Unprecedented times were met through Apocalypse & Chill, the freshly released album from the returning Dutch symphonic five-piece DELAIN. Further adding to the spectacle of the event, the expected pressure was met by how much of the new material along with their blossoming back catalogue could influence all in attendance to a near sold-out O2 Ritz in Manchester.
With their only support for the evening, Sweden’s newest supergroup CYHRA have created an unexpected hype, which have caught the attention for some of its witnesses. Flowing the air of the band member’s repertoire such as IN FLAMES, AMARANTHE and ENGEL, the symphonic quartet produced a satisfying set. While it took their spectators a brief moment to respond at their high-energy riffs in Bye Bye Forever, Dreams Gone Wrong and Karma, the sound was finally appreciated towards the end of their pleasant set with the closer Out Of My Life, being a particular highlight in which the rabid crowd got to participate.
DELAIN saluted their fresh crowd with crunching warmth from their triple barrage of Burning Bridges, Creatures and The Glory & The Scum. This alone provided what Manchester have expected from their well thought-out symphonic metal catalogue. One cannot deny that with many catchy songs such as Suckerpunch, The Hurricane and ever-classic April Rain, which brought their witnesses together in much delight. A nice touch to their glowing set was with the acoustic Ghost House Heart, revealing Charlotte Wessels‘ grace at centre stage. Further adding to their mellifluous beauty were with tracks from their brand new opus. Let’s Dance, Masters of Destiny and One Second all make an appearance in tonight’s performance, showcasing their ever-growing versatility from the group. What fans came to appreciate from the night was the instrumental Combustion, which gave the key instrumentalists the opportunity to showcase their charming showmanship. The Dutch faction gave the drama back with closers Fire with Fire, Pristine, the especially delightful new cut We Had Everything, before crowd pleaser We Are The Others brought all back into unison.
As the members walked away from their congregation, what was witnessed on the cold-bitter evening in Manchester was that DELAIN had an undeniable chemistry that matched their unprecedented selection of songs to the familiar metal public, embracing every note that left the symphonic quintet made up with the response received this evening.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here:
