Delain: Frozen Silhouettes 2006-2009, 3CD Box Set
Delain – Frozen Silhouettes 2006-2009, 3CD Box Set
HNE Recordings
Release date: 13/11/26
Review by Jon Deaux
7/10
Excellent music, a nice package, and one disc of instrumental songs mainly for collectors and karaoke fans.
HNE Recordings has compiled a box set of the first two of Delain’s records coupled with an instrumental disc, all under the title Frozen Silhouettes, and I would like you to consider this for a moment. Three CDs. From a band whose whole persona is “What if we were to emulate Within Temptation, but we got the keyboard player to do it himself.” It was literally how this band was started, by the way. The keyboardist of Within Temptation, Martijn Westerholt, left the band, started recording his own music in his studio, hired tons of session musicians, and because of the success of the album, he had to form a real band out of it. Can you believe having such a problem? “Oops, I got carried away with my project, now I have to go on tour with other people.”
The first disc of the set is their debut, “Lucidity,” and it is indeed good – very good. Charlotte Wessels has one of those vocals that seem to have been cultivated in a greenhouse specifically to float above a wall of guitars, and Frozen is a truly excellent album opener. Tunes like “Silhouette of a Dancer,” See Me in Shadow,” “Shattered” – these are all belters. Big and dramatic and slightly ludicrous tunes – precisely what you want from symphonic metal. No one puts an orchestra on a metal album just because he feels like being subtle. Orchestras are put on albums because you want your tune about shadows to sound like the apocalypse.
Disc two, on the other hand, is their second studio album, “April Rain,” which was released back in 2009. It marks a shift towards professionalism; for one, it features their touring lineup and is definitely a more polished and self-assured album that comes with some absolutely awesome tunes like the title track and “Stay Forever”. Is it as fresh as their debut? Nope, but then again, when you learn how to bake something, and it turns out good, you keep on baking it over and over – not because you’re being lazy, but just because you know it works. And anyway, there’s nothing wrong with that, especially if this is music meant to be chanted back to the stage by a whole bunch of black eyeliner-wearing people.
Disc three is “Lucidity”. This time it’s essentially a karaoke disc. First things first, I feel it’s necessary to say that I believe there’s a wonderful concept in the project, and I’m going to explain why. This is your chance to appreciate the music without vocals and concentrate on the work of arrangements and instrumental layers that Westerholt worked so hard at putting together. This is absolutely brilliant, but only once you listen to it, maybe twice at maximum. It’s a Delain record where Delain’s most important member has popped out to the shop and just never came back. You’ve basically got a karaoke disc, albeit a very dramatic one, but a karaoke disc nonetheless.. Or maybe not? If you have plans on singing “Sleepwalkers Dream” in your living room, well, who am I to judge.
So, who is this for? If you’re a fan of Within Temptation and Nightwish and yet somehow skipped listening to these two albums before, consider yourself extremely lucky. Two good albums, some live bonus tracks, an amazing idea to have all these early days packed up in one box. But if you’ve got those albums in your collection and are trying to decide if one disc of instrumental and a couple of live recordings is worth spending money on, then, for the most part of the time, the answer will be “not really, although I respect your persistence”.
TRACKLISTING:
DISC ONE
LUCIDITY (2006)
01. Sever
02. Frozen
03. Silhouette Of A Dancer
04. No Compliance
05. See Me In Shadow
06. Shattered
07. The Gathering
08. Daylight Lucidity
09. Sleepwalkers Dream
10. A Day For Ghosts
11. Pristine
BONUS TRACK
12. (Deep) Frozen
DISC TWO
APRIL RAIN (2009)
01. April Rain
02. Stay Forever
03. Invidia
04. Control The Storm
05. On The Other Side
06. Virtue And Vice
07. Go Away
08. Start Swimming
09. Lost
10. I’ll Reach You
11. Nothing Left
BONUS TRACKS
12. Silhouette Of A Dancer (Live)
13. Shattered (Live)
14. Pristine (Live)
15. Medley
DISC THREE
LUCIDITY INSTRUMENTALS
01. Sever
02. Frozen
03. Silhouette Of A Dancer
04. No Compliance
05. See Me In Shadow
06. Shattered
07. The Gathering
08. Daylight Lucidity
09. Sleepwalkers Dream
10. A Day For Ghosts
11. Pristine
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Jo Deaux and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
