the band's third album came to fruition in 2004, and the band entered the studio in the summer that year. Writing took four to five months and recording took eight weeks. The band considered it a dark and tense time, as they were daily shutting themselves in an all-closed studio from 9am to 11pm and having their meals there. According to lead vocalist Sharon den Adel, the darkness of the studio itself contributed to enhance the gloomy feeling that dominated the band at the time. Now signed to a bigger label, the budget for the recording sessions was improved. Due to that, the band were able to deepen the symphonic inclinations they already had and record with a full orchestra instead of using computerised orchestral sounds. It was, however, a challenging process, as the album was being recorded in the outskirts of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, and the orchestra was situated in Moscow, Russia. The process of sending and receiving musical files was slow and laborious, due to the great size of the files and the low internet speed at that time. In spite of considering it stressful, den Adel commented that it all worked out really well in the end, and that the band grow a lot as musicians from that experience. It was the band's first album to be produced by Daniel Gibson. Lyrics and inspiration Lyrically, the album took inspiration in fantasy, literature, and the band members personal lives. According to den Adel, the title of the album refers to the forces that sometimes lead people to do certain things. In an interview on Buzznet, she discussed the title of the album: "The title of our latest album 'The Silent Force' is actually taken from the title of a book from the beginning of the 19th century from a Dutch writer (who lived in Indonesia when he was young) called Louis Couperus. All the songs on this album are in some way related to that book (or at least the title)." In an interview with Metal Hammer, den Adel commented that the depressing times the band members were undergoing during the writing and recording process reflected on the dark tone in the lyrics of the album. The political turmoil that the Netherlands were facing after the Assassination of Pim Fortuyn also impacted the band. Despite not agreeing with Fortuyn political views, the members were fearing for their