ALBUM REVIEW: Hunter’s Moon – Delain

As the DE LA SOUL song goes, three is the magic number, and so it comes to pass on Friday that DELAIN‘s own conjured trilogy, which started with the Lunar Prelude EP and continued with last studio album Moonbathers, comes to its climax with Hunter’s Moon, comprising of four new songs and ten live tracks from the band’s Danse Macabre tour, specifically a sold out show in Utrecht in their native homeland. The package also comes with a Blu-ray disc of the live songs present as well for those who want a more visual experience to go with the symphonic rock outfit’s compositions.

First and foremost though, there’s the quartet of new material, which serve as an indication of what to expect from DELAIN‘s as-yet unannounced sixth full record, due out later this year. On the whole, it’s a bit of a mixed bag and the taste of what’s to come is, well, more of the same. Masters Of Destiny is somewhat of a false start, with Charlotte Wessels‘ vocals disappearing into the mix halfway through and the track suffering from an overall lack of guitars despite that rather natty solo at the end. However, the title track is stronger, catchier and more of a traditional DELAIN song, harking back to the material that made their second album, April Rain. This Silence Of Mine is the shortest track at just over two and a half minutes, boasting harsher vocal sections and some lovely riffing before the first part of the album closes with Art Kills, the heaviest track and featuring some excellent growled vocals from an unnamed source at present; this has a lot more grit that the other songs and shows some real promise.

The remaining two thirds comprise of the live tracks, the majority of which contain a featured guest. Even without the visuals and the jarring half-seconds of silence in between the tracks, it’s clear that DELAIN are a far more attractive prospect when on stage and the production job is particularly strong throughout. Hands Of Gold which opens the section has George Oosthoek of ORPHANAGE fame providing some ferocious unclean tones that compliment Wessels‘ voice excellently, with the front woman continuing her strong pipes on Danse Macabre and the haunting Scarlet.

Of the remaining seven songs, six see the band joined by NIGHTWISH bassist and backing vocalist Marco Hietala, who has never been the greatest of singers but is found here in fine fettle; Your Body Is A Battleground from 2014’s The Human Contradiction has a lot more grit to it in this setting than on record; the same holds true for following tracks Nothing Left and Control the Storm. The one Marco-less number is Not Enough, which is also pulled off with considerable gusto and as Hietala returns for the double punch of Scandal and a sumptuous rendition of The Gathering, Hunter’s Moon ends with a flourish that one wouldn’t have expected at the beginning.

There’s nothing here that will deter older fans and if you are a fan of anything symphonic and haven’t checked out DELAIN, Hunter’s Moon isn’t a half-bad mix of their abilities in the studio and on stage. That said, you might be better off just waiting for the full album this year and passing judgement then.

Rating: 6/10

Hunter’s Moon is set for release February 22nd via Napalm Records. 

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