Band:	Delain
Album:	April Rain
Style:	Symphonic metal
Release date:	March 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
12. Come Closer [limited edition bonus]
13. No Compliance [Charlotte version] [Japanese bonus]

What started as a project, later became what we know today as Delain. Their debut album was more than welcome by the metal industry. Containing catchy songs and featuring plenty of guest appearances, Lucidity provided the band a great beginning of their career. In 2009, Delain returned with their second studio album April Rain, ready to enlarge their fanbase and establish themselves on the scene.

Delain is surely not your typical Symphonic metal band. Their music lacks operatic vocals and usually follows the hit formula of compositions - introduction, 2 verses, melodic chorus, overall short duration of each song, etc. This, however, could be considered an advantage because it makes the band's music sound different compared to other Symphonic metal acts. On the other hand, I could not help but call Delain a "mainstream-ish" band. The arguably clever marketing strategies of their label surely placed them on top of female-fronted metal. A demonstrative example of that is the production of the album which is nearly perfect.

In comparison with the previous release, April Rain is a bit weaker but more experimental as well. This could be recognized on tracks such as "Go Away" that has a good dramatic orchestration and "On The Other Side" which contains pretty interesting cello parts. A guest appearance is not missing again - Marco Hietala has yet added some power and energy to two of the songs off the record, "Control The Storm" and "Nothing Left." This time, though, the band has decided to focus more on their actual talent and skills. Evidently, Charlotte Wessels' voice has improved significantly and that has helped to create a rather distinct sound. On April Rain, one could easily discover the difference between her vocal parts on both albums. Apart from Hietala's appearance, other male vocals are also to be heard on the record - both normal ones and growls done by former Delain member Ronald Landa. Honestly, it does not seem as if growls are necessarily needed in the band's music, but the guy has definitely done a nice job on the song.

Quite a big flaw of the album is the totally uninspiring and cliché lyrics. In contrast with the music itself that has, seemingly, been made with huge effort, there is nothing indeed emotional and original about them. Composers have put all their creativity and skills into use, whereas lyric writers simply have not managed to succeed in creating decent lines.

In conclusion, we could call April Rain an easy-listening album. Musically, it is a bit experimental, but still - nothing special to be seriously impressed by. Moreover, the record shows a significant absence of originality. "Control The Storm," "Virtue And Vice," and "Nothing Left" are among the best songs off the record. I am not sure if I would name April Rain one of the outstanding Symphonic metal albums of 2009, but it surely is entertaining. Delain's music could be humorously described as "well-made mainstream female-fronted metal." We shall see if they will surprise us with their forthcoming record...