Delain – The Human Contradiction (2014)

In a year filled with exciting new Gothic/Symphonic Metal releases from bands like Within Temptation, Epica, Stream of Passion, Diabulus In Musica, etc., Delain delivers their best effort (to date) with “The Human Contradiction”. Led by the charismatic vocals of Charlotte Wessels, this release is the whole package in terms of excellent songwriting, a perfect balance of aggressive and melodic tracks, and an overall intensity that only the best bands of the genre can deliver.

Opening with the engaging “Here Come the Vultures”, we are immediately immersed in the band’s melancholic melodic vibe. The songs are quite well structured around powerful guitars and expertly crafted vocal melodies that make for a very intense and exciting album. With guest vocals from Marco Hietala, a staple in the band’s best songs in their previous releases, “Your Body Is a Battleground” and “Sing To Me”, the band keeps the intensity to the max.

Never being linear or getting stuck in a particular groove, tracks like “Stardust” showcase Martijn Westerholt’s superb songwriting skills in delivering very diverse and catchy songs. The subtle keyboards and direct orchestrations are very well used through this release and really submerge the listener in Delain’s world. The characteristic that appeals to us the most about this release is the perfect balance of melancholic elements in tracks like “My Masquerade” and “Tell Me, Mechanist”.

With subtle electronic elements in tracks like “Army of Dolls” and “Masquerade”, the band achieves catchy yet heavy and approachable songs that are guaranteed to be loved by the legions of fans of the band and the genre. Our favorite track in this release is the simple yet beautiful “Lullaby”, a very direct track with powerful guitars and excellent vocal melodies.

Closing the release we have “The Tragedy of the Commons”, a song that features guest vocals from Alissa White-Gluz, ex-The Agonist, Kamelot (live), and now front woman of Arch Enemy, doing her thing with harsh vocals. Overall, “The Human Contradiction” is a monumental release in the Gothic/Symphonic Metal genre and shows that Delain has been living to their potential, improving with every single release. If you like Epica, WT, After Forever, Tristania, etc, you will definitely love this release.

Label: Napalm Records

Release: April 4th, 2014

Genre: Symphonic/Gothic Metal

Country: Netherlands