You don't expect a metal song to be so beautiful, but those vocals by Leah are exquisite. First time I've heard this one.
I'm always discovering new bands in other countries from Charles, and his beginner's guide to metal is excellent (although I haven't made it all the way through yet!).
Jackie, this is why I do this--knowing I turned someone on to something I love is the greatest reward of all! Some notes on band: Delain have always been overshadowed by the Big 3 symphonic metal bands (Nightwish, Epica and Within Temptation), but deserve the same kind of attention. Delain's founder, Martijn Westerholt, is the brother of Robert Westerholt, founder of Within Temptation. As you noted, there is quite a bit of movement of musicians between bands--many of the people who have played in Delain have been with other well-known bands. One of the strange anomalies of the Symphonic scene is the dominance of Dutch artists. It's weird because symphonic metal is not actually popular in the Netherlands, but is huge in other parts of Europe. Happy explorations!
Delain, as Charles points out, is probably in Tier 2 . I think Nightwish is alone at Tier 1 as it all seems to revert to them, but your mileage may vary. If you want the visual experience, here is a link to their 2024 performance at Summer Breeze. The Arte Channel, if you haven't already discovered it, is an excellent source for concerts of all types of music. They're well produced, not just somebody with an iPhone recording from the back row which is what most YouTube concert videos seem to be. A great write up on your part. I always look forward to your posting.
Thanks Daniel, just found this comment. Nightwish are #1 for me too, and I was fortunate enough to see them live last time they came to the US. Tiny venue--which was good for us but a sad comment on Americans' musical preferences.
You don't expect a metal song to be so beautiful, but those vocals by Leah are exquisite. First time I've heard this one.
I'm always discovering new bands in other countries from Charles, and his beginner's guide to metal is excellent (although I haven't made it all the way through yet!).
Jackie, this is why I do this--knowing I turned someone on to something I love is the greatest reward of all! Some notes on band: Delain have always been overshadowed by the Big 3 symphonic metal bands (Nightwish, Epica and Within Temptation), but deserve the same kind of attention. Delain's founder, Martijn Westerholt, is the brother of Robert Westerholt, founder of Within Temptation. As you noted, there is quite a bit of movement of musicians between bands--many of the people who have played in Delain have been with other well-known bands. One of the strange anomalies of the Symphonic scene is the dominance of Dutch artists. It's weird because symphonic metal is not actually popular in the Netherlands, but is huge in other parts of Europe. Happy explorations!
Delain, as Charles points out, is probably in Tier 2 . I think Nightwish is alone at Tier 1 as it all seems to revert to them, but your mileage may vary. If you want the visual experience, here is a link to their 2024 performance at Summer Breeze. The Arte Channel, if you haven't already discovered it, is an excellent source for concerts of all types of music. They're well produced, not just somebody with an iPhone recording from the back row which is what most YouTube concert videos seem to be. A great write up on your part. I always look forward to your posting.
Thanks Daniel, just found this comment. Nightwish are #1 for me too, and I was fortunate enough to see them live last time they came to the US. Tiny venue--which was good for us but a sad comment on Americans' musical preferences.