Black Symphony
video
ArtistWithin Temptation
CoverBlack Symphony-cover.jpg
ReleasedEurope: 22 September 2008
USA: 23 September 2008
Australia: 18 October 2008
Turkey: 22 September 2008
Russia: 3 November 2008
Japan: 24 December 2008
Recorded7 February 2008
VenueRotterdam Ahoy
GenreSymphonic metal
Length350 Min
LabelSony/BMG
GUN
DirectorHans Pannecoucke
ProducerMatijn Swier, Ralph Broos, Wouter Strobbe
ChronologyWithin Temptation video
Prev year2005
Next year2014
Black Symphony
live
ArtistWithin Temptation & The Metropole Orkest
ReleasedEurope: 22 August 2008
USA: 23 September 2008
Australia: 18 October 2008
Turkey: 22 September 2008
Russia: 3 November 2008
Japan: 24 December 2008
Recorded7 February 2008
VenueRotterdam Ahoy
GenreSymphonic metal
Length122:59
LabelGUN
ChronologyWithin Temptation
Prev year2007
Next year2009

Black Symphony is the third live album by Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation. It was released worldwide on 22–24 September 2008 and is available on 2-disc DVD, 2-disc CD, and Blu-ray.[1] Sony Poland announced this item to be released on 3LP. Release was due Friday 28 December 2018.[2]

Information

The release consists of two discs. The first one contains the homonymous special concert that features the band accompanied by The Metropole Orchestra, the Pa'dam Choir, and special guests including George Oosthoek (ex-Orphanage), Anneke van Giersbergen of Agua de Annique and Mina Caputo of Life of Agony. It was filmed by 14 HD cameras on 7 February 2008 in a sold-out concert at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam. The album was certified Gold in the Netherlands.[3] Besides the orchestra, choirs and special guests, the concert featured some elaborate extra production apart from the band's common tour performances, such as choreographed circus performances, pyrotechnics, fireworks and special lightning. The album was also one of the pioneers of the blu-ray format release. Music technology magazine Sound on Sound constructed a special article about the making-of process of the DVD, such as the mixing and the editing, and the use of new technology in it.[4]

Reception

The double release was well received among music critics. Adrien Begrand, from Popmatters, praised the band's current recognition in Europe and considered that the main concert structure and production was a worthy opportunity that only a few successful bands could embrace. Begrand, while praising den Adel's performance overall, considered the excess of ballads on the setlist as a low point. He ended his review stating that the release is "in all, a classy package befitting a very classy band, and a sure-fire fan pleaser."[5]

Content

DVD 1

Within Temptation & Metropole Orchestra: Black Symphony.

Recorded live at The Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands on 7 February 2008.

Extras

Backstage Report

  1. Interviews with the band, conductor Jules Buckley, members of the orchestra, Mina Caputo and various fans outside the Ahoy. Presented by Dennis Weening.

Documentary

  1. 30-minute documentary with exclusive never-seen-before footage. Interviews with band members on the band's history and on Black Symphony. Produced by the NPS, Netherlands.

Countdown Black Symphony

  1. A short overview of all the happenings on the day of the show, from when the production starts in the morning, until showtime in the evening.

DVD 2

Bonus Concert

Recorded live at The Beursgebouw, Eindhoven, Netherlands on 24 November 2007.

Music Videos

  1. What Have You Done (with Mina Caputo)
  2. Frozen
  3. The Howling
  4. All I Need

The Making Of...

  1. Frozen
  2. The Howling
  3. All I Need

World Tour Impressions

  1. An hour of exclusive footage recorded on the road by Within Temptation in the US & Canada, Europe, Turkey, Mexico, Colombia, Japan and the UK.

Extras

  1. TMF Awards Benelux (featuring WT's performance of What Have You Done and All I Need at the TMF Awards Belgium)
  2. The Dutch Pop Award Show (featuring the male members of WT dressing up in dresses and receiving the Netherlands' most important music award)
  3. Photoshoot Erwin Olaf (very exclusive footage of Erwin Olaf working with us on the photos made for The Heart Of Everything)
  4. Orchestra Recordings (filmed during the recording of the orchestra parts for The Heart Of Everything)

Specs

PAL/NTSC format. Contains Dolby Digital 2.0, 5.1 and DTS 96/24 surround sound, filmed in high definition, widescreen. Subtitled in English. Coded region-free, with a total running time of 470 minutes as it also contains both CDs of the Ahoy concert.

CD track listing

Europe and Japanese version

Editions

  • Europe: 2-CD Digipack/ 2-DVD Digipack/ 2-Disc Blu-ray
  • Europe, UK, Australia: 4-Disc Special Edition Digipack
  • USA, Canada: 1-CD+1-DVD Jewelcase
  • Japan: 2-CD+1-DVD Digipack
  • Argentina: 1-DVD

Personnel

The Band

Special Guests

Charts

Album Charts

Chart (2008–2009)Peak
position
Chart (2012)Peak
position
Chart (2019)Peak
position
UK Vinyl Albums Charts (OCC[6]
39

Year-end album charts

Chart (2008)Position
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[7]44

DVD Charts

DVDs Chart
(2008)		Peak
position
Austrian DVD Chart[8]6
Belgian DVD Chart (Flanders)[9]2
Belgian DVD Chart (Wallonia)[10]8
Dutch DVD Chart[11]4
Finnish DVD Chart[12]2
Hungarian DVD Chart[13]18
Spanish DVD Chart7
Swedish DVD Chart[14]1
Swiss DVD Chart[15]1
Turkish DVD Chart13

Year-end DVD charts

Chart (2008)Position
Netherlands DVD Chart[16]28

Certifications

!scope="col" colspan="3" | DVD |-

References

  1. ^ Official DVD Announcement Archived February 19, 2009 at the Wayback Machine Official Website
  2. ^ Three Within Temptation releases to be reissued donttearmedown.info 27 August 2018
  3. ^ "Within temptation: 'Black Symphony' DVD Certified Gold In Holland". Legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  4. ^ "Within Temptation: Producing Black Symphony"
  5. ^ "Within Temptation – Black Symphony (Popmatters review)". popmatters.com. 10 December 2008. Retrieved 2017-05-06.
  6. ^ "Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
  7. ^ "Within Temptation: Year-end Dutch Charts". Retrieved 2014-07-05.
  8. ^ "Austria Top 40 - Musik-DVDS Top 10 03.10.2008 - austriancharts.at". Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  9. ^ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". www.ultratop.be. Archived from the original on 2014-04-19.
  10. ^ "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". www.ultratop.be. Archived from the original on 2014-04-19.
  11. ^ "Dutch charts portal". Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  12. ^ "Finnish charts portal". Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  13. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ – Magyar Hangfelvétel-kiadók Szövetsége". Mahasz.hu. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
  14. ^ "Veckolista DVD Album – Vecka 40, 3 october 2008" (in Swedish). www.sverigetopplistan.se. Archived from the original on 2015-12-26. Retrieved 2014-11-27.
  15. ^ "Within Temptation & The Metropole Orchestra – Black Symphony". www.hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  16. ^ "Within Temptation: Year-end Dutch Charts". Retrieved 2014-12-24.