Within Temptation

[EtherAddict]

About a year and a half ago, during the summer time, I discovered a source of ether in music.  Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last.  I discovered the group Within Temptation, whose voice fill my head, with lyrics and music melding together, becoming almost a sort of life force entirely of their own, ether.

Does anyone else like them of, even more so, see their ether?

EtherAddict

[Soul_of_the_Ether]

This is actually the second reply I've written to this... So after careful consideration:

'Music is a very powerful force. In fact it can be said that all music has a sort of life force of its own, but unfortunately, not all music can find its source in, or even a place within, the Ether.'
                                             - 666

I just couldn't put my finger on it to begin with, I suppose because I had never heard of them before you mentioned them, but now I realise that the group 'Within Temptation' remind me too much of 'Evanescence', & whilst I can certainly say that they are good --not merely good; I can give them a little more credit than that-- they make powerful music. However, I just can't say that they have the Ether, or even that they make Ether music. ...

'Only Lily has the Ether : From Sleepy Head'
                                    -AALCC

Which turns out on inspection to be true. And let me assure you, I don't come to this conclusion lightly. It was only after listening to four 'Bjork' albums (which I love), along with 16 tracks from four 'Within Temptation' albums, & loads of tracks from various other artists that LastFM put on the Lily Chou-Chou channel as being similar... And even after all of this I still don't see --or hear-- it! None of them seem to even come close to touching that pure Ether which can be found through listening to a combination of Lily Chou-Chou & Takeshi Kobayashi... 

I'm sorry if this seems a little harsh: But I simply don't feel the same things from "WT" as I do from "LCC"... However, that said: Once upon a time I used to think that Bjork had the Ether, but after finding Lily, my standards have changed, now all I find in the music of others are snatched fragments of the Ether, scattered here & there; a slight tone of voice, the pluck of a chord, a soulful melody scraped from between a blackened beat... Nothing seems to compare any more. I would even go so far as to say that Salyu herself, can't even make anything as good as she did in her guise as Lily Chou-Chou; but then thats why I love Lily completely & salyu only for what she represents... Albeit how much I would love for her to prove me wrong & show me that the Spirit of Lily is very much alive within her...

I'll apologise now for the probable dissatisfaction in my response, but you can't put a question out there without people having something to say about it ;-) ... Furthermore do remember this is just my opinion, I don't expect everyone to agree with me. ... Be well,

Soul of the Ether!

[EtherAddict]

I actually find your response very interesting, especially based on the existence of this forum and it's description.  I hadn't ever actually compared them to Evanescence before.  I'll have to listen to the two together sometime.  I do remember, when watching the AALCC's concert scene, the video playing on the screen outside, that her visuals reminded me of Evanescence's visuals, though I couldn't quite place why.  I think it was the sort of setting.  *shrugs*

I'm not a big fan of LastFM's Lily Channel.  I rather thought they'd do better without all the similar stuff they tried to find.  It just wasn't up to par.  Very much of it annoyed me. 

[Soul_of_the_Ether]

I actually find your response very interesting, especially based on the existence of this forum and it's description.  I hadn't ever actually compared them to Evanescence before.  I'll have to listen to the two together sometime.  I do remember, when watching the AALCC's concert scene, the video playing on the screen outside, that her visuals reminded me of Evanescence's visuals, though I couldn't quite place why.  I think it was the sort of setting.  *shrugs*

Sorry about taking so long to respond, but I'm back again now, & ready to take on the world & everything it throws at me.

Glad you found my previous response interesting. I thought they were similar because the musical style & sound of both groups seem to mix the dark symbolism with the light; quite like how one might see some depiction of an angel fighting a demon, but in the music there is no fighting the sounds go together quite harmoniously -- I see the female singers voices as angellic, whilst the music itself is the demonic force (this latter aspect is what put me off in regards to seeing the Ether in the music of Within Temptation; the musical setting just wasn't the Ether I know & love. But the darkness of music does have other uses... I won't go into them here though). Uhmm... Do you consider both groups as having a dark sound? I don't know other peoples opinion on this...

As to the AALCC concert scene, & it reminding you of Evanescence's visuals, all I can do is eccho your *shrug* although I do think I see it a little...

"I'm not a big fan of LastFM's Lily Channel.  I rather thought they'd do better without all the similar stuff they tried to find.  It just wasn't up to par.  Very much of it annoyed me."

LOL... I know exactly what you mean, LastFM just don't cut similar too close with some of their selections of music. And although some of the music on the Lily Channel is ok, most of it is nothing like LCC, & a big disappointment to boot.

Hope you've managed to compare Within Temptation to Evanescence a little by now, if so, what do you think? Is my considered similarity closer to the mark than those of LastFM? LOL

Soul of the Ether

[ether]

Nothing seems to compare any more. I would even go so far as to say that Salyu herself, can't even make anything as good as she did in her guise as Lily Chou-Chou; but then thats why I love Lily completely & salyu only for what she represents...

I Agree, for me too only lily as the ether, Saylu is a totally different person.