DELAIN hail from Zwolle, Overijessel in the Netherlands. They have been at it since 2002 and was formed by Martijn Westerholt when he left WITHIN TEMPTATION. They are an extremely popular Melodic Symphonic Metal band and have a cult following. This is probably the most well-known band I have covered for Metal Temple. They have a loyal following and a great reputation for live shows but does that transfer well to their new album, well I am here to find out.
I know the fans of DELAIN already know what to expect from them and they are not reinventing the wheel on this album. The previous album ''Moonbathers'' was released back in 2016 and they toured extensively for this album including a very different tour with the likes of AMORPHIS back in the summer of 2019. This was probably the weirdest bill I have seen in a quite a while and you really have two very different fanbases with both of these bands nonetheless. On this album, Charlotte Wessels doesn't try to do too much. I felt they she tried a bit too hard on the previous album with those attempted growling vocals and tried to adapt her voice too much on some songs. I felt she was a bit held back on the previous release and they definitely gave her much more freedom on this album. She has one of the most beautiful voices in all of metal and she has the range to duel with anyone right now. I did feel however she mailed it in on some songs and the songs could have benefited from a better overall effort.
It's not only Charlotte's lackadaisical effort that concerns me, the rest of the band seem less focused than the other albums. The name of the album is called ''Apocalypse and Chill'', it pretty much means let's have fun even if the whole world is in utter chaos. I felt they wanted to have fun on some songs and they tried different things, which is fine but I felt the overall effort was a C- at the most. I mean even the cover art isn't all that great to be perfectly honest. There is a lot of songs that are very similar and could have been put in and out of order and it would not have changed a things. It's a enjoyable album, seriously, they always put out quality material but this album is not memorable at all. You listen to it and you don't remember much about it. DELAIN was known as one of the best bands with their killer hooks and melodic Symphonic style but this kinda fell flat.
I loved the orchestral versions of the songs as the bonus songs of this album and they definitely show off their musicianship to the max on these ones. I enjoyed the album but it's like the Stu Block era albums of ICED EARTH, they are good albums that you forget instantly after you listen to them and it was unfortunately quite the disappointment.
