Icon Vs. Icon recently conducted an interview with WITHIN TEMPTATION'S Robert Westerholt. In the interview Westerholt talks about how the initial idea for a concept for the band’s new album came about and where it might take the band in the future, in the form of a full length feature film. Excerpts can be found below:

Icon Vs. Icon: You released The Unforgiving earlier this year. How did you arrive at the point where you wanted to pursue a concept album?

Robert Westerholt: “We have always been inspired by movies and books to write songs by. We base a lot of our songs on existing movies and books. Through the years, we thought that it would be really cool to have our own original story to base a record on and write songs for that. We felt that this was really the time in our career where we could do that. We got in contact with a comic book artist because we had made some music for a video game, his name is Romano Molenaar (Witchblade, Darkness and X-Men). He put us in contact with an American comic story writer named Steven O’Connell (BloodRayne and Dark 48). We called him and told him the ideas that we had and what kind of story we were looking for and that is how it started to develop. He came up with a great story for the basic idea. From there, even with the directors of the short movies we have made, the story was further developed. So here we are! Today, I was just in a comic book shop in Baltimore where our comic was being delivered! It was quite an amazing thing!”

Icon Vs. Icon: Is doing something in regard to videos or film outside of Within Temptation something that you are interested in pursuing?

Robert Westerholt: “No, not really. We definitely want to make a full length movie out of the story for The Unforgiving in the future. For me it is very inspiring to work with directors. To direct a movie is a very different thing and I think my talent lays more on the musical level and in the shows where I can incorporate all of these different elements in there. It is something which I really like! I think that if you want to have a good result, you must learn to work with the right people with the right talent and motivation. That is what is very inspiring!”

Icon Vs. Icon: Is turning The Unforgiving into a full length feature film something you are looking to do soon or is it still in the planning stages?

Robert Westerholt: “Yeah, yeah! That is what we are working on right now, although it is hard to predict when that will be definite. But yeah, it is in the starting phase.”

Read the entire interview at this location.

Bravewords.com scribe Mark Gromen’s report on Within Temptation’s September 12th show at the Electric Factory, in Philadelphia, PA can be read here.

Within Temptation collaborated with Beyond Comics on a comic book adaptation of their latest album, The Unforgiving, and the first issue (written by Steven O'Connel and drawn by Romano Molenaar) made its premiere at the Baltimore Comic-Con this past August.

Also, the band recently performed a three-song acoustic set at the Lowlands Festival in their native NetherlandsThey played three songs: 'What Have You Done', 'Faster', and 'Sinéad', from their most recent album, The Unforgiving.

Check out video footage below: