Napalm
2014
1. Here Come The Vultures
2. Your Body Is A Battleground
3. Stardust
4. My Masquerade
5. Tell Me, Mechanist
6. Sing To Me
7. Army Of Dolls
8. Lullaby
9. The Tragedy Of The Commons
Delain are the sort of band I was hoping would rebound going into this release. I really enjoyed the bands first two albums of melodic metal with symphonic touches, but We Are The Others kinda dropped the ball. It just sounded too mainstream rock and lost a lot of the little symphonic nuances that made their sound. Really what I was hoping was the band would take a step back from the chuggy riffs and modern sound and get back to the sort of smooth, flowing, majestic music that made them good on the first couple of releases.
It seems in wondering if they'd go with more of a modern rock sound or a more atmospheric, majestic sound I missed another consideration. That is that Delain would just write a completely different album with an identity all it's own and come out sounding fresh and re-energized, but that is exactly what the band accomplishes here. The Human Contradiction is just a totally different Delain experience as the heaviness is really turned up and the music often sounds surprisingly dark. The sound is thick, but less in the chuggy alt way that the last album went with and more in the way a band like Epica dialed up the heaviness on Design Your Universe. This isn't as epic as that, but it's a comparable shift in terms Delain's own sound. This still has the melodic/atmospheric quality, but some of these riffs are thick in the way that a band like Nevermore managed to pull off. Reminders of Within Temptation's shift from their lighter melodic fare to something a bit more upbeat melodic also come to mind. When listening to this album I just have absolutely nothing to complain about. The vocals soar, the riffs sound thick and heavy, the atmospheric and symphonic nuances are there, the guest vocals from Marco Hietala make a reappearance, and the album is just loaded with memorable hooks. Hell in terms of the vocals I even like the death metal guest vocals from George Oosthoek and I am not exactly the world's biggest death metal fan. All the pieces here just fit together really well and form a hell of a soundscape. I never really thought of Delain as a band who could pull off this kind of heaviness and still keep their identity, but this is a most welcome expansion of their sound.
Song highlights include Stardust which has a great driving energy. If you don't get pumped listening to this one I'm not sure I understand you. Beyond that the front is loaded with some of the best songs which include the dark, haunting, yet majorly heavy Here Come The Vultures and the symphonic yet attacking ride that is Your Body Is A Battleground. Also well worth noting is Sing To Me which is made by a simple, but completely infectious chorus and the potent combo of an extremely catchy rhythm and piano touches that make the track Lullaby.
Simply put this is way, way better than I was expecting. Delain just managed to go from a band who's future I was uncertain about to a position as one of the more promising female fronted metal bands out there. Seriously, I never saw this album coming and it turned my perception of the band back around 180 degrees. I was really excited when I first heard April Rain and suddenly I remember why. This is far from being another April Rain though. It is better and more unique than that. Not to mention a hell of a lot of heavier. If you dig symphonic/atmospheric female fronted metal with some edge and a whole lot of catchiness then you want to hear this album. This is really top form and I richly enjoyed every song. At minimum this one is bound for album of the year consideration. Do more of this Delain. Please.
Highlights: Stardust, Here Come The Vultures, Sing To Me, Your Body Is A Battleground, Lullaby
Rating - 4.5/5
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