''Hydra'' is the sixth studio album by
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
symphonic metal band
Within Temptation
Within Temptation is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded in April 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. They have been classified by critics as gothic metal and symphonic metal, although each album contains other inf ...
. It was released on January 31, 2014 in Europe and on February 4, 2014 in North America. The album contains guest appearances by singer
Howard Jones (ex-
Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel an ...
), rapper
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality.
Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...
, metal vocalist
Tarja Turunen
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli (born 17 August 1977), known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Nightwish. She is a soprano with a three and a half oct ...
(ex-
Nightwish) and alternative rock singer
Dave Pirner
David Anthony Pirner (born April 16, 1964) is an American songwriter, singer, and producer best known as the lead vocalist and frontman for the alternative rock band Soul Asylum.
Early life and work
Pirner was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin and gr ...
(
Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dav ...
). The first single, "
Paradise (What About Us?)", was released on September 27, 2013, and featured Turunen as guest vocalist.
The second single, "
Dangerous
Dangerous may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Dangerous'' (1935 film), an American film starring Bette Davis
* '' Dangerous: The Short Films'', a 1993 collection of music videos by Michael Jackson
* ''Dangerous'' (2021 film), a Canadian-Ameri ...
", was released on December 20, in which Jones provided the male vocals.
This is the first album by Within Temptation to be recorded with three guitarists, with Stefan Helleblad making his Within Temptation studio debut on ''Hydra'' since his addition to the band shortly after the release of ''
The Unforgiving
''The Unforgiving'' is the fifth studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation, released by Roadrunner Records on 29 March 2011. It was a concept album as one part of a transmedia storytelling project, which accompanied the rele ...
'' in 2011. ''Hydra'' is also the first Within Temptation album to feature
Robert Westerholt
Robert Westerholt (born 2 January 1975) is a Dutch musician, known as the guitarist and co-founder of the symphonic metal band Within Temptation. He also writes music for the band along with his partner and band vocalist Sharon den Adel. He us ...
's
growling techniques since the band's debut album, ''
Enter'' in 1997.
Background and composition
The writing process of the album began in 2012, and at the first half of the year the band had six songs written already. The album was originally scheduled to be released worldwide in September, by their new label,
BMG and in the Netherlands by
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
.
On June 16, without finishing the whole album, the band went on to record the first music video for the new album. During a series of statements about the recording progress of the album, Westerholt stated that the album would contain
death growls
A death growl, or simply growl, is an extended vocal technique usually employed in extreme styles of music, particularly in death metal and other extreme subgenres of heavy metal music. Death growl vocals are sometimes criticized for their ...
. In mid-May, bassist
Jeroen van Veen went to the studio to record the bass base for the first five songs. The band eventually got a
North American
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...
sign deal with
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...
. The band also established a licensing deal with
Dramatico for the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
release of the album. Once the drumming and vocal recording were complete, the final guitar recordings started on August 26 and finished on October 22.
On August 30, the band announced that the lead single "
Paradise (What About Us?)" would be released as an
EP, also set to feature three tracks from the upcoming album in their demo form, being them "Let Us Burn", "Silver Moonlight" and "Dog Days". Upon making this announcement, den Adel said: "By releasing these demos we want to invite you in our home studio and show how we capture song ideas at an early stage of creating a new album. These demo versions are far from their final sound on the album, but will give you a hint of what we're working on. It will be fascinating to hear how the end result will sound like, once the album is released.". After announcing that the lead single would contain a guest musician, on September 13 the band officially announced that
Tarja Turunen
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli (born 17 August 1977), known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Nightwish. She is a soprano with a three and a half oct ...
was set to appear as a special vocalist on the title song.
The album's name was revealed on November 8, along with the official track list, all guest musicians and the cover art, designed by Romano Molenaar, the same artist who made the cover for ''
The Unforgiving
''The Unforgiving'' is the fifth studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation, released by Roadrunner Records on 29 March 2011. It was a concept album as one part of a transmedia storytelling project, which accompanied the rele ...
