The Purge by Within Temptation

Album: single release only (2020)

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Here, Sharon den Adel is racked with guilt about some bad choices she's made that have had an adverse effect on some other people. At first she denied to herself what she did was wrong, but now the singer hates what she's become and can't find any peace.

This gravity, it's carving the heart out of me
I've got to bleed it out, all my thoughts intoxicated
'Cause the weight on me, it buries me alive

Den Adel acknowledges she needs to purge whatever is troubling her conscience before the guilt destroys her. By recognizing her mistakes, she has taken the first step towards cleansing herself.
Released on November 19, 2019, Den Adel told Germany's Rock Antenne the song came out of her having more time to reflect because of the COVID pandemic. She said: "The whole world has come to a stop, all of a sudden, in this roller coaster we're all living in. So maybe people will be able to relate to that, because I think a lot of people had time for self-reflection. It's more a mental cleansing than it's actually a physical one."
Within Temptation's previous single, "Entertain You," has a similar theme of reflecting on bad behavior. Den Adel explained that the song revolves around "the urge for self-gratification at the expense of others."

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