Metal
Diana Leah announced on 19 October that she is leaving Delain. She joined in 2022, replacing Charlotte Wessels, and cut a single studio album with them: “Dark Waters”, released by Napalm in February 2023.
“Diana has decided to step away from Delain after many years with the band to pursue other things in life,” the band’s statement reads. “While her departure naturally brings a sense of sadness, we look back with great gratitude on everything they have shared together.”
What comes next is not a handover. Instead of looking for another singer, Delain say they are opening both the album and the shows to a range of guest artists, each with their own voice and character, and that many of them will be on stage as well: a line-up that can change from song to song and from show to show. The fixed core stays at four names — Martijn Westerholt, founder and songwriter, with Ludovico Cioffi, Ronald Landa and Sander Zoer.
Two of the guests have been named: Marko Hietala, formerly of Nightwish, and Sharon den Adel, of Within Temptation. Both had already sung on “Lucidity”, the 2006 debut, which was made in exactly that way. “Delain has always been about bringing different musical worlds together,” Westerholt says. “Twenty years ago, ‘Lucidity’ started with that idea. Now, twenty years later, we are taking it further than ever before.”
Leah stays with DYYA, the solo project she opened on 14 February with “Holy Water” — the video did not follow until March — and which now has four singles; the latest, “Too Tired To Be Dead”, is out, and the debut EP, “Welcome To Nowhere”, has no date yet. “I’m thankful for the experiences and memories I’ve made during my time with Delain, and to everyone who has supported me throughout these years,” she says.
Delain’s first single of the new chapter is out today through Napalm: it is “We Are Fire”, sung by Fabienne Erni, Paolo Ribaldini and Noa Gruman. The band has still not given the album a title or a date.
Text by Roger Estivill