''.
The album title refers to the great variation in
musical genres the band improves on with each new release. About the concept, guitarist
Robert Westerholt
Robert Westerholt (born 2 January 1975) is a Dutch musician, known as the guitarist and co-founder of the symphonic metal band Within Temptation. He also writes music for the band along with his partner and band vocalist Sharon den Adel. He us ...
says: "''Hydra'' is a perfect title for our new album, because like the monster itself, the record represents the many different sides of our music."
According to the ancient
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...
, the
Hydra was a giant multi-headed serpent that, for each severed head, sprang forth two more in their place.
As the title, the sound composition of the album was said to be varied, as Westerholt said, also referring to the album title, that they "wanted it to be a real Within Temptation record, but heavier, more musically challenging, pushing borders and frontiers with new elements and influences, and at the same time bring back more from our early metal roots... a bit like the past and future at the same time." During an interview for
Ultimate Guitar Archive
Ultimate Guitar (Ultimate Guitar USA LLC), which is also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is an online platform for guitarists and musicians. Its website and mobile application provides guitar tablature catalogues and chord sheets. ...
, den Adel said that the main improvement on the last two records, in which is the transition to the symphonic metal itself to a more varied and multi-oriented sound, came from the fact that the band was considering itself "being in a box" where it could only sound in a restricted way inside its own genre and, having sold out all the possible elements in their 2007 release ''
The Heart of Everything
''The Heart of Everything'' is the fourth studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation, released by GUN Records on 12 March 2007 in Europe. It was released in North America on 18 June 2007 by Roadrunner Records. The album follow ...
'', the band decided to "let all boundaries go musically where
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
were not allowed to go" and improve their sound with "anything
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
can come out" and fit on the album.
Structure and inspirations
On answering a fan during a Q&A session on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, den Adel commented that the main inspiration for the songs on the album were "the big things in life". The first track, "Let Us Burn", is more guitar-oriented with less orchestrations and presents an air of melancholy, in order to propose "real direct emotion in a way".
"Dangerous", the second track and second single, is about thrill seekers and daredevils, illustrating people who need to live on the edge. The song contains fast riffs, distorted synthesizers, an over-use of drum bass in comparing with the band typical musical structures and features a fast and heavy uptempo nature that matters well the subject
as also the music video, that features renowned skydiver
Jokke Sommer performing gliding through the air and pulling off stunts.
"And We Run" was the band's first track ever to contain
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
vocals in an unexpected duet with American rapper
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality.
Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...
. According to den Adel, the main fact that the band decided to invite him was his open-mind for experimenting. The song introduces itself with a piano and den Adel's clean singing right to chorus when she uses her high voice until Xzibit enters, contrasting with his rap vocals and dark, deep voice. Xzibit was allowed to do his parts in his own way as the band wanted it to be original and coming from the rapper's perspective.
According to Westerholt, there was an initial criticism about the collaboration, as it appeared to run so far from their original musical style, and then an unexpected praise for the song.
The first track to be revealed was "Paradise (What About Us?)". As it is closer to their
symphonic metal roots, the band choose to invite musical genre fellow and former
Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen, as it is also on her comfort zone.
On collaborating with Turunen, den Adel stated that they "immediately clicked, not only creatively but personally" as "it felts completely natural that
hey
Hey or Hey! may refer to:
Music
* Hey (band), a Polish rock band
Albums
* ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014
* ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980
* ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
would do this together". The song features many strings, fast drums, heavy guitars and orchestrations as den Adel delivers a lighter and more natural tone and Turunen a deeper and more powerful singing. Lyrically the song is about collectivity and it is based on the speech given by retired four-star general
Peter van Uhm on May 4, 2013, which addressed the importance of not thinking only of "yourself" or "them", but "us". On reviewing
the earlier EP, critic Simon Bower described it as "every female fronted metal fan utopian song" mainly because of the cited duet.
