Maybe I should start by stating that Delain have done 3 full length albums to date. I really liked their debut – one of the best Gothic Metal albums of that year, I thought their second one had some good moments but was a little hit and miss, and didn’t get on with their third at all – it sounded to me like a poor imitation of label mates Within Temptation (or what WT have been encouraged to become nowadays). Heartened to hear that Delain were free of Roadrunner and now reside with Napalm Records, I was looking forward to hearing what they had to offer on a different label. Unfortunately, this release is only two new songs, a couple of remixes, a few covers and some live stuff. Slightly disappointing – it seems to be a kind-of fill-in compilation type thing. Oh well, it’s better than nothing so lets start with the new songs;
‘Breathe On Me’ is the first of the two and is a good start. It would fit nicely on any of their 3 previous albums, which should please all the fans they have picked up along the way. OK, it’s nothing radical – reminds me of a cross between After Forever and Leaves’ Eyes – and that’s no bad thing. It’s solid and I don’t think radical and different are where Delain need to go when just signing with a new label. Second new track ‘Collars and Suits’ follows in a similar if more symphonic vain, but the lyrics are quite interesting – It seems like the band are saying that certain people in the music industry promise much, convince you to go down a certain path and then screw you over. They could mean Management, maybe Agents…or it might even be a record company with a reputation for ruining bands, being money-grabbing and overtly commercially driven. But that’s just me speculating of course…
I was never a fan of third track ‘Are You Done With Me’ from their most recent album and this “single mix” doesn’t improve it any, so now it’s covers time! First up, we are treated to a pacey Lullacry-style version of Talk Talk’s ‘Such a Shame’, next is a semi-acoustic version of The Cranberries’ ‘Cordell’ which Delain have managed to make/keep quite poignant and a nice moment after four heavier tracks and then, looming like a big camp behemoth over the foreboding horizon is their version of Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’. Atrocity attempted this slice of fluffy pink 80’s pop on “Werk 80 II”, it really didn’t work for them and that was in amongst loads of other 80’s covers. I can hardly bare to listen…AAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH……hey…this is actually quite good! I HATE this song…but this is a great version…of a song I really hate…but it’s really catchy! Half-timing the 1st verse is genius and the heavy guitars counter-act the cheesy chorus, that singer Charlotte Wessels carries really well…of that song I hate. Damn you Delain…
A “ballad version” of ‘We are the Others’ (another song I didn’t like from the last album but have to admit that this version does give it another dimension) brings the studio part of the album to a close. Six live tracks from their 2012 Female Voices appearance finish “Interlude”, showcasing how much heavier and more energetic Delain audibly are live than they come across on recent studio releases. The difference is quite staggering and just goes to prove my rather dismissive initial misgivings for the validity of this release totally wrong.
If this is a new start for Delain then it’s an ideal showcase. A couple of good new songs, some fun covers and a great live set – you even get a bonus DVD with the live stuff and all sorts of extra vids too! Now I’m really looking forward to the new album – job done Delain…and Napalm!
(7/10 – Andy Barker)
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