyrics were generally about the sacrifice you have to make for somebody else and not one that you would want to make, but one that you have to make.

SDA: It’s better for the other person sometimes.

CK: As the video illustrates – the mother will go to prison to sacrifice for her child.

SDA: Yeah, exactly it’s one way to express and interpret the lyrics of that song.

RW: So, it was more the idea was perfect for “Frozen” it was more like how can we interpret this song in different ways in the visual medium.

SDA: Then we started talking about lyrics and the script for this video, yeah, we felt it’s kind of a heavy subject but becoming parents we realized that this is something nobody ever did before write lyrics about it or have a video about it, and if you do a video like this and you bring this message across, you should do something with the money from it. Otherwise, it doesn’t feel right – you need to do something.

CK: Right, rather than just give the message, do something on your own.

SDA: Yeah, right do something on your own.

CK: Robert, I think you have a hand in how you coordinate a rock band with a choir and the orchestra, is that a difficult task to present them music and have them do what you want them to do, record it, then bring it back into the band mix and make it all cohesive?

RW: It’s kind of a cool thing in our music we have had the element in our music ever since we started the band, to create a great cinematic feeling with the choirs and an orchestra. But in fact the orchestra and the choir, they eat away the power of a band.

CK: They could easily overpower the band?

RW: Yeah, they overpower the band constantly, so it is always a huge struggle as we also love the power of our band ….

CK: Like we are going to see tonight ….

RW: Yeah, and that is always very difficult and it comes down to recording it properly which is also a learning process, but also it’s a lot in the arranging of the songs, and I think that is something we learn more and more about with each album is to arrange it better so that they don’t conflict with each other.

CK: I think on this record it is much more subtle – it’s there still, but the band is much more at the forefront of the mix, and it’s more used as accent(s) when needed. I think it’s a great balance.

RW: Yes, exactly, I think we can learn even more, but with every album we take another step in doing that.

SDA: Yeah absolutely.

CK: It’s kind of a trademark now, it has to be there somewhere.

SDA: Yeah, we can’t leave it out because then we would lose that bombastic feeling in our music. (Laughs )

CK: Bombastic – good word I like your choice of word there - that is another word I use to describe your music, it’s big, it’s cinematic, and bombastic – but I love it. The show that’s scheduled in Eindhoven, Netherlands November 24th, are there any plans to possibly film that show for a future live dvd for Within Temptation fans or will there be other shows considered?

RW: Yeah, well I think that one, usually when we do the big show in Holland we film it as it would be shame not to do that. So, there is a good chance we are going to film that. It’s more for ourselves, but we also put it in the stores so our fans can enjoy it.

CK: Right, because otherwise it’s lost forever. That Java Island show – that’s unbelievable. And then you usually film a couple more, I love the dvd packages you put together for your fans, oh my god. So, there will be a “The Heart of Everything” one someday? I can’t wait.

SDA: Also, for us it’s the ending of a certain period of the band so why not document it?
So, document it, absolutely. We are actually filming a lot of things now on tour in America, yeah.

CK: Yeah, from all of your fans, do you get compliments on your dvds?

SDA: They like it yes, because we try to make it as good as possible …

CK: My god, nobody does it better.

SDA: Well, we strive for a good quality sound and we put in a good amount of backstage information, how we are backstage, how different it is from how we are on stage, we don’t take ourselves that seriously a lot of the times and that is how it should be. It’s a nice way to share who you are from different sides.

RW: That way we document a whole era, not just the music or the concert, but the whole time frame from the recording, to the touring, to the backstage, to the videos, the whole time frame surrounding an album.

CK: And also because some of those songs from this era may never be performed again.

RW: Yes.

SDA: Yes, absolutely.

CK: Just picking up on that comment you made about not taking yourself too seriously, I had seen all the dvds, but the thing that struck me most about my first time seeing you in New York, not only did I have the absolute time of my life, but, you smiled through the whole performance, and it looks like you are really enjoying yourself, and believe me that is so refreshing because I have never seen a performer enjoy it as much as you do.

SDA: Well, I’ve been enjoying this tour very, very much because there is less pressure, and also because of the fact it is refreshing to see the people reacting like, “Oh my god, what is this? You know, kind of ? (Laughs …)

CK: You can feel what the audience is feeling? I’m stunned.

SDA: Yes, I can see their faces and their reactions. I see their emotions.

RW: I also think that is the most important thing because if the audience is not having a good time you won’t see ourselves enjoying it, or not that fast.

SDA: No.

RW: Because sometimes we even just forget about the audience and just enjoy our own performance.

SDA: And just do it for ourselves ….

RW: But in general, that’s our job, we enjoy the energy of the audience, yeah.

SDA: And that interaction with the audience – that’s the most important thing.

CK: The past two shows I’ve had the time of my life, I can’t wait for tonight.
I have the B-side “Blue Eyes” and since I have been traveling the other one “The Sounds of Freedom” was released and once I get back, I will be getting that as well, are there any other tracks that were recorded for the album sessions that Within Temptation fans will get to hear in this cycle as a B-side or? There are already two.

RW: No, I don’t think so. We have some ideas still, but I don’t think no - nothing is finished. This is really what we worked out for the B-sides for this album.

CK: When the “Blue Eyes” track begins there is almost like a middle eastern / Indian type singing right as the track opens, did you have someone come in and apply a guest vocal or?

SDA: Yeah, middle east, no, it’s a sample.

CK: Oh?

RW: Yeah, it’s a sample we found somewhere so we used that.

CK: It really gives the song a whole different cool vibe. Do you like that song?

SDA: I love the sample very much, but, we felt it’s a good song, but not good enough to be on the album, so we chose to use it as a B-side.

RW: It’s a B-track for a reason. (Laughs …)

CK: And I guess “The Sounds of Freedom” although I haven’t heard it yet, you feel the same way?

RW: Yeah.

SDA: Yeah, but, though it’s a very good song, it’s almost like a fairy tale song, more along the lines on something we would have put on “Mother Earth”.

CK: Ok, so, it doesn’t actually fit the theme of this album? So leave it off?

SDA: No. It fits more on “Mother Earth” actually, it’s more a “Mother Earth” kind of a song.

RW: And also we didn’t want to have too many ballads on this album.

SDA: No, we wanted to have a heavy album.