Delain is a Dutch gothic metal band with symphonic influences, founded by Martijn Westerholt (ex-Within Temptation). Their first album, Lucidity was released in 2006.
Lucidity contains elegant and effective compositions, supported by the presence of famous guest musicians (Liv Kristine, Sharon den Adel, Marco Hietala…), and by the refined voice of the young and promising Charlotte Wessels.
The story started in 1996 with the early stages of Within Temptation, where Martijn, brother of Robert Westerholt (cofounder of Within Temptation), played the keyboards. Besides, he wrote the very famous Restless song, which was the first single of the band and which quickly became a classic! He recorded the albums Enter, The Dance and Mother Earth together with the band, until 2001, when a chronic disease forced him to stop the adventure…
"I had to stop with Within Temptation because of my health, but I kept on doing music, just for me, just like that… And with time and perseverance, it evolved until a special point. I then asked some people to help me put the finishing touches to the material, play the guitar… and finally it grew until it became a project." (Martijn Westerholt).
Then, Martijn asked several famous musicians to take part in his project which wasn’t a real band at the time. The project was named “Delain” after the Stephen King fantasy novel: The Eyes of the Dragon, which depicts a fantasy story in the Kingdom of Delain.
And thus, Delain quickly became an international project! But if a lot of guest musicians were already ready to join in, Delain missed its own singer, who will be able to convey to the project an identity of its own.
"I started to look for a vocalist for Delain; it was very hard to find one, especially because I didn’t only searched for someone who would only sing, but for someone who could write some music and lyrics as well… After a while, I started to lose hope, and then I wrote to Charlotte, who was in a local project, just to ask her to write some lyrics. She came to me with the lyrics and she asked me: “Do I also have to sing?” I let her try, and she started to sing and then I knew that the search was over. I really was lucky to find her!" (Martijn Westerholt)
In 2005, Delain signed a contract with the international label Roadrunner Records. They will record later their first album Lucidity, whose release will be preceded by the one of the first single Frozen, a catchy and stirring song, which represents perfectly the universe of the band… Frozen is a rock song, boosted by heavy guitar riffs, symphonic arrangements, choirs, and of course Charlotte’s singing! At first, the album was released only in the Netherlands and in Belgium, before storming the European market in March 2007. A few months later, a new single from Lucidity is released: it’s the song See Me In Shadow.
Henceforth, Delain is a band in its own right, with his own line-up. They already played across Europe, particularly as a support act of Within Temptation.
If Delain has benefited from the fame of the musical background of Martijn and of the many guests, there isn’t the slightest doubt about the fact that people appreciate Delain for their own special sound and for the quality of their compositions!
28.06.08 Graspop
Dessel (Belgique)
12.07.08 Croq Rock
De Haan (Belgique)
12.07.08 Trailerpop
Rotterdam (Hollande)
09.08.08 M'era Luna Festival
Hildesheim (Allemagne)