Promotion
On July 12, the first material came to the public eye, with the band revealing a
teaser trailer
A teaser (or more specifically teaser trailer) is a mini- trailer and a form of teaser campaign advertising that focuses on film and television programming. It is a videography pre-release move or television show advertisement. Short in length, te ...
, with no title or song titles revealed. In the next month, the band announced the title of the lead single, "Paradise (What About Us?)", also uploading a teaser trailer revealing some lyrics and a guitar solo in anticipation for the release. The
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
and
EP were released on September 27. On October 25 and 26, den Adel and Westerholt presented an unknown number of songs to the press. The official teaser trailer came out on November 8, along with the official announcement of the album name and release dates. On November 21, the band revealed that it was working again with director
Patric Ullaeus
Patric Ullaeus is a Swedish director and photographer. He is the founder of Revolver Film Company, based in Gothenburg.
With his music video "The Serpentine Offering" for Dimmu Borgir he won the "Norwegian Grammy" award Spellemannsprisen in the ...
, who made the video of "
Mother Earth", on two new music videos to promote the album, being them "Dangerous" featuring
Howard Jones, which was released on December 20,
and "Whole World is Watching" featuring
Dave Pirner
David Anthony Pirner (born April 16, 1964) is an American songwriter, singer, and producer best known as the lead vocalist and frontman for the alternative rock band Soul Asylum.
Early life and work
Pirner was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin and gr ...
. At the end of November, Sharon traveled to
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
to start promoting the album on a radio station and present it to the press in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and the United Kingdom. On December 4, the first show of the upcoming promotional tour to have the tickets to be sold out was the one at the
Heineken Music Hall
AFAS Live (formerly known as the Heineken Music Hall) is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands, near the Johan Cruyff Arena. The big hall, named "Black Box" has a capacity of 6,000 and is 3000 m2; a smaller hall for after parties (Beat Box) ha ...
,
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
. During the promotional travelings, den Adel gave critics and radio stations access to the recording, and the first public impression from the album came through German radio station ''Rock Antenne'', which classified the album as "fast" and "heavy" and gave it a score of 5/5.
The third single, "
Whole World Is Watching", was the chosen song for the album promotion in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, debuting on the Polish national radio station
Polskie Radio Program III
Polskie Radio Program III (Polish Radio Three), known also as Radiowa Trójka or shortly Trójka is a radio channel broadcast by the Polish public broadcaster, Polskie Radio. It is a music station playing a wide variety of music from rock, alter ...
on January 10, 2014, in a special version featuring Polish singer
Piotr Rogucki
Piotr Rogucki (born 5 May 1978 in Łódź) is a Polish singer, musician, and actor, best known as the leader of rock band Coma. Rogucki is a member of the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
History
Rogucki graduated from Ludwik Sols ...
.
The band then went on a special trip to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
to promote a listening party in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
on January 24, with the presence of den Adel, Westerholt and Jolie, a signing session in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
and to promote the album on radio stations. In the meantime, the band appeared for the first time on the cover of an American magazine.
A few days later, on January 15, 2014, the main version of the song, featuring Pirner, was released as a promotional song on Dutch/Belgian radio station ''Q-music''.
As heading back to Europe, the band went on to visit popular
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
radio stations such as
538
Year 538 ( DXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Iohannes without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1291 '' Ab ...
and
3FM
NPO 3FM is a Dutch rhythmic CHR radio station controlled by public broadcaster NPO. The vast majority of the songs played on-air are rock, alternative, indie and pop, though dance and Mega Top 30 tracks may also air at times.
History
As R ...
and television programs for interviews and acoustic performances. On January 20, the band announced a try-out show for the upcoming tour at the
Effenaar
The Effenaar is a music venue in the centre of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. It was squatted in 1971 and has grown into one of the largest pop venues in the country, hosting rock, pop and techno events. The current Effenaar consists of two music ...
