Big in Japan: To the point where their album "The Unforgiving" has three special bonus tracks recorded exclusively for the Japanese CD.
Broken Base: They seem to be bracing themselves for this in the wake of using fewer orchestral sounds and more 80's pop elements in The Unforgiving; their website implies that the first preview song was the more traditional WT song Where Is The Edge (rather than the first single, Faster) as a reassurance to old fans that the old style isn't completely gone.
Growing the Beard: Within Temptation's sound gets noticeably more mature and more complex around the time of "The Silent Force," with "The Heart of Everything" being even better. They go for a more subtle approach to fantasy and take on a lot more serious issues, at the same time.
"Say My Name" is this and Tear Jerker simultaneously due to being about a child lamenting that their Alzheimer's-stricken parent can no longer remember the child's own name.
The lines: "I'll make them bleed at my feet" and "One by one they were surprised" from "The Promise" count too, especially cause it strongly sounds like she is singing the latter with a smile on her face.