Having a look at the history of Within Temptation, moreover the career and the music, it really seems like a dream come true. When the Dutch band was founded in 1996, things started to grow very slowly. Even after the release of "Mother earth" it didn’t look like the band would become an overnight sensation soon. But good things come to those who wait, and the second single "Ice queen" went straight on #2 of the Dutch charts, made the record re-enter on #3 and reached platinum status quite soon. "The silent force"-CD brought the worldwide breakthrough, powered by the singles "Stand my ground", "Angels" and "Memories". Several gold and platinum certifications followed, along with worldwide tours, supporting Iron Maiden, Rammstein and others. With their new record, "The heart of everything", the band made a surprisingly heavy album, still with a commercial touch, but very mystic, dark, gloomy, majestic and with all trademarks that made the band so special. Frontgirl Sharon showed how versatile she was as a singer, sang with a lot of power and pressure but also very melancholic, emotional and sensitive.
The European market was already conquered and the USA tour with Lacuna Coil followed, the single "What have you done", featured by Life Of Agony vocalist Keith Caputo, marked their first US release, followed by "The heart of everything". Only two months later, the Dutch band went over for their first headlining tour, which became a huge success. "We had a great time", comments Robert his still fresh impressions. "The weather was ten times better than in Europe and we experienced a lot of things. In the mornings we went to the cities that gave us a lot of different impressions. It wasn’t always easy to arrange because sometimes we were much too tired, but if we could manage it, we tried to see as much as somehow possible." As for each European, the US are always something special. Everything is huge and nothing seems impossible. "New York impressed me most, as well as Chicago, where we’ve been for the first time. In general it was very nice to see how the people are living, to see the big differences between the cities and the landscapes. It is such a big country! Once we saw the Indian ground, with all the cactuses and deserts, but also great forests, lakes and really huge rivers. It can be extremely beautiful, so to say". The US market is both different and difficult at the same time. You have to play a lot and be there all the time. But once you keep the ball rolling, you can only win. "We didn’t really know what to expect from our first headlining shows, but we played at some beautiful clubs and places that just turned out great. The audience was very enthusiastic, they came from all over the country and people waited a long time to see us with a whole set. Some told us that they drove like ten hours", says Robert, he smiles and continues. "We are just happy that we got the opportunity to play this tour and convince like thousand people each night. Thanks to the internet - a lot of people already knew us before our latest record marked our first US release, which made this tour possible all in all." Now there will be a re-issue from "The heart of everything", with a lot of bonus material and a DVD with nine live songs recorded in Japan, plus some of the latest video clips. Die hard fans and the ones who haven’t bought the record yet, shouldn’t miss it this time. "It is a nice combination with a lot of video material from our shows in Japan. There is also a lot of stuff on it, which we didn’t know about. We knew that it was filmed just not that it would make its way to the DVD. This show was really great! Tokyo is a fascinating city, it is so big and everything is special. You have trains with two levels and highways on the fourth floor. A lot of stuff you aren’t used to. We like to play there, because also the fans are so special and unique. Once they are really enthusiastic and make a lot of noise, one second later it is terribly quiet. Japanese people are very polite, also at signing sessions. They are all waiting in a row, no one is pushing etc. We always get a lot of presents, the culture is just so different. The CD will also contain acoustic versions of ‘Ice queen’, ‘What have you done’ and ‘Stand my ground’, which we recorded for a radio show in the UK." Whenever special editions are made after the release of an album, it will cause different opinions between the fans. How does Robert feel about that? "Well, I mean, don’t buy it if you are not happy with it. Each band has fans that are willing to buy everything, but they love those extras and don’t complain. It’s always hard to give a certain statement about this. I also go to shops and buy DVD’s and when a special version with extra material comes out later, I feel little bit angry; but this is quite normal I think. In the end, even if it’s out later, people can chose what they want to buy. Some feel confident with the regular version in a jewelcase". Robert is still quite interested in the scene, new releases and bands. But he is not hunting for limited editions, as he explains. "These days I buy most of my stuff online. When I really like a band, I want to have something physical for sure. But most of the time, it is just much more easier to download stuff and put it on my iPod." With "The heart of everything", Robert feels happy and proud at the same time. "We are completely satisfied with everything: the songs, the production and for sure the fantastic response of the fans. They made us being able to tour worldwide, and the new songs were celebrated as enthusiastic as our older material. This upcoming weekend we will produce the video for our third single "All I need", which we are really looking forward to. It will be out early November as a single, along with some demo versions of our latest songs. I love this, cause it gives the fans an impression what the songs sound like in the beginning, before we enter the studio to record them properly." A lot of things are going on in the Dutch camp. So don’t miss this special edition of "The heart of everything". It’s just a wonderful highlight with so many different emotions, impressions and feelings. Something in life would be missing without it.