Within Temptation

In 1996, guitarist Robert Westerholt and singer Sharon den Adel, then longtime friends, founded the band, which would later be joined by Jeroen van Veen (bass guitar), Martijn Westerholt (keyboards) and, after several other percussionists whose passage was fleeting, Ivar de Graaf. They were quickly offered a contract by DSFA Records, which allowed them to work on their first album. Enter, their first album, released in 1997, was very well received. Afterwards the band started a tour across the country, after having performed at Dynamo Open Air, one of the largest heavy metal festivals in the Netherlands, in Eindhoven. In 1997 the band began an international tour in Germany and Austria. The year 2000 was eventful for the band, which resumed its tours while working on their second album, Mother Earth, released in the Benelux on December 1.