Page 53 - Black Velvet Issue 87

BV87 pg53:BV87 pg53 20/12/2015 22:04 Page 1

BlackVelvetMagazine.Com -53
DELAIN / ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN PRESENTS THE GEN-
TLE STORM / WE ARE THE CATALYST – BIRMINGHAM O2 IN-
STITUTE LIBRARY, 23.10.15
Three female-fronted metal bands on a tour
makes a change. All three very talented too. We Are
The Catalyst are the first band up and just doing this
one Birmingham show on the tour before heading
off for other shows of their own. The band are from
Gothenburg and play tracks from their debut album,
‘Monuments’. The band wrap moments of soft,
dreamy atmosphere with heavier powerful ele-
ments. Beginning with ‘Being Number One’ and
ending with ‘Never Fall’, you get the feeling that this
positive band will achieve their dreams and go on
to greater things.
The Gentle Storm is a new project formed by
Anneke van Giersbergen and Arjen A. Lucassen.
However the live band sees Anneke front an army
of musicians that also includes Meren Becktold,
now an official member of Delain. Seemingly liking
to keep busy, Merel gets to play two sets every night
on the tour – first with The Gentle Storm and then
with Delain. What a hard worker she is! Anneke,
now with red hair, has a commanding voice. The
six-piece band perform songs such as ‘Brightest
Light’, ‘The Storm’ and ‘Shores Of India’.

Some songs include a folk aspect
and prog rock along with a symphonic
metal base. Anneke constantly has a
huge grin on her face as she enjoys per-
forming in front of this sold out crowd who
give her an encouraging reaction.
‘Eleanor’ from Anneke’s previous The Gathering outfit is sung although there’s a slight technical hitch as An-
neke comments on the computer ‘fucking up’. The one downside to symphonic music is the fact that bands do
rely on computers maybe a little too much. Although we probably wouldn’t have noticed the mistake if she hadn’t
pointed it out.
Last time Delain were in Birmingham bassist Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije had a slight accident (rup-
turing a testicle) when a streamer cannon hit him. Luckily tonight, no unfortunate incidents occur and the band
perform a solid set that includes a new song that should be on the next Delain album. Entitled ‘Turn The Lights
Out’ it starts with some humming and a soft intro before a dancey beat gets underway. Charlotte Wessels on
vocals sings with passion while guitarist Timo Somers joins her for the last line. It’s a quality song that looks to
continue from where Delain have left off – which is a melodic rock meets a metal sound with slices of symphonic
music as a foundation. ‘Army Of Dolls’ and ‘Stardust’ are melodic and sing along while incorporating clever or-
chestration, keyboards and stacking them with guitars and drums. The band meld heaviness with fragility; pristine-
ness with a tower of strength. ‘Get The Devil Out Of Me’ is fist-punchingly delicious while ‘The Tragedy Of The
Commons’ features some bluesy, funky guitar from Timo while Otto grunts the heavy parts. The Delain show ends
with their anthem, ‘We Are The Others’, which everyone’s waiting to hear and knows they won’t go home without.
Next time we hope to see Delain at a bigger venue as the band are climbing onwards and upwards.
YYYY
SBV
Charlotte Wessels (Delain) Photo By Shari Black Velvet
CONCERTS