DELAIN Enters New Chapter With 'We Are Fire' Single And 'Extraordinary Cast' Of Guest Vocalists

DELAIN — the long-running Dutch rock/metal project founded by ex-WITHIN TEMPTATION keyboardist Martijn Westerholt (brother of WITHIN TEMPTATION's Robert Westerholt) — has announced an exciting new creative transformation with an extraordinary cast of musicians and vocalists joining its new setup, one that opens its musical world to different voices, personalities and musical perspectives. Joining this new chapter are well-known musicians such as Marko Hietala (NIGHTWISH),Sharon Den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION),Fabienne Erni (ELUVEITIE),Anneke Van Giersbergen (THE GATHERING) and more.

These artists will contribute their own artistic identity, with several of them also joining DELAIN on stage. The first glimpse of this new era arrives today with the release of the first single "We Are Fire", featuring Fabienne Erni, Noa Gruman and Paolo Ribaldini. At the same time, this marks the farewell of vocalist Diana Leah, who has decided to step away from DELAIN after many years with the band. While her departure naturally brings a sense of sadness, the band looks back with great gratitude on everything they have shared together.

At the heart of DELAIN is its founder, songwriter and keyboardist Martijn Westerholt. Alongside him, Ludovico Cioffi, Ronald Landa and Sander Zoer form the core of the project.

Martijn Westerholt comments: "'We Are Fire' is about the inner fire that keeps us moving forward, even when the path ahead is uncertain. It's about daring to cross boundaries, and refusing to give up on what we believe in. To me, it captures the spirit of what DELAIN is becoming. A place where different voices and personalities can come together, each bringing something unique, while sharing the same fire."

Watch the official music video for "We Are Fire" below.

Over the past months, DELAIN has been reflecting on its future and ultimately chose to embrace a new and exciting creative direction, bringing together a wide range of artists and musical perspectives. Rather than looking for a direct replacement for Diana, DELAIN has chosen to embrace collaboration on a much broader scale. Different voices, personalities and musical perspectives can now come together around the band, allowing each song and performance to take on its own character. Joining this new chapter are:

- Marko Hietala * (NIGHTWISH)
- Sharon Den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION)
- Anneke Van Giersbergen (THE GATHERING)
- Fabienne Erni * (ELUVEITIE)
- Patty Gurdy
- Noa Gruman * (SABATON's legendary orchestra)
- Paolo Ribaldini *
- Johanna Kurkela (AURI, EYE OF MELIAN)
- Ruud Jolie (WITHIN TEMPTATION)

* Artists will also join DELAIN live on their February 2027 tour

DELAIN will take this new era on the road for the first time in February 2027, with shows in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. More international dates and countries will be announced soon. The tour will feature INFECTED RAIN as special guest and PERSEFONE as support. The tour will culminate on February 11 at 013 in Tilburg, one of the Netherlands' most renowned live music venues.

On Monday (October 19),Leah announced her departure from DELAIN after recording just one studio album with the band, "Dark Waters", which came out in February 2023 via Napalm.

This past March, Leah released the official music video for "Holy Water", the first single from her new solo project DYYA. She has since released three more singles from DYYA: "Eternal Trophies", "Black Honey" and "Too Tired To Be Dead".

Diana joined DELAIN in 2022 as the replacement for the band's longtime vocalist Charlotte Wessels.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe