Crucial Track for May 13, 2025

"Mother Earth" by Within Temptation

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Today's entry is part of #TuneTuesday over on mastodon and the theme is #MotherEarth

I won't pretend to be a particularly imaginative man (in fact I have aphantasia so I'm one of the least imaginative people you know... probably) so my choice is... Mother Earth by Within Temptation

I discovered WT at University from some of my dorm friends and I've been a huge fan of them and Delain ever since.

Mother Earth is a catchy epic metal track which starts with a gentle flute intro and picks up the pace fairly quickly with a driving guitar riff and a full orchestral accompaniment. When it starts in earnest, it makes me want to headbang and I don't have enough hair to do that properly...

It's a classic earth worship hit and a great example of WT's earlier, "raw" sound. Sharon Den Adel's vocals are haunting and "fae" and the lyrics are about the power and inscrutability of Mother Nature

> Birds and butterflies > Rivers and mountains she creates > But you'll never know > The next move she'll make > You can try > But it is useless to ask why > Cannot control her > She goes her own way

This is a staple of my late teens and early 20s and I remember on the couch lying in my first apartment during my internship looking out at the mist in the communal garden with this album on in the background.