Album review: Delain – Dark Waters

In February 2021, for reasons that remain unclear, long-lived goth-tinged rockers Delain – a band whose radiance and positivity lit up so many lives – announced that their entire line-up was, basically, no more. Keyboard player and founder member Martijn Westerholt vowed to put a new band together under the same name, a prospect that made most fans hold their heads in dismay.

Perhaps we should have had more faith. Whatever the circumstances behind Delain’s split, Martijn has done an exceptional job in reviving the project. New album Dark Waters, their seventh overall, sounds like nothing other than a Delain album, features several former members and marks the debut of Romanian-born singer Diana Leah who sounds – eerily, it must be said – exactly like her predecessor, the justly popular Charlotte Wessels.

The first two songs to emerge – The Quest And The Curse, and Beneath – were and are hugely impressive, cementing what appeared to be a comeback few would have predicted. Elsewhere, just as you’d hope, production standards are immense. The studio work glows with the immersive, emotive flourishes so beloved by fans. The downside, perhaps, is that so much attention has been given to elevating this away from the norm that focus on the actual writing has not been as sharp as previously. Thus, many of songs – though enjoyable – don’t come close to those adorning the recent album by outwardly similar German rockers Beyond The Black. There are hits, but also misses.

Thankfully, the album’s penultimate track Invictus is suitably climactic. Here, standards mirror those of perennial arena-fillers Nightwish, and a cameo from that band’s former bass player Marko Hietala seems wholly apt. While not their finest hour, the very existence of Dark Waters – and the fact that it doesn’t suck – is a marvel, and live shows will hopefully rekindle their fanbase’s once rabid loyalty.

Verdict: 3/5

For fans of: Epica, Evergrey, Within Temptation

Dark Waters is out now via Napalm