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Rating: Leaving a band to form another that follows the same musical path as the previous one can prove fatal for a musician's career or, on the contrary, help them express their ego to the fullest and achieve definitive success. What will happen to Delain, the project of Martijn Westerholt, former keyboardist of Within Temptation, after the release of the debut "Lucidity", published in 2006 by Roadrunner Records, remains a mystery, at least to the writer.
The music offered is a blend of all those characteristics that have made many groups famous in the last musical decade, but reshuffled in a more than convincing way at times. Westerholt seals symphonic episodes that denote great class but also virtuosities that are overly redundant in this context. Solitary and imaginative behind his keyboard then, but joined at the microphone by the talent of Charlotte Wessels (to whom he readily hands over the reins) and, for the occasion, by numerous guests who here and there lent their voice or their instrument, among which Sharon Den Adel (Within Temptation), Liv Kristine (Leaves' Eyes), Marco Hietala (Nightwish), and Ad Sluijter (Epica) stand out. There are lots of grounds to create a derivative and manneristic album, but the CD starts great with "Sever", a beautiful symphonic-operatic ride where grand cinematic orchestrations and supreme choral refrains are counterbalanced by emphatic and rough guitars that do not even disdain solo cues (little hint: it seems that this is the direction that Within Temptation themselves have decided to take, given the shortage of ideas in rhythmic and guitar aspects in which they were stuck with "The Silent Force"). And, if "Frozen" is a successful episode between pop (for its voice and catchy melodies) and metal with excellent symphonic points, "Silhouette of a dancer" presents some gothic elements (like the use of growl, which turns out to be less trivial and predictable than one might think) and strong ties to classical music. And it is only with their own hands that Delain have managed to create tracks of this caliber.So why does the rating linger at a paltry pass? Simple: the rest of the tracklist shows wavering inspiration and a great incapacity to channel the elements of their sound towards shores that do not lead the listener to an irritating sense of deja-vu. Thus, an episode like "No compliance" falls into the banal, for which Sharon Den Adel (besides the disastrous Hietala) lends her voice. And it's a shame that this brief duet between piano and violin in the intermezzo had to sacrifice itself for a very banal song that owes much to bands like (surprise, surprise) Nightwish and Leaves' Eyes. Slightly better is "See me in shadow", a sugary and calm ballad (way too much for my tastes) that features a successful duet between the mid-high tones of the host Wessels and the sonorous ones of Liv Kristine. Could it be the lifeline for this "Lucidity" that so surprises in the opening tracks? I would like to be able to state that, but reality and dreams, as we know, are well distinct entities. I will not waste further words on the remaining tracks; just know that the listening becomes boring also due to some power accelerations like in "Day for ghosts" that are really forced and misplaced. A particular piece, "The gathering", borders on the ridiculous in both music and lyrics, but especially for vocal lines (guess which of the guests comes in to ruin it all). A piece of advice: let's leave Marco Hietala to Nightwish, where he is free to interpret aggressive parts certainly more congenial to his vocal cords, and let the talented Charlotte express herself, who better suits the music of Delain.
Hoping that in the future, Mr. Westerholt will know how to better balance the overused elements of this type of metal to create songs that do not reek of staleness but are fresh and convincing (perhaps continuing the discourse started in the opening), I return to listening to the bands that have been a model in this field without having to plunder others' ideas.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Sever (04:52)
Things that I thought I had put far behind
Find the mind, connect to sever.
I felt deeply how my feelings combined,
That it's like they'll never sever.
In a way I started today
To weave garlands for the grave.
It will break me till my knees bend,
It will leave me with nothing in the end.
In a blatant mind my thoughts have entwined,
But if you feel the real they will divide.
From beyond within, the heart plays its part,
The real and fake forever sever.
04 No Compliance (05:09)
It feels so dangerous,
I don't know where you are.
You can't control my every move
Although you try so hard.
Accept it, leave it,
Your wisdom doesn't make me wise.
Accept it, leave it,
Your tears don't make me cry.
Drifting apart,
Lay me to waste.
I know your fears,
I feel your pain.
Running away
Through a spinning maze,
Running away
To a safe escape.
No compliance,
Your boundaries suffocate,
My lungs are filled
With poison in your cage.
Bruises and stains,
No power left to stand.
You held me down,
Help me rise again.
It feels so dangerous,
I don't know where you are.
You can't control my every move
Although you try so hard.
Accept it, leave it,
Your wisdom doesn't make me wise.
Accept it, leave it,
Your tears don't make me cry.
No compliance,
Your boundaries suffocate,
My lungs are filled
With poison in your cage.
Bruises and stains,
No power left to stand.
You held me down,
Help me rise again.
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