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[miko2]

Today's Song: The Gathering by Delain

I have to say, with all of the symphonic/goth metal bands that I tracked down three days ago, the one that I was unable to download from eMusic, iTunes or Amazon may be the best one of all. The band is Delain, from the Netherlands. Once I tracked down some of their songs to listen to, I realized I had discovered a new favorite band. I bought their cd on Ebay immediately.

The story of Delain is that Martijn Westerholt, keyboardist for Within Temptation and one of its founding members (along with his brother Robert Westerholt) was forced to leave that band in 2001 while suffering from Pfeiffer's Disease. However he continued writing music in a vein similar to Within Temptation and assembled a new group to record an album. The first album contained many guest singers and musicians -- Marco Hietala from Nightwish, Liv Kristine from Leaves Eyes, Arien van WEesenbeek from Epica, Sharon Den Adel from Within Temptation, etc. But the core of the band was Marijn Westerholt and singer Charlotte Wessels, and they went on to form a band that went on tour, and are expecting to release a second cd this year.

The music on this cd is none too different from what Within Temptation and similar bands do. The guitars are not overpowering, there are no real surprises. However, the music is top-notch, and every song on the cd is rewarding. If you're a fan of Within Temptation, Leaves Eyes, Nightwish, After Forever, Epica, and Vision of Atlantis, then this cd will not fail to grab you.

Delain -- The Gathering

Delain -- Frozen

Delain -- See Me In Shadow

Delain @ Myspace