Page 16 - Metal Hammer Issue 334 - UK (May 2020)
P. 16
A WHOPPING 15 years since their inception, been frowned upon. Because there are, like, taking place anonymously and behind screens.
Dutch symphonic metallers Delain are ready three women in metal and all the rest are guys, I’m not sure how that’s going to develop.”
to unleash their colossal sixth (and hilariously it was a term that used to work to group those
titled) album, Apocalypse & Chill. With a busy bands together. I think by now people realise CRITICISM CAN BE MOTIVATIONAL
2020 ahead, and having wrapped up a handful that there are women in metal, death metal, “There are some conversations that really
of UK headliner dates in February, we quizzed nu metal, symphonic metal and they’re all stick with you in life. I remember very early
songstress and key songwriter Charlotte vastly different things, so I’m really happy on in my career, when I was 15, my classical
Wessels on the hard life lessons her years in to know people are warming to the idea of singing teacher once told me, ‘If I were you,
the music industry have taught her so far. ditching the term altogether. For me, it wasn’t I’d leave that band and just go join a choir –
just about the term being disrespectful or everybody is always looking for sopranos like
CHANGE IS A GOOD THING inaccurate; it was also not nice to the rest of you.’ She basically didn’t see the value in any
“Martijn [Westerholt, keyboards] and myself the band to let their genre be decided by non-classical music but to me, that was such
have been the core songwriting team for Delain a ‘Wait, I’ll show you’ moment in my life. It’s
since the very beginning but Timo [Somers, more reverse psychology than the best advice
guitars] has really flourished on Apocalypse anybody’s ever given me but it had the most
& Chill; he’s not just making arrangements and impact on what I ended up doing, even though
writing parts but writing entire songs, like One it was a long time ago.”
Second. The fact that we play live so much has
had an impact on how we write this time. We’re STOP TRYING TO MAKE EVERYONE
writing from the idea of how it will work when ELSE HAPPY
we perform. Martijn did the entire production “You simply cannot please everybody. That
again and he’s done a great job! We wanted to was a tough lesson for me. In a band like this,
do some things we haven’t done before while you’re doing everything together and when
staying really true to our sound – we’ve added you’re writing with multiple people, you’re
in some real choirs, which is something we’ve already making compromises. Within my
LIFE LESSONS to the amount of people you can keep happy
wanted to do for quite some time.” creative group that’s fine, but there’s a limit
DON’T JUDGE while also staying true
A BOOK BY to you and your artistic
ITS COVER vision. I felt like I really
“A lot of things [in the had to learn that the
process for this album] hard way because teams
remained as they were in music can get very big
for [2016’s] Moonbathers. and it quickly becomes
For example, in the very complicated to
approach to song- have everybody on the
writing, a lot has stayed same page. Sometimes
the same. But when it you try to compromise
comes to production, too much and you end
some things developed up with something
– especially the name. nobody is happy with,
Some people think we’re so I’d rather have some
joking! [The title isn’t] very excited people
the gothic, romantic, The Delain singer is in 15 years deep and and some saying ‘meh’
frozen moon thing we has no plan to change course yet. than having everybody
usually go for. I had Here’s what she’s learned so far on a medium level
a demo called Apocalypse of excitement.”
& Chill that didn’t go
anywhere, and when WORDS: ALI COOPER INSPIRATION
I looked at all the songs CAN COME FROM
on this album, all the post-apocalyptic content what’s hanging (or not hanging) between ANYWHERE
combined with people’s attitude today, it fits.” the frontperson’s legs! That’s taking such “I have different inspirations for different
a small part of the ingredients of the band. parts of music. I love Nick Cave for lyrics and
LET YOUR OWN WORK SHINE I’m still optimistic and I hear a lot of things writing words in general, and Thom Yorke for
“There are a few guest spots on Apocalypse & that keep me optimistic both online and music. I’m always super-impressed by how
Chill – such as Yannis Papadopoulos from Beast offline. I think we’re heading in the right Radiohead keep changing and evolving their
In Black and a guest violinist who used to play direction; in general I think there’s more sound, they’ve been my favourite band
for Eluveitie – but not as many as we’ve had in equality than there has been in the past. I also forever. Also, Amanda Palmer for the way she
the past. I think that was a conscious choice. feel people are becoming more and more navigates the music industry. I think it’s very
In the past, we’ve always let ourselves be led aggressive in their opinions and less open to impressive what she’s built and how she is so
by people that we really like but didn’t exactly conversation, as more conversations are radically herself in everything she does.”
fit into the music, but the exposure to their
fanbase was also a factor. We didn’t think about SET YOUR GOALS HIGH
that at all for this album; we were just doing “PEOPLE THINK “Before Delain, I was in a band that had a side-
our own thing and it felt like a perfect fit.” project that Martijn was working on as well,
THIS ALBUM that’s how we met. He asked if I could write
‘FEMALE-FRONTED’ IS NO MORE a few lyrics for this project he was working on
“I’ve spoken out against the ‘female-fronted’ TITLE IS A JOKE!” and it grew from there into me being part of
genre in the past and I’ve always thought it’s the first album, but it was still supposed to PRESS
16 METALHAMMER.COM
