Great (four stars out of five)
The second album from Dutch symphonic metal band Delain has been out since March on Roadrunner Records in many parts of the world, but it was recently picked up by Sensory Records for the US. As the cover suggests, the band is focused largely on the vocals of singer Charlotte Wessels with a backing full of crunchy guitars and symphonic strings. There are many similar bands out there--one could compare the band to Within Temptation, Nightwish, After Forever, and so on. However, Delain manages to set itself apart by simply doing everything better than the aforementioned bands.
The basic sound on this album is going to be pretty familiar to most people. The instrumentation is fairly heavy in the majority of the songs, as the distorted guitars play a central role in the direction of the songs. In addition, nearly every song is built around string sections that give the tracks a very full and rich sound. In essence, this is the very definition of symphonic metal, and the vocals from Charlotte Wessels only add to that categorization.
But what makes this band truly stand apart is, in fact, the vocals. Wessels has an absolutely stunning voice, managing to make every note that she sings sound perfect. Whether she's singing a soaring chorus with multiple layered vocal parts or a quiet, solitary section, her performances never fail to impress. For those bothered by accents, you'll be glad to know that hers rarely reveals itself--if you're not listening for it, you'll likely never notice it. This is easily one of the year's best vocal performances.
The songwriting and instrumentation are both very solid as well. This isn't a band that focuses on instrumental prowess--the songs are constructed to put the vocals at the center of the experience, so you aren't going to see extended solos or amazing instrumental feats. With that said, the instrumentation does a very good job of supporting the vocals, and those brief solos or instrumental breaks are quite good. The songwriting itself, especially in terms of the vocal melodies, is what listeners will be most impressed by. While the song structures don't stray from well-established territory, the songs manage to be very catchy without sounding unoriginal. The opening track, "April Rain," is especially impressive due to very strong verse and chorus melodies as well as a very rocking instrumental intro. The slow beginning to "Start Swimming" gives the album a bit more variety, and the penultimate track "I'll Reach You" has one of the albums strongest chorus melodies.
It's not a perfect album, however. A few of the songs contain guest vocal spots from a couple of male vocalists, and they simple pale in comparison to the fantastic performances of Wessels. Especially out of place is the growling section on the otherwise great "Virtue and Vice." The sound that the band has built just doesn't really have room for death vocals, especially since any moment spent featuring a different vocalist is one in which we don't get to hear Wessels's singing. The growling just feels gimmicky here. In addition, this is a very straightforard release--the running time is only about 45 minutes, and most songs are only about four minutes long. Thus, it may not have the lasting appeal that a deeper, more complex album does.
While it may not have the variety to turn it into a classic, April Rain is a great release from a band that has a firm direction. If you're a fan of this style of music, you'll absolutely love this album. The band is a benchmark for how to do this style of music right.
Andrew Kauz
www.progressivemelodies.com
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