DELAIN was born in Zwolle, Netherlands. They released their debut album in 2006 "Lucidity," leaving a name for themselves from that moment on. They are celebrating their ten-year anniversary this year and are back with their fifth studio album "Moonbathers".  The bands signature Goth Rock and Symphonic Metal sounds remain, enriched and enhanced. "Moonbathers" comes in with eleven tracks and about 50 minutes of listening time. "Hands of Gold" starts out low and steadily builds like an orchestra and explodes into greatness. This is a prefect intro track to an album that keeps this same symphonic sound and tempo throughout. The elements that swim around in this track all combine to create a meticulous sound.

Track four, "The Hurricane" is a flawless masterpiece about love and the troubles within. The musical writing to the lyrical content is incomparable. The musicianship within this track mixes so many emotions its hard to love such a song, but its hard to find the sadness in the same breath. "Danse Macabre", track eight, is a little more Folk-ish and a little more technical than the other tracks on the album. This creates a creative interest within the album, not just within each track. The vocals solidify the Folk sound while the musical elements turn towards a more Gothic tone.

Much like the first track, the final track, "The Monarch", starts off softer and lower with a key and soft drum precession that steadily increases. It's the shortest song on their album and while the tempo speeds up, it is the end: an end of a track, an album, and a decade. This feeling is evident in the track. The vocals stay lower, less bellowing, and much less widespread, while the guitars and drums get to shine high and bright. The keys are brilliant in this elegant but dark track. "Moonbathers" is a metaphor for finding comfort in the dark. This album is just that, a comfort found in the dark. The lyrics are rich in emotion, the vocals are ethereal, and the musicianship is exquisite. The best part is it gets better the more you listen to it, you keeping finding beauty in different places. This is an incredible album.

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Production        9/10