B-side "Where is the Edge" Format Digital download | Released 21 January 2011 | |
Length 4:24 (Album Version)3:16 (Radio Edit) | ||
"Faster" is the first single from Dutch symphonic metal/rock band Within Temptation's album The Unforgiving. It had its worldwide radio première on 96.3 Rock Radio on 21 January 2011.
Contents
The song's accompanying music video was released on 31 January 2011 alongside the Mother Maiden short film, and reached 35,000 views on YouTube in its first day.
The single remained in the Dutch Top 100 for thirteen weeks, peaking at number eleven.
Background
Robert Westerholt said that;
Sharon den Adel said that;
Den Adel's explanation of the song's lyrics;
Mother Maiden short film
The Unforgiving's first short film, Mother Maiden, was combined with the music video to Faster and released on 31 January 2011. The film begins with the character of Mother Maiden (played by Dawn Mastin) writing a letter and reciting a monologue which explains that she controls lost souls to seek revenge on "those with a dark heart." While Mother Maiden continues to speak, the film cuts between her and the "lost souls" which she controls. Firstly, we see the character of Sinéad dragging an unconscious man on top of a train, who awakens just before being killed by a low hanging rail road signal. We then cut to "The Triplets" (more of Mother Maiden's workers) crawling into a window, after which an unseen woman screams and the Triplets reappear with their mouths smeared with blood. Finally, we are shown a man shaving before an arm bursts from his bathroom mirror and strangles him. At this point the Faster music video begins with the band playing the song in full. As it ends, we see Sinéad's corpse awakening in a morgue. The script was written by Steven O'Connell and Tim Smit and the music video and short movie were Directed by Joeri Molsheimer.
Cast
Alternate music video
At the same time as releasing the full "Faster" music video and Mother Maiden short film, an edited version of the song was released onto YouTube with the same footage inter-cut (rather than as originally presented in their separate components of the three short-films -Mother Maiden, Sinéad and Triplets).