, in
Eindhoven (
NL), to be held on February 20, having the tickets sold out on the same day. The tour was originally planned to start in January 2014, but it was postponed to a month later, so the band could polish more the songs before releasing the album and also have more time to rehearsals for the following tour. After this period of radio and television appearances for acoustic performances and interviews, the band is embarked on the
Hydra World Tour
The Hydra World Tour was a concert tour by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation in support of their sixth studio album, '' Hydra'', released by Nuclear Blast on 31 January 2014. To date, it was their eight major tour and their third to ...
, engaging on a try-out show on February 20 at the Effenaar, Eindhoven. Tickest for the show were completely sold out at the same day it was put on sale. The first official show occurred on February 26, in Helsinki, Finland, and the arena tour was scheduled to pass primarily in Europe before the summer festivals season. Due to great demand, additional shows were announced and several venues were changed to larger ones with the intention to accommodate more people. At the end of the European leg, the tour had an attendance of over 120.000 people.
Critical reception
''Hydra'' received critical acclaim upon release. The first public impression from the album, through German radio station ''Rock Antenne'', described the album as "fast" and "heavy", giving it a score of 5/5.
Music magazine ''Reflections of Darkness'' scored the album 10/10, classifying it more "earthly and modern" in comparing with the previous releases that featured a more "celestial romance and coldness" atmosphere. While commenting the new "fashionable influences" due to the special guests and other musical directions, the review ended alleging that "still symphonic metal and progressive elements are
here
Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to:
Software
* Here Technologies, a mapping company
* Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Technologies, Here
Television
* Here TV (form ...
for those who are never tired of flawlessness, who value high-quality music and who are no strangers to the classical heritage." Rustyn Rose, from ''Metalholic''
webzine
An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a print magazine format to being online only was the computer maga ...
, also praised the album by giving it a score of 9.3 out of 10, primarily referring to the band's return to "its heavier and dramatic foundation" while also "continuing to grow and expand its boundaries". About the guest singers, the reviewer commented that the song styling was diverse, but the band managed well to put the genres crossing on their own style. At the end of the review, Rose called it "a masterful recording." British website
Rock n Reel
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
awarded the album 4 out 5 stars, also pointing the "mix of styles" presented in the record, especially the introduction of rap verses (making it as a
rap
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
/
nu metal styles) in the track "And We Run" and comparing the collaboration with Xzibit to that of
Linkin Park and Jay-Z, while commenting that "it works pretty well". Besides that, reviewer classified the album as "full of synths, airy guitars, excellent backing vocals and harmonies."
Eric Hunker, from American website ''The Front Row Report'', praised the album and lamented their low popularity in the United States while crowding arenas in their native land, saying that "''Hydra'' is bound to thrust them onto the global stage and finally garner them the attention and respect they so richly deserve" while calling them "musical geniuses". Hunker alleged that "''Hydra'' finds
ithin Temptationfurther pushing their boundaries, exploring new elements and influences, while at the same time revisiting their heavier metal roots" and gave the album a score of 9.5 out of 10. Adam Rees, from ''Metal Hammer'', placed the album number 20 at the Metal Hammer staff best of 2014 list.
Critics' lists
Accolades
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number six on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
on February 9, 2014, making it the band's highest charting album in the country, with ''The Unforgiving'' charting at number 23. In the Netherlands, ''Hydra'' marked the band's return to the first position on the charts since the release of ''The Heart of Everything'' in 2007, as ''The Unforgiving''s peak position was number two. The album also reached the number one position on the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
album charts, making it their first number-one album outside the Netherlands. The album was also the first one to enter the US
''Billboard'' 200 in a top 20 position, charting at the number 16 and selling over 15,000 copies in the first week of release, a position far better than the predecessor ''The Unforgiving'', which reached number 50. The album also reached number one on the American Top Hard Rock album charts. At that time, ''Hydra'' also became the group's highest charted album in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, France, Germany, and
Switzerland. Considering the great reception of both the album and tour on the North American market,
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...
opted to release a re-issue of the out-of-print albums ''
Enter'' and ''
The Dance'' on November 10, 2014, in order to give people access to the band's early material.
