Delain brings us Apocalypse and Chill in 2020, a highly anticipated album after their 2019 EP Hunter’s Moon. Hunter’s Moon brought us the introduction of Joey de Boer on drums, a farewell to Merel Bechtold on guitars (who parted June 2019 for her solo careers), the gigantum force of Charlotte Wessels (vocals), Martijn Westerholt (keyboards, founder), Timo Somers (guitar), and Otto Schimmelpenninck (bass), and the hit “Masters of Destiny”, which is also found on Apocalyspe and Chill. What else does this album bring? Let’s dive in!

I remember watching Delain fondly since they started touring the US back in 2013 (and coming back yearly!) While many of their fans come from the background of symphonic metal, Delain themselves have never fit neatly into the genre – they’ve been more of a hybrid of hard rock with symphonic elements. With Apocalypse and Chill, Delain has even more influences, variety in sound, and the symphonic music is definitely present in a few of their songs. There are throwbacks and nods to their older albums, but mostly Delain has experimented and created a new sound for themselves.

The first track that is brought to us is their second single from the album called “One Second.” This song could be about love at first sight and the infatuation which comes with it. A nice surprise is to hear Timo sing equally on the track (something that is newer to Delain, as he’s only been vocals up until last year.) This track has some rock riffs in it, but is most noticeable being more of a Eurodance vibe.

“We Had Everything” is the new song, and the lyrics “It’s a shame, such a shame” could be quoted back to their song off Interlude, “Such a Shame” (a cover of Talk Talk.) What’s interesting about the lyrics is they could be vaguely interpreted as either an end of a relationship or the end of the world (depending on your point of view?!) This song is a better introduction to the newer direction of music Delain is heading into.

Charlotte starts show her vocal versatility in “Chemical Redemption.” Despite the combination of guitars, I could see this as a club banger. It’s easy to see why fans love this song – the words may be repetitive, but it’s a very impactful song that everyone can get into – from the diehard Delain fan to one who casually flips through the radio for music.

In “Burning Bridges”, which was the first single released, the mood of the cd changes into a heavier rock one. The song was played prior to the album release and definitely was/is a crowd pleaser. It closely follows “Master of Destiny” (see below) musically-wise without being a complete copycat of the song.

“Vengeance” features Yannis Papadopoulos of Beast in Black, and is the most symphonic metal song on the album. It even features choirs singing in Latin! Yannis starts the song out with the choirs backing him, and the epicness continues when Charlotte joins in. It may take a few listens for one who is not a symphonic metal fan to get into this one, but I enjoyed the collaboration right off the bat.

“To Live Is To Die” is a drum heavy track I would like to see more from Delain. The layover vocals are also an interesting, yet welcoming twist. What it lacks in lyrics (it has the shortest word count of all the songs), it makes up for the message in the song. 

The classic Delain sound is found more in the next track, “Let’s Dance.” Despite how bouncy it sounds, it’s a song about (what else?) the end of the world (the album IS called “Apocalypse and Chill”.) This is probably the most balanced between what we expect from Delain and their new experimental sounds.

When “Creatures” came on, I was instantly reminded of “Mother Machine” ending (from the album “We Are the Others”.) Challenge: queue up the two to see if they meld together seemlessly from beginning to end. I wasn’t quite sure to make of this one, though it does fit nicely into the theme.

“Ghost House Heart” is the shortest of the track, and is the only major ballad. I don’t recommend listening to this if you’ve been through a recent breakup or lost someone. It’s very remorseful and deep, and the line, “There’s a million things to see / But it’s not for you and me” is absolutely heartbreaking.

If you didn’t pick up the Hunter’s Moon EP, this is the first time you’ll hear “Masters of Destiny” (released as a single in 2019.) It starts very unassuming, then blows you away at :50 seconds in. The song takes a sudden, stronger turn, leaving even Clementine of Visions of Atlantis (a fellow record label band) in shock (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5E2-Vgy3r8) While not sounding alike, the message in “Masters” is related to one you would find in their song “April Rain” (from the album, April Rain).

“Legions of the Lost” is next, and returns to the symphonic metal sound of backing choirs and heavy instrumental. The song seems to be about enlightenment and rebellion against daily life; a message found on a former track, “Tragedy of the Commons” (from their “Human Contradiction” album.) While Delain isn’t strictly attached to one theme, they’ve never shied away from singing about controverial topics.

“The Greatest Escape” also reminds me of another “Human Contradiction” song called “Scarlet.” It starts slow and builds into the classic Delain we’re used to. It also alludes to the nature theme that’s sprinkled throughout the entire album.

The finale, “Combustion”, is the longest track and the only instrumental. Don’t let that deter you from listening – it’s quite epic and shows all the talent in the band. The drum solo is not to be missed! It nicely wraps up the entirety of the album as a whole.

Delain has always been one of my top bands, and Apocalypse and Chill certainly does not disappoint. I have always loved their sound can be both danceable and hard enough to headbang to. Do yourself a favor and pick up this up before catching Delain on the next tour!

I’m Music Magazine Writer Bridget Taylor