In 1996 Within Temptation was founded by Robert Westerholt and Sharon den Adel. 1997 saw the release of their first album 'Enter' on the Dutch label DSFA. Due to the positive media reactions the band was booked for four concerts and was also invited to play Dynamo, one of the largest Dutch festivals. Following their live gigs, interest increased to have the band tour and Within Temptation played some shows in Germany and Austria.

In 1998 they played festivals in Belgium, the Czech Republic and Germany. This time around they even played the main stage at Dynamo and and performed in clubs throughout Holland. Good reviews by the media had their fan base increase rather rapidly. The mini CD 'Dance' was recorded containing two remixes and three previously unreleased tracks. In 1999 Within Temptation took a break. The unexpected success had put the education of all band members on hold and they needed to finish what they had started. They also began to furnish their own studio. 2000 was to be a very important year for the band. On one hand they played all the major festivals in their home country such as Waterpop, Bospop and Lowlands and on the other hand they worked on their new album 'Mother Earth', which was released on December 1st. 'Mother Earth' was nominated album of the month in OOR, Aardschok and Music Maker. Aloha's review read 'symphonic and celtic elements fuse with the impressive voice of Sharon den Adel. Within Temptation are ready for a major breakthrough'. The album actually made it to the 68th position of the Top 100 sales charts and remained there for three months. Due to the success of 'Mother Earth' 2001 was to be another highlight. The band played a major club tour in The Netherlands and also performed at the legendary Pinkpop Festival as well as at Dynamo. The singles 'Our Farewell' and 'Ice Queen' were released. It was 'Ice Queen' that finally lead to Within Temptation's success. The single made it all the way to no. 2 in the Top 100 charts and the accompanying video clip was on heavy rotation on all the music TV stations. 'Mother Earth' made no. 3 of the Top 100 album charts and reached platinum status. The band's popularity didn't go unnoticed in other countries and in 2002 they performed at festivals not only in Belgium but also in Germany and toured through France as well as Mexico, where they headlined one of the country's largest festivals. In Belgium 'Mother Earth' reached gold status and in The Netherlands they received the Dutch Music Award called the 'Silver Harp'. At the beginning of 2003 Within Temptation extensively toured Europe supporting Paradise Lost. 'Mother Earth' was released in the other European countries and the Benelux Countries released the single 'Running Up That Hill' which is the cover version of a Kate Bush classic. Releasing the single 'Ice Queen' in Germany helped pave the way in this country as well. The single remained in the Top 100 charts for nearly 30 weeks and 'Mother Earth' made no. 7 in the album charts, turning platinum after 40 weeks. In Norway 'Mother Earth' made the Top 20 of the album charts. Due to all their success Within Temptation received the Conamus Music Export Award in The Netherlands. The DVD 'Mother Earth Tour' received the Edison Award being nominated 'best DVD'. On May 4th Within Temptation was flown by helicopter to perform at four festivals in The Netherlands.

Most of 2004 saw the band working on new material for their upcoming album 'The Silent Force', which was released in November all throughout Europe. The album was recorded in Sweden, Russia, Belgium, and Holland and was produced by Daniel Gibson. Due to the success of 'Stand My Ground', the first single release from 'The Silent Force', the album was a major success in all of Europe. It made no.1 in the Netherlands, Finland and Spain, no. 5 in the German charts, made the Top 10 in Belgium, Top 20 in Austria and Switzerland, and Top 30 in Greece, France, Sweden, and Norway. It currently has a Gold status in Spain, Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. In November of 2005, the band received a Platinum award in The Netherlands. Currently, the band has sold more than 500,000 copies of their album 'The Silent Force'. At the beginning of 2005 the band, as a result, once again received the Conamus Music Export Price as well as the Edison Award having been nominated 'best national band'. The second single 'Memories' was a chart success as well. In February and March Within Temptation toured Europe and even played a show in the Middle East at the Dubai Desert Rock Festival, rocketing the album into the Top 10 of Dubai. The band received a TMF Award as 'best rock band'. The third single 'Angels' was released in June, while the band was playing Europe´s major festivals, such as Pinkpop, Werchter, Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Sweden Rock, Ruisrock, Aerodrome, and Gurtenfest. The band also supported Iron Maiden at their stadium shows in Paris und Zurich. In August, they received a World Music Award, as best selling Dutch artist in the world. 'The Silent Force' was released in Japan, Australia and the UK in the fall of 2005, with the band playing 2 successful shows in England. The third single 'Angels' was released in June, while the band was playing Europe´s major festivals, such as Pinkpop, Werchter, Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, Sweden Rock, Ruisrock, Aerodrome, and Gurtenfest. The band also supported Iron Maiden at their stadium shows in Paris und Zurich. In August, they received a World Music Award, as best selling Dutch artist in the world. 'The Silent Force' was released in Japan, Australia and the UK in the fall of 2005, with the band playing 2 successful shows in England. In November of 2005, Within Temptation released a DVD entitled 'The Silent Force Tour', with footage of their show at the specially designed 'Java Island' in Amsterdam. It also features footage of their Rock Werchter (Belgium) and Live 05 (Finland) shows, as well as extensive backstage footage. In the beginning of 2006, the band announces that they have crossed the magical border of 1,000,000 sold copies of their albums and DVD's worldwide. This is one of the reason that the band gets awarded with the prestigious 'Pop Prize', an important Dutch award for a group that has contributed the most to Dutch pop music. A few weeks after that, the band received their third Export Prize in a row, as best selling Dutch artist worldwide. In February, the band announces a partnership with 'The Chronicles Of Spellborn', a new fantasy-game. They will write songs for the game as well as various other activities.