Track listing
Deluxe box set
* a 2CD Media Book
(the entire premium version of the album, including the bonus tracks mentioned above)
* a double vinyl gatefold
* a songbook with all of the lyrics
* a CD with instrumental versions from tracks 1 to 10
* an exclusive WT guitar pick
* packaged in an LP size Deluxe Box Set
Personnel
Within Temptation
*
Sharon den Adel – lead vocals
*
Ruud Jolie
Ruud Jolie (born Rudolf Adrianus Jolie on 19 April 1976 in Tilburg, Netherlands) is the lead guitarist of the symphonic metal band Within Temptation.
Early life
Ruud is an only child. Growing up, he first initiated himself to music by playing t ...
– lead guitar
*
Robert Westerholt
Robert Westerholt (born 2 January 1975) is a Dutch musician, known as the guitarist and co-founder of the symphonic metal band Within Temptation. He also writes music for the band along with his partner and band vocalist Sharon den Adel. He us ...
– rhythm guitar, growling vocals on tracks 6 & 9
* Stefan Helleblad – rhythm guitar
*
Martijn Spierenburg – keyboards
*
Jeroen van Veen – bass
* Mike Coolen – drums
Additional musicians
*
Howard Jones (ex-
Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joel Stroetzel an ...
,
Light the Torch
Light the Torch (formerly Devil You Know) is an American metalcore supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 2012. They are currently signed to Nuclear Blast Records and have released four albums: two under the "Devil You Know" moniker ('' The Beau ...
and
Blood Has Been Shed
Blood Has Been Shed was an American metalcore band based in Granby, Connecticut. The band came together in 1997 and has featured members of Killswitch Engage, Diecast, Light the Torch, Red Tide, Terror, Walls of Jericho, Bury Your Dead and ...
) – clean male vocals on track 2
*
Xzibit
Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "exhibit"), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and radio personality.
Xzibit began his musical career after the release of his ...
– rap vocals on track 3
*
Tarja Turunen
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli (born 17 August 1977), known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Nightwish. She is a soprano with a three and a half oct ...
– vocals on track 4
*
David Pirner
David Anthony Pirner (born April 16, 1964) is an American songwriter, singer, and producer best known as the lead vocalist and frontman for the alternative rock band Soul Asylum.
Early life and work
Pirner was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin and gr ...
(
Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dav ...
) – vocals on track 10
*
Piotr Rogucki
Piotr Rogucki (born 5 May 1978 in Łódź) is a Polish singer, musician, and actor, best known as the leader of rock band Coma. Rogucki is a member of the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
History
Rogucki graduated from Ludwik Sols ...
(
Coma) – vocals on track 10 (Polish edition)
* Frank van Essen – violin
* Jonas Pap – cello
Production
* Daniel Gibson – producer and programming
* Robert Westerholt – producer
* Juno Jimmink – additional production
*
Arno Krabman
Arno Krabman (; born 19 March 1982) is a Dutch songwriter and producer. He is known for his work with, among others, Suzan & Freek, Snelle and S10, and has had over twenty-five Dutch Single Top 100 hits as a songwriter. His repertoire consists ...
– editing, bass engineer, drum editing, drum engineering
* Stefan Helleblad – editing and Guitar engineer
* Ruud Jolie – guitar engineer
* Martijn Spierenburg – orchestration and orchestra production
* Stefan Glaumann – mixing
*
Ted Jensen
Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''.
Biography
T ...
– mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hydra
Within Temptation albums
2014 albums
Nuclear Blast albums
Universal Music Netherlands albums
BMG Rights Management albums