Delain - Lucidity

Artist: Delain
Title: Lucidity
Genre: Symphonic Metal
LP/Album
2006
Sounds Like: Within Temptation, Olzen-era Nightwish
Favorite Track: A Day For Ghosts
Available as: Download, CD (Sensory)

I love symphonic metal! For the longest time, I thought I didn't like metal, mostly because I'd only heard metal bands that were very screamy and didn't have much in the way of melody. Then I heard about symphonic metal, heard it was very melodic, and decided to give it a try. I loved it! This wasn't the first symphonic album that I heard but it was one of the first, and it's still probably my favorite.

Delain started as a studio project to get former Within Temptation keyboardist Martjin Westerholt back on his feet after he had to leave his former band because of illness. They're a supergroup -  everyone in the band had performed with other metal bands before - and were never intended to produce more than just this one album, but after the album became a success, Delain got new members who weren't tied down to other bands, and are still touring and making music. All their albums are fantastic, but this is my favorite.

The defining feature of symphonic metal is, of course, the orchestra, and Delain does a great job using the orchestra on this album. The string parts during the solo section of "Sever" are incredibly exhilarating, no matter how many times I hear them. It also does a great job in integrating synthesized instruments with the real orchestra, which isn't something all symphonic bands can pull off. There are times when I can't tell what's synthesized and what's real. Vocalist Charlotte Wessels does an excellent job, especially on the choruses of "Sleepwalker's Dream," where her operatic voice soars into the sky. Other symphonic metal stars take turns as guest vocalists, including Leaves' Eyes singer Liv Kristine (one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard), who sings the epic verse melodies of "A Day For Ghosts," countered during the choruses by a powerful, but rough, male voice.

The lyricism on this album is also fantastic. The influence of gothic metal is very prominent - the lyrics are dark enough to help vent my feelings if I'm feeling down, but they're never so dark as to fully stray into that often depressing subgenre. The songwriting is very subtle, certainly compared to most metal, but also compared to a lot of symphonic. All the instruments (except, perhaps, the bass) are given time to shine, and everyone in the band plays very well. The guitar work isn't as technical as it often is in metal, but that's just as well, because I would hate to have the songs' balance thrown off by two minutes of shredding.

I actually found my copy brand new in a brick-and-mortar record store in Cincinnati, but I don't think it's very widely sold - I haven't seen another copy since I bought mine. It's on iTunes and Spotify, and with a little bit of looking, the CD shouldn't be difficult to find on eBay or elsewhere. There isn't a vinyl edition, although if they want to press one, I'd be first in line to buy it (subtle hint, subtle hint).