Resist opens with the aforementioned "The Reckoning," the album's lead single. I won't say much about this song here because I have already reviewed it as a single, but I will reinforce what I have already said, which is that this song is incredibly innovative and powerful, easily one of my favorite songs from the band's catalogue thus far. Nothing else on the album matches its sheer energy. The album continues with "Endless War," a weaker number on the album, although I do love the chanting choir brought in throughout portions of the song, and I love the spoken part near the end: "System overload. Self-destruct sequence activated. One minute until self-destruction." Like several songs on the album, "Endless War" features sprinkles of electronic elements, included to give the album its intended dystopian and futuristic feel. I don't think that the song is addressing literal war but instead a personal and internal war that many of us fight when we find ourselves battling inner demons, something that den Adel likely understands all too well considering the fact that personal strife that she recently endured (such as her father passing away) almost led to her departing from the band. Unlike Nightwish, however, which clearly seems to treat its frontwoman as a replaceable tool or instrument (sorry, Nightwish, I love you, but I am team Tarja until my dying day), Within Temptation seems to very much function as a team, and den Adel has said that the rest of the band likely would have been done had she decided to leave: "I think Within Temptation would have been done completely... They supported me throughout the whole process - we are a very tight group." Den Adel also addresses the death of her father in the electronically heavy, catchy, and emotional "Supernova" (which follows the album's second single "Raise Your Banner," which I reviewed here): "I'm waiting for your last goodbye 'cause I'm not over it... I'm waiting for the light of your supernova, your last goodbye." The metaphor is quite a clever and beautiful one because a supernova is a star exploding at the end of its lifespan, and from death sometimes arises light and beauty.
The fifth track on the album is titled "Holy Ground" and is another weaker spot on the album. The melody of the chorus is not as interesting as some of the other melodies that Resist has to offer, although the lyrics are interesting because they could, like many of the album's lyrics, have more than one meaning. On the surface, the speaker seems to be addressing someone whom she knows personally: "It's been a while since I told you that I hate you. You've turned the truth inside out. Don't turn your back when I face you, or I'll make you. You turned my world upside down." It's a bitter and angry song, directed toward someone whom has betrayed and deceived the speaker, but it might not be addressing someone whom den Adel personally knows. While I cannot say this for sure (and could, in fact, simply want the song to fit my own narrative), the song could be addressing corrupt and deceptive leaders such as the current United States President, Donald Trump. Whether you support the guy or not (F.Y.I. - I most definitely do not), you can't deny the fact that his presidency has caused a divide amongst people worse than has been seen in decades, and even people who are not American have expressed their disappointment and disdain in response to his election, so I would therefore not be surprised if Within Temptation (who are also not American) would also feel the need to speak out. (Even the title of the album is indicative of a strong political theme.) Further lyrics of the song also point to the idea of it being a corrupt leader being addressed: "Burying the truth with lies, fed up how you justify, and I hate it, and I hate it. You're so despicable when you're acting unreasonable, and I hate it, and I hate it." I, as I said, could very well be reaching simply because I want so badly for this song to fit my own narrative, but that to me, is a very accurate description of Trump, and there is also further evidence to support the idea that Trump is a target of this album, but I don't want to spoil that just yet.
The next two songs ("In Vain" and "Firelight") were released as singles prior to the album's release, and I reviewed those songs here and here. I don't want to spend much time talking about them here, but I do want to say that I initially said that "In Vain" seemed to be about someone who witnessed some type of apocalypse, and given the fact that the album is futuristic and dystopian in nature, I think that that is one way to interpret it, but it can also be seen as a response to a broken relationship. I also want to add that something about "Firelight" that I did not realize at the time that I reviewed it is that it was initially intended for den Adel's solo album My Indigo but was cut because she felt that it was too dark for that album, and it was eventually reworked for Resist. The eighth track on Resist is my second favorite song on the album (my first favorite, of course, being "The Reckoning"). Titled "Mad World," it should be stated that it is not a cover of the Tears for Fears song (something that I wondered myself when I first saw the tracklisting), although it is thematically similar; it is original, and it is fantastic. Driven by a splendidly fun electronic groove that reminds me a great deal of some of the tracks found on HIM's 2005 album Dark Light, the song features a catchy chorus powered by den Adel's powerful vocal delivery and male (although I am not sure who the male is) echoes. "Mad World" is followed by "Mercy Mirror," a power ballad driven by beautifully trilling piano. This is yet another song that offers a catchy chorus, this one being the perfect example of what the band meant when they said that the album was influenced by pop music, as you can easily imagine a more radio-friendly version of this song being sung by Miley Cyrus or Demi Lovato. It's definitely a highlight on the album, especially because of its heartfelt lyrics which address a relationship that, for one reason or another, seems to be failing, and the speaker is desperate to try to repair it or hold on to it. It might also be another song written for den Adel's father, although I can't corroborate that: "I need you more than I have known, so look in my mercy mirror 'cause I'm not ready to let you go."
Resist ends with what is probably the heaviest (and most metal) song on the album. "Trophy Hunter" features heavy and chugging guitar driving much of the song, and this song definitely hearkens back to classic Within Temptation. Although I personally would not have chosen to end the album with this song because it simply does not feel like a proper sendoff, it's a great, powerful track that I feel might be another response to Donald Trump: "You are trophy hunting, kill for nothing." It is no secret that Donald Trump seems to support trophy hunting, especially since his own sons engage in it, and as evidenced by songs such as "Mother Earth," "In Perfect Harmony," and the aforementioned "Ice Queen," the band definitely seems to be in support of wildlife preservation and taking care of the planet. The deluxe version of the album is followed by single edits of several of the album's songs ("Raise Your Banner," "Endless War," "Firelight," "Mad World," and "Supernova," with the single edit of "In Vain" conspicuously missing for some reason) and the instrumentals of all of the album's songs. While Resist is not my favorite Within Temptation album, I do certainly love it, as it definitely serves as one of their strongest and most powerful albums to date. You can clearly see that the band is inspired in ways that they never have been before. The visual representations that have been offered so far, for example, are innovative to say the least. The album's cover art is definitely my favorite Within Temptation album cover thus far, and the music videos (especially "The Reckoning" and "Raise Your Banner") are some of the most visually stunning and creative music videos that I have ever seen, not just from the band but from anyone ever. Although I do love den Adel's My Indigo album and would not have minded a follow-up album to that (and honestly even still hope for that to eventually happen), Resist makes me grateful that den Adel was able to overcome her personal struggles and get back on the Within Temptation bandwagon, that we are able to see the light of the supernova, and I hope that the band will continue to stick around for many years to come.
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