DELAIN – The Human Contradiction (2014)

If I had to describe it in one word Delain‘s new album, I would consider it „interesting“. „The Human Contradiction“ is the fourth studio recording of the Dutch band, taking the heavy task of a successor to the successful „We are the others“ (2012). Although my idea of symphonic metal here and there is getting lost among the nine songs, the album probably won’t disappoint the fans of female fronted metal.

The album dramatically opens with the melodic „Here Come the Vultures“ and continues with the first single, a new duet with Marco Hietala (Nightwish, Tarot) – „Your Body Is a Battleground“, which quickly and harmoniously – in a strange way – merges Marco’s voice with Charlotte Wessels’ one. It should be mentioned that the unusual number of collaborations on „The Human Contradiction“ rush into the songs completely unnoticed and unobtrusive and even diversify and bring a little of the performers’ own sound. In the otherwise slightly boring „Tell Me, Mechanist“ we hear the strong contrast with the dark vocals of George Oosthoek (ex-Orphanage), which brings us back to the debut „Lucidity“; in the rhythmic „Sing to Me“ a guest participant is again Marco Hietala; the most pleasant musical surprise to me here is the power of the harsh vocals of Alissa White-Gluz in closing „The Tragedy of the Commons“.