"Tell me I'm frozen—what can I do?! Can't tell the reasons I did it for you!"
Like some other listeners, I wasn't sure what I thought of this song on the first listen. Other new songs like "Hand of Sorrow" and "The Truth Beneath the Rose" had caught my attention at the get-go.
But upon seeing the music video and reading the lyrics, I came to love "Frozen". (I know, I know; I'm a huge fan of all Within Temptation songs, it seems; I'll disillusion you of that, someday.) The rocky ballad "Frozen" is one of the band's singles for the UK. It's a bit softer than a lot of their "rock" or "metal" songs, but it is rock, perhaps a bit like BarlowGirl's "Never Alone", though the sound's quite different.
In the music video, a mother in the Victorian era bore abuse from her spouse, for she had no route of escape and her child was spared. But when the daughter learns of the father's violence from his common drunkenness, the father turns his abuse on the young girl. The mother, bereft of escape, murders her husband and is arrested. It is now that she's writing a letter to her daughter, and that's what the song is. "You won't forgive me, but I know you'll be alright." The music video is well-spliced, with skilled foreshadowing and scene choices that make it understandable even for the symbolically challenged.
Within Temptation carefully says that they are not by any stretch of the imagination condoning murder. Many who are in abusive situations tend to blame themselves for the abuse, but they need to get help, and Within Temptation strongly encourages them to call an international abuse hotline. In fact, all proceeds from the "Frozen" single will be donated to that help group. Sharon Den Adel and Robert Westerholt wrote the song after the birth of their daughter, Eva Luna, which has made them more aware of such child-related social problems.
Sharon Den Adel's voice uses the somewhat lower register than she used The Silent Force, as is common for The Heart of Everything. Her voice is strained, some complain in an unappealing way, but I disagree. This is obviously a topic that concerns Sharon, and the listener gets a sense of that.
"Frozen" isn't my absolute favorite song on the CD, but it's still a superb song well worth listening to. While I could imagine the song set to different music, the music used is still highly enjoyable (if you're not stuck in "This isn't The Silent Force!" mode).
("Frozen" and its music video are currently on Within Temptation's MySpace page. You have to scroll down for the video, or you can find it in their Videos section.)
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 5/5
Overall: 9/10
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