Delain is an alternative/gothic/heavy metal metal band, formed in Zwolle, N… Read Full Bio ↴Delain is an alternative/gothic/heavy metal metal band, formed in Zwolle, Netherlands in 2002. Delain was founded by Martijn Westerholt, former pianist of Within Temptation and brother of Within Temptation co-founder Robert Westerholt. Martijn left Within Temptation in 2001 after contracting Pfeiffer's disease. He