WITHIN TEMPTATION's SHARON DEN ADEL Explains Long Gaps Between Studio Albums

Superskum.com conducted an interview with vocalist Sharon den Adel of Dutch symphonic rockers WITHIN TEMPTATION during the band's recently completed North American tour. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked why it takes WITHIN TEMPTATION a minimum of three years to release a new studio album, Sharon said: "The problem is you guys always want us back very soon, and longer and longer… The problem is, when you're touring, it's very exhausting… That's how it goes most times when you're on the road. You don't really write that much, and then you come home, and then we've all got our families. And besides that, there's also the theater tour that we're gonna do. It takes a lot of… We have to rebuild our songs; it's almost like a whole studio project. And then you have the festivals again; you don't do much then, because it's flying around with airplanes, and you don't take your gear with you that you have in the studio. And we don't just tour America; we also tour the whole of Europe extensively. But also outside of Europe — like Asia, we also go to. So it's a lot of shows that we do. And before you know it, it's three years later, and you still have to write an album, and that takes a year also. And if you do it in a year, that's quite quick, actually, with recordings and everything."

WITHIN TEMPTATION will release a new live DVD/Blu-ray/2CD, "Let Us Burn - Elements & Hydra Live In Concert", on November 14. The set features two of WITHIN TEMPTATION's most-talked-about arena shows ever. The two dates are 2012's resplendent 15th birthday "Elements" concert and the final night of the "Hydra" European arena tour at Amsterdam's Heineken Music Hall in May 2014.

When it comes to the live experience, WITHIN TEMPTATION's status is of a league extraordinaire. These two performances showcase every nuance of their fierce reputation plus stunning imagery and special FX, including even giant fire-breathing dragons!

In November 2012, WITHIN TEMPTATION challenged themselves to create one of their most impressive arena shows ever, to celebrate the band's 15th birthday. The result was the one-off symphonic "Elements" show, held at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp. A dazzling event with 15,000 fans, the band's dream came to life. Newly inspired, the group went forth to write their critically acclaimed sixth studio album, "Hydra".

In early 2014, WITHIN TEMPTATION unleashed "Hydra". This monster record claimed more than 10 European Top-10 chart positions, a No. 2 position in the iTunes World Charts, and the band's highest U.S. Billboard Top-20 chart position to date. The album success was followed by a 33-date European arena tour, selling out noted venues like Wembley Arena in London, Le Zenith in Paris, and the legendary Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam (twice).

Over 15,000 fans joined the "Elements" show celebrations and more than 120,000 fans witnessed the "Hydra" beast on stage in Europe, but WITHIN TEMPTATION is far from done. The "Hydra" world tour is currently in full swing in North America. With South America and Japan still to come, more than half a million fans will have seen WITHIN TEMPTATION by the end of this year.

WITHIN TEMPTATION is renowned for releasing impressive live DVDs. Previous release, the best-selling "Black Symphony" DVD, helped make them one of the most popular bands in their genre. At their recent Awards show in Berlin, Metal Hammer Germany presented WITHIN TEMPTATION with the prestigious "Best Live Band" award. The new DVD underlines this title.

"Let Us Burn - Elements & Hydra Live In Concert" will be released in four formats — DVD + 2CD, Blu-ray + 2CD, 2CD, and digital album. The DVD and Blu-ray contain 34 live audio visual tracks in HD, mixed in 5.1 Dolby Surround. The 2CD and digital album comprise 32 live audio tracks. The two shows have a running time total of approximately 170 minutes.