In searching for a new concept, they approached the writer of The Chronicles of Spellborn comics, who introduced the band to Steven O'Connell. However, upon his first meeting with the band, he failed to impress them with ideas involving zombies and fantasy, while they were hoping for a more mature approach rather than something unclear and superficial. [4] Sharon explained that, in trying to describe to O'Connell what they were looking for, [4] Within Temptation: The Unforgiving" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 17 August 2016. a b Prato, Greg (25 March 2011). "Allmusic review- 'The Unforgiving' ". AllMusic . Retrieved 25 March 2011.

I apologise for the very low rating, but I truly feel extremely disappointed with this album. This is a totally unforgiving release from all perspectives!The Unforgiving is the fifth studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation, released by Roadrunner Records on 29 March 2011. [3] It was a concept album as one part of a transmedia storytelling project, which accompanied the release of three short films and a series of six comic books. The album followed the band's pattern of incorporating new musical elements on each release, this time marking a major transition point for the band and featuring more pop and 80s influences. Lyrically, the band focused on telling a story with specific characters, also present in the films and comic books.

April 2011/7502/ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 August 2016. There is a certain malleability to metal, appropriate primarily since many metal substances carry this trait in a material sense, but often taken for granted and often times dismissed as being too heavily bent towards eclectic influences. But regardless of dueling orthodoxies, it is pretty well established that the limits of the genre are drawn less by any conventional wisdom, but more so by those in the mind of the creator. Within Temptation sought to expand their own boundaries while walking a clear tightrope musically, trying to balance a fairly different direction with the symphonic underpinnings of their established sound.Poor Sharon sounds as though she is being constrained by the music; her voice simply doesn't seem to soar like it usually does. It doesn't create a Gothic atmosphere. It doesn't have the power of the operatic vocals found on other releases. It is just plain and pop sounding. The music is unfocused, generic, and ultimately forgettable. Gone are the Gothic nuances and orchestral bombast found on previous Within Temptation releases. In their place we find generic euro-pop metal. The guitars crank out unmemorable riffs that are nothing spectacular and the bass is not quite here. Of course, this genre never had the best drummers and this band is no exception. You won't find anything awe-inspiring musically here except maybe a few melodic riffs here and there.

Within Temptation" still knows how to make it dramatic and theatrical, the intro to "Faster" sounds like a song on a preview for an action movie, and the intro to "Murder" sounds like a song that would be on a preview for a thriller movie. Even in Sinead" the one song on this album that sounds like it would be played at a dance party has a symphonic theatrical incline that makes you feel like that you're still listening to "Within Temptation" no matter how different it is. The band's previous release "The Heart Of Everything" was also a step down, when compared to their masterpieces "Mother Earth" and "The Silent Force", but it still contained some very good songs, amazing vocals and preserved the band's sound/identity. This album is just disappointing from all perspectives. A shame...Overall, not an awful album and certainly completely listenable and even brilliant at times, but this is far from essential and is quite unmemorable, generic, and definitely not new.. Ultratop.be – Within Temptation – The Unforgiving" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 August 2016. The sound quality is superb. Everything seems to be mixed well together. This band was actually a recommendation from my female metalhead friend of mine. I didn't like the album initially because I didn't think it was heavy enough. Then I brought down my expectations and took it for however it is. It's a great "chill-to" album. The music is great and just hard enough to make it metal but not really that heavy. The main focus seems to be the voice. The acoustic guitars too are fantastic. Everything seems to fit together on here. Some songs are heavy but the main focus for them are epic songs.