Delain was spawned by Martijn Westerholt, who had left Within Temptation for health reasons in the early 2000’s.  In 2006, Delain released Lucidity, which garnered favorable reviews from quite a few publications.  However, that momentum would not last, as April Rain was released in 2009 and had lukewarm reviews.  This year, it seems that Delain is ready to get back into the spotlight, as their latest album We are the Others hits the streets.

Every band needs a good vocalist, and Delain definitely has that in Charlotte Wessels, who continues the tradition good female-fronted metal bands to emerge from the Netherlands.  On We are the Others, her vocal talents shine through in ways that they didn’t on April Rain, and much of it has to do with the improvement in the music, which was criticized as being “too safe” on the previous album.  On We are the Others, the music is actually improved to the point where Wessels’ vocals don’t have to carry the album, as evidenced on songs such as “Mother Machine,” “Get the Devil Out of Me,” and the title track.  The consistency on the album isn’t quite there, as there are some low points on the album, namely “Where is the Blood,” which features Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory.  To be clear, I like both Wessels and Burton as vocalists in their respective styles.  However, much like the Sharon Den Adel (Within Temptation)/Keith Caputo (Life of Agony) collaboration on the Within Temptation album The Heart of Everything, the different styles on We are the Others just doesn’t work.  That song aside, Delain puts together a rather solid effort on We are the Others, and the social commentary on the title track, dedicated to a bully victim named Sophie Lancaster, is non-intrusive and is even worked into the album cover art, as it has steampunk influences.  While there is still room for the music to improve, it makes significant enough progress to be a good compliment to the vocals.

The Netherlands has rightfully gained a reputation for producing talented female fronted metal bands.  It is no surprise that Delain has achieved some success, particularly since there is considerable talent involved, but it is only a matter of properly harnessing that talent.  On We are the Others, Delain is going in the right direction and it will be interesting to see if they can take the next step in their evolution.

TRACK LISTING

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*Comments:

1.  Mother Machine
2.  Electricity
3.  We are the Others
4.  Milk and Honey
5.  Hit Me with your Best Shot
6.  I Want You
7.  Where is the Blood
8.  Generation Me
9.  Babylon
10.  Are You Done with Me?
11.  Get the Devil Out of Me
12.  Not Enough

Total playing time:  47:36

Release Date: June 1, 2012
Label: Roadrunner Records

Delain - We are the Others

Reviewer: Peter

July 17, 2012