DELAIN
APOCALYPSE & CHILL
Napalm Records
Released 9th February 2020
“Apocalypse & Chill” is a brand new and highly anticipated album by the Dutch metal superstars Delain. Despite the strange album name and cover, the album has already introduced us to bombastic tracks like “One Second”, “Burning Bridges”, and “Masters of Destiny” before it’s formal announcement.
Jumping straight into the album, songs “We Had Everything” and “Chemical Redemption” are a strong and steady tracks that keeps up the hype from what we had heard in the opener “One Second” with amazing fire-starting riffs alongside the ethereal atmosphere of ghostly choirs as they're accompanying Wessels' delicate vocal performance while including electronic elements.
Going to the album’s fifth (5th) track, “Vengeance” has a more cinematic approach compared to what we had heard so far, but quickly becomes dynamic heavy hitting song with an amazing duet between Yannis Papadopoulos of Beast in Black who is a perfect match in the with Wessels.
Tracklist:
One Second
We Had Everything
Chemical Redemption
Burning Bridges
Vengeance
To Live is to Die
Let’s Dance
Creatures
Ghost House Heart
Masters of Destiny
Legions of the Lost
The Greatest Escape
Combustion
“To Live is to Die” is this futuristic/electronica metal track of as Wessels’ takes on a somewhat robotic (yet beautiful) style to match this atmosphere while “Let’s Dance” will make you say “oof” to the heavy progressive intro that will make you literally dance along the fiery rhythmic guitar riffs and explosive chorus. “Creatures” takes more of laid back pace starting with that chugging start, and Charlotte’s sultry performance can bring the chills in the apocalyptic lyrics in this ethereal atmosphere. Towards the end, she gives her all with amazing belts in the jumble of multi-layered vocals. Next “Ghost House Heart”, a ballad that strips off metal element giving “Apocalypse & Chill” some sounds of raw vulnerability. Haunting and minimalistic with the piano accompaniment and the violin, Charlotte's will definitely give you goosebumps while the orchestration makes the song live up to it’s name.
“Legions of the Lost” goes back to A&C's formula of symphonic metal but going for a mid-tempo pace. “The Greatest Escape” is a soft-going track as it starts with a piano ballad opening that plays as main voice in the instrumentals while the metal aspect tries to stay underneath not trying to overpower it. The closing “Combustion” is an instrumental of literally a burst of a guitar solo performance by Timo Somers and his impressive skills and fiery riffs and rhythm.
Overall, this album went above and beyond with is amazing orchestrations and unforgettable heavy hitting passages that will be playing on repeat in your head, demanding it to play the album again.
I give “Apocalypse & Chill” and explosive perfect 10 out of 10.
By Joshua
Delain are:
Martijn Westerholt – keyboards
Charlotte Wessels – vocals
Otto Schimmelpenninck – bass, backing and harsh vocals
Timo Somers – guitars, backing vocals
Joey de Boer – drums
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