The Dutch symphonic metal scene is pretty diverse. Within Temptation is probably its most famous act, but there are many other impressive participants. Among them is Delain, the band I’m featuring today.
Delain actually has some close ties to Within Temptation: Delain’s composer, Martijn Westerholt, is the brother of Robert Westerholt, who’s Within Temptation’s composer. (I guess skill in musical composition runs in the Westerholt family!) That’s not to say the two bands sound alike; on the contrary, Delain has their own unique and interesting sound.
The song I’m sharing today, “Sever”, is the one that initially got me into Delain; it is, incidentally, also the first track of their first album, Lucidity. What I like most about “Sever” is the choral motif that provides the song’s backbone, and the instrumental passage in the second half of the song; there’s a nice orchestral build-up there, breaking out into an satisfying guitar solo.
Lyrics can be found here.
The song also features male guest vocalist Marco Hietala, of Nightwish fame.
Delain may not yet have achieved Within Temptation’s level of renown, but I think they’re well on their way. They started touring in North America a couple of years ago – a big milestone for a European band. I had the pleasure of seeing them live during that tour, and will see them again this April, when they will open for Nightwish!.
There's Waldo! 
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