Delain – Moonbathers (2016)

Returning with their fifth full-length release, today we have Delain and their impressive and bombastic Symphonic/Gothic Metal sound. With “Moonbathers”, the band takes things one step further delivering lush orchestrations, crushing guitar riffs, and mesmerizing vocal arrangements, allowing their sound to be as explosive and expansive as ever. If you are a fan of the band or the genre, this album has all the right ingredients to become a classic.

Opening with the lively “Hands of Gold”, the band sets a very high bar with such a bombastic song which features a duet with Alissa White-Gluz. The superbly catchy “Suckerpunch” is a very solid third act in this increasingly more intense and bombastic release. Released earlier this year with the “Lunar Prelude”, this song showcases the band’s evolution into a more dynamic and explosive unit, which can be easily compared to bands like Nightwish and Epica.

The band provides a wide variety of tracks in this release, ranging from the very entertaining “The Hurricane”, to the power ballad “Chrysalis – The Last Breath”. Perfectly designed around Charlotte Wessels vocals, all the songs expertly transition between different tempos to create a very immersive experience for the listener. Some other times, the band just cranks out powerful hard rocking tunes like the guitar driven “Fire with Fire”, which has a certain Doro-esque vibe.

Never afraid of experimenting, “Danse Macabre” nicely mixes some unconventional (for Delain) elements, with their signature soaring chorus sections and hyper catchy atmospheric arrangements. Our personal favorite track is the dramatic “Scandal”, featuring killer guitar leads and gets you pumped up with its superbly catchy melody. With Timo Summers and new comer (for the band) Merel Bechtold on guitars, this release has an extra kick in this department.

Closing with the brilliant instrumental “The Monarch”, we are left quite impressed by Delain. The band has made so much progress over the years and in this release they take their sound to the next level. Filled with massive bombastic passages, hypnotic vocal melodies and intense guitar riffs, this release is your traditional Delain album times 10. Only getting better with age, Delain has managed to outdo themselves with “Moonbathers” and bring their sound and style to the levels of bands like Nightwish and Epica.

Label: Napalm Records

Release: August 26th, 2016

Genre: Symphonic/Gothic Metal

Country: Netherlands