Delain: Dance with the Devil

This is an odd album by the Dutch symphonic metal band Delain. They are calling it an EP, despite the fact that it has 15 tracks. The reason: Only two of them are originals, “Dance with the Devil� and “The Reaping,� which lead off the album. Then you get a new take on “Sleepwalkers Dream� from their 2006 album Lucidity, followed by nine live tracks of songs from throughout their career. The album ends with instrumental versions of “Dance with the Devil� and “The Reaping� and a version of “Underland,� from their excellent 2023 album, Dark Waters, with an alternate ending.

As fans of Delain know, the band has had many lineup changes throughout its career. The mainstay has been Martijn Westerholt on keyboards. For this album, he is joined by Sander Zoer on drums and Ronald Landa on guitar, both of whom have appeared in previous incarnations of the band. Rounding out the lineup are Ludovico Cioffi on bass and Diana Leah, who provides lead vocals. They joined the band prior to the release of Dark Waters. Landa and Cioffi also contribute backing vocals and some harsh vocals at times. Finally … you have guest vocalist Paolo Ribaldini on three of the live tracks.

As for the music, the two new tracks are about what you would expect from Delain, somewhat pompy metal with excellent female vocals. The glorious Charlotte Wessels was on the mic for more than 15 years and while I prefer her to Leah, the latter is no slouch. The live tracks provide a lot of energy and are fun. The last three tracks, well, they are absolutely non-essential.

I like Delain quite a bit, but this is a bit of a hodgepodge. I don’t understand its purpose. Perhaps they were just trying to release “product� as a bridge to their next album and not let the momentum they delivered on Dark Waters peter out.

The band will start a North American tour on March 8th, beginning in Arizona, moving east, and then finishing in the South.

Track Listing
1. Dance with the Devil (3:54)
2. The Reaping (3:47)
3. Sleepwalkers Dream (2024 Version) (4:25)
4. The Cold (Live) (3:43)
5. Burning Bridges (Live) (4:21)
6. The Quest and the Curse (Live) (5:08)
7. April Rain (Live) (4:40)
8. Invidia (Live) (3:50)
9. Queen of Shadow (feat. Paolo Ribaldini) (Live) (4:00)
10. Your Body is a Battleground (feat. Paolo Ribaldini) (Live) (4:01)
11. Moth to a Flame (Live) (4:44)
12. Control the Storm (feat. Paolo Ribaldini) (Live) (4:12)
13. Dance with the Devil (Instrumental) (3:55)
14. The Reaping (Instrumental) (3:48)
15. Underland (Alternate Ending Version) (5:24)

Added: February 12th 2025
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 330
Language: english

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