DELAIN Announces 'Dark Waters' Album, Shares 'Beneath' Single

DELAIN will release a new album, "Dark Waters", on February 10, 2023 via Napalm Records. Emerging as a brand new start and safe haven alike, the LP, without any doubt, continues the legacy of the brainchild of keyboardist, founder and main songwriter Martijn Westerholt and contains everything DELAIN is loved for and more: a sonic rollercoaster ride of catchy tunes with explosive elements — ranging from pop to film score-inspired to blistering room shaking metal.

The track listing merges perfectly with the fantastic voice of new vocalist Diana Leah, showcasing her incredible talent and musical sophistication, which the brand new single "Beneath" manifests. The vocal department holds new adventures with guest singer Paolo Ribaldini, who also highlights the track as the ultimate hymn. Along with a stunning music video, "Beneath" takes the listener into a sinister underworld of the deep. Modern, synth melodies mix with catchy classical passages and ominous riffs throughout the song.

Westerholt comments on "Beneath": "'Beneath' is a perfect ambassador of the album and DELAIN as a whole because it encapsulates almost all of the recognizable DELAIN elements you will find on the album."

Along with Westerholt, original guitarist Ronald Landa and original drummer Sander Zoer bolster DELAIN's continuity, while new members — Leah and bassist Ludovico Cioffi — continue to evolve their sound. Songs like the previously released single "The Quest And The Curse", as well as "The Cold" (the latter featuring a real, epic choir),lure with a bombastic sound that skilfully combines orchestral melodies, epic heavy riffs and marvelous vocal performances. DELAIN magnificently manages to never lose touch with their characteristic sound, making them a constant without ever standing still. Pop-induced opening track "Hideaway Paradise" shows exactly that by inducing a dream-like feeling flirting with melodic metal guitars, while the ballad-like dark track "Mirror Of Night", featuring WITHIN TEMPTATION guitarist Ruud Jolie, entices the listener with unfathomably catchy lines and melodies. "Queen Of Shadow" merges the orchestral and synth-focused soundscapes DELAIN is known for as it weaves melodic heavy guitars that intertwine with orchestral lines and vocal melodies. "Tainted Hearts" is centred around Westerholt's keyboard arrangements, which skilfully showcase the creative roots of the mastermind. "Invictus" is nothing less than the magnum opus of the album — a rock opera in its own right with heavy riffing, choirs and vocal parts performed by Leah, Ribaldini and Marco "Marko" Hietala (ex-NIGHTWISH),ending in a bombastic climax where everything comes together.

Westerholt adds: "This album captures all elements DELAIN is known for — our distinctive heavy guitar riffs, massive orchestral parts, both heavy metal and pop vocals, rock opera vibes along with '80s synth sounds. In short, this is definitely a recognizable DELAIN album that contains classic 'DELAIN elements' while also moving forward with fresh influences."

"Dark Waters" track list:

01. Hideaway Paradise
02. The Quest And The Curse
03. Beneath
04. Mirror Of Night
05. Tainted Hearts
06. The Cold
07. Moth To A Flame
08. Queen Of Shadow
09. Invictus
10. Underland

The new DELAIN lineup made its official live debut on August 27 at the Riverside festival in Aarburg, Switzerland.

Leah answered a few fan-submitted questions via the band's YouTube channel, including how she joined the long-running Dutch metal act. She said: "It's really simple, actually. I knew they were looking for a singer so I just left a comment on their Instagram page. So a couple of days later I received an e-mail from Martijn, and we talked a bit about how I could audition and he sent me some material that I could sing on. And the rest is history."

Asked how she decided to sing in a metal band, the 32-year-old Diana said: "Well, I've always wanted to sing in a metal band. It was really my desire to do it. In fact, I did sing in a couple of rock bands, but it wasn't really heavy music, which I loved at the time. It was really hard to find the right people to form a band with and also to get along together and all that. But I've always wanted to be in a metal band. Always."

Leah also talked a bit about her background, saying: "I was born in Romania, in a city called Alba Iulia. It's in the middle of Transylvania. And then I moved to Italy when I was 15, and I lived in Italy for, I think, 10 years or something. And then I moved to Canada, in Ottawa, and I lived there for five years. And then I came back to Italy. And now I currently live in Italy, near Torino, so up north."

In February 2021, Westerholt announced the dissolution of DELAIN's previous lineup. At the time, he explained: "For the last year or so, the collaboration within the band ceased to work as well as it once had. Some of us were no longer happy with the current roles in the band. We all tried very hard to find a solution for over a year, but sadly we were unable to find one. As a result, we will all be going our own ways and pursuing our own endeavors.

"I am very sad our cooperation has come to end, but at the same time I am very grateful for all the years we were able to work together. Together we toured the world, shared highs and lows, and met with many successes as well as times that pushed us to learn and grow. We all enjoyed meeting our fans and making new friends all over the globe."

Singer Charlotte Wessels said about her departure: "I know that you might have questions about the 'why' in all of this. I fully understand and respect that. Simply put, it is the sad conclusion of more than a year of trying to find solutions to built up grievances. Part of me feels like I'm letting all of you down, I'd like you to know that this decision was not taken lightly and I apologise to those of you who had high hopes of seeing all of us together live on stage again after lockdown. Until recently, I thought this might still be in the cards for us as well."

This past September, Charlotte was asked in an interview with Spain's The Metal Circus TV how she felt about the fact that DELAIN recently made a comeback with a new lineup. Wessels said: "I'm trying not to engage with it too much, honestly. I've seen positive responses about it, which I think is good. But I do try to keep some distance and just focus on what I'm doing rather than checking that out, because I still don't feel like that will make me happier per se."

DELAIN's sixth full-length album, the Westerholt-produced "Apocalypse & Chill", was released in February 2020 via Napalm Records.

Photo credit: Andrea Falaschi