Delain – Dark Waters

Release date: 10.02.2023
Label: Napalm Records

Symphonic melodic metal masterminds Delain is back in 2023 with their new record “Dark Waters”. This is the band’s 7th full length and with brand new novelties. Basically, the whole line-up changed except for the founding member Martijn Westerholt. The new singer is Diana Leah and the new bassist is Ludovico Cioffi but the other two “newest” additions are not so new to the band. The guitarist  Ronald Landa was the original guitar player of Delain between 2006 -2009. The drummer Sander Zoer played the drums between 2006-2014 and both are back in the band again. Congrats to the band for their new chapter and for this new record.

The new singer Diana is a soprano with a pristine ethereal vocals, I gotta say not so different from the ex-frontwoman Charlotte. Still I think the band has hit the bull’s eye with the new singer. She seems to fit seamlessly in with the band´s vibe and style.

Moving onto the record itself; it´s somehow a bit far from their last album’s lyrical or thematic concepts that were more philosophical and critical at times as we could see in the tracks like Chemical Redemption, Creatures, and Let´s Dance. Soundwise “Dark Waters” is more straightforward Euro symphonic metal just as in most Delain albums such as “April Rain” or “We Are The Others”. So, anthem-like bangers are definitely prevalent here. The best example for it is the very dynamic and extremely catchy first single Moth to a Flame. The second single The Quest and The Curse which is also my fav. song of the record so far, is indiscernable from the early 2010s Delain records which is of course totally okay if you do not have expectations of totally fresh or experimental thematic concepts as we saw in “The Human Contradiction” record, for instance. At times listening to this record, one could easily think that the old singer is still singing the songs as if nothing had changed in the band. However, this is not a bad criticism believe me, so the fans of both the genre and Delain have struck gold with this album in that aspect. The fact that it’s the comfort zone of the band does not really mean that it´s not a kick-ass album- and it totally is. Banger after banger, the record reaches its climax with the closing track Underland that has grand operatic choirs. This record doesn’t have any ballads which means never a dull moment with all the tracks and their incessant crescendos. Plus, the album contains the instrumental versions of each track.

Another gem once again from the very beloved Delain. The fans will be glad they have overcome the storm and still continue their musical path. Better catch them live this year on their tour.

Line up:

• Martijn Westerholt – Keys
• Diana Leah – Vocals
• Ronald Landa – Guitars
• Ludovico Cioffi – Bass
• Sander Zoer – Drums

Tracklist

1. Hideaway Paradise
2. The Quest and the Curse
3. Beneath (feat. Paolo Ribaldini)
4. Mirror of Night
5. Tainted Hearts
6. The Cold
7. Moth to a Flame
8. Queen of Shadow (feat. Paolo Ribaldini)
9. Invictus (feat. Marko Hietala & Paolo Ribaldini)
10. Underland

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delainmusic