Delusion-Elle

New music everywhere!

May is turning out to be a month of new music! Delain's previous albums were very good, and they always seem to find the perfect blend of light and heavy. Let's see if they continue to walk the line in their latest effort!

Artist: Delain
Album: We Are The Others
Year: 2012
Genre: pop-rock/metal
Download: here.
Disclaimer: I do not own this music. I did not upload this album. I am merely providing a download link for anyone who stumbles upon this blog and would like to follow along with my little first impressions review. Also, if you can try clothes on before you buy them, why not try music out before you buy the album?

1. Mother Machine: This track starts with some rip-roarin' guitarwork! I'm guessing that this is about as heavy as it's going to get on this album. It's Delain. They're poppy. Oh man, I love this chorus. This was one of the first songs from this album that they played live, back when they were still doing shows in support of April Rain.
2. Electricity: Oh, I was wrong about the extent of the heaviness. This track has a pretty driving guitar rhythm. I don't like this track as much as the opener, but it's pretty standard Delain -- that exact mixture of light and heavy.
3. We Are The Others: The opening is very tinkly and light. It's nice. It kind of reminds me of those dance songs from the 80's. The lyrics are kind of cheesy, but the message is clear and it's great that the band is paying their respects to Sophie through this track. I thought that since Sophie was the influence for the name of the album that the whole disc would be about her, but this is a great alternative. There's something about the chorus that is catchy.
4. Milk And Honey: Ooooooh, this song sounds kind of sexy. I love the synth effects they use, very atmospheric. This song became a lot heavier than I'd anticipated! Another pleasant song, it doesn't stand out all that much, though. Perhaps it will grow on me.
5. Hit Me With Your Best Shot: I was half-afraid that this would be a cover, but at the same time I was curious as to how Delain would cover the Pat Benatar hit. But alas, this is not a cover, and it is so good. The chorus that opens the song is so darn catchy. Delain really kicked up the heaviness in this album! I'm surprised, pleasantly! This is fantastic. I think that this may be my favourite song so far.
6. I Want You: The opening melody is different stylistically from your standard Delain piano stuff. As the guitars kick in, it becomes apparent that this is going to be a power ballad... with a lot of oomph! The chorus is not particularly catchy, though. Listening to the lyrics, though, is very interesting. I didn't notice the story at first, but then I heard the word "car" and became intrigued. Ah.
7. Where Is The Blood (feat. Burton C. Bell): Oh, this one has a few Middle Eastern influences it sounds like, though I can't be sure. Whoa, this song is heavy. Burton C. Bell's vocals add a nice contrast, and this song is actually quite catchy. Love it.
8. Generation Me: 140 characters...? Oh man, this song is about the technology in this day and age, isn't it? Oh cripes, this song is about my generation. This is... interesting. This song kind of makes me feel uncomfortable; like being forced to look at your own ugly reflection in the mirror.
9. Babylon: Delain is really surprising me with how heavy this album is. It's not so much that the songs are heavy as a whole, but the guitar work is heavy and less melodious. The chorus of this track is quite catchy, as well. The backing vocals are fantastic, too! They really add to the chorus.
10. Are You Done With Me: For some reason I'm reminded of a western or somewhere with adobe abodes through which the wind blows. This song sounds more like a pop radio hit than any other song on here so far. I'm not overly fond of this track. Maybe the chorus sounds too uplifting for me.
11. Get The Devil Out Of Me: I love this song. This was the first song that they released, months before their album's release even. It's catchy and the guitar takes less of a backseat, much like in "Mother Machine".
12. Not Enough: We get another tinkly intro... now, will the rest of the song stay this way? Nope! Nothing really stands out about this track, I admit, which is a shame for this closer of a track. There is a bit more variety in terms of the instrumentation, but it's not interesting enough, I've got to say.

So, in conclusion, this is another solid album by Delain. Their sound is a combination of two far more polarized parts -- the heavy has gotten heavier and the light has gotten tinklier. It's a combination and style that is so specific to Delain, and I love them for it. There are fewer symphonic aspects this time around, and I think that the songs do suffer a bit from the lack of variety in instruments. Regardless, this is overall an enjoyable album, though  it is by no means their magnum opus. Here, have the official "Get The Devil Out Of Me" video: