The Sound of April Rain

One’s heritage can say a lot about a person; how they communicate, what they like to eat, where they live. But does music follow that same instance? For many, the music that surrounds them happens to be the music they tend to listen to. However, I’m more content with finding the music that is not well known. Why, because it is pure. More or less, my search for gold music, the unknown treasure.

With living in the States, more precisely Wisconsin, there are a lot of music genres to go around. But my treasures follow my European heritage. In the continuous search for new music, my brother came upon a band with connections to some of our other favorite bands. With symphonic melodies and soothing lyrics, my first impression was that this band was worth listening too. However, I wasn’t blown away by them.

But I made a mistake in my thought process of categorizing their music. Although, their lineup is similar to many of my favorite bands. Although, they come from the same area on the map, which creates similar influences to their music. And although, they are one band of many to form under the same genre, they began to stand out to me.

For many bands/groups, there is one particular artist that stands out in a band. Most of the time, the vocalist is that person. There are too many bands in the States that use their star’s name as the band name, ugh. So when you listen to their albums, you can clearly hear that star’s voice or instrument louder than the rest of the group. In some instances, that’s great, i.e. Oscar Peterson. But to be able to put together a band that fits all as one, without a standout artist, that’s hard to come by. That statement might be difficult to believe since everyone has a different view of what music is and should be. But to me, it takes a special touch to not expose an instrument too much, which can ultimately affect the purpose of a song.

To add, this band also brought power and emotion to an equal mix of instruments and lyrics. Which is why I haven’t been able to put them down for weeks. However, I have one more reason why this band stands out to me. All bands have an overall message that they write about. Whether that be fictional stories or political ones, they write for purpose. They just hope their messages come across as intended.  But my feeling that came across with this band was a message of hope. Although rough some days, the possibility of tomorrow is infinite.

With those words, I introduce you to Delain.

Delain is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded by the ex-keyboardist of Within Temptation, Martijn Westerholt. They are currently touring off their second album, April Rain. Co-writer and vocalist Charlotte Wessels brings a lovely touch to the band. Trained in both classical and jazz singing, she brings a great balance to the melodic keyboard passages and flowing melodies on both albums. Delain also has brought in well-known guest artists that help compare their sound with the best of them. Most notably, Marco Hietala, bassist and vocalist of Nightwish. At the moment, it seems that Delain will keep their tours overseas. But I can only hope that one day they will make it to the States, preferably the Midwest; we have a high concentration of underground fans here. ;P

Rock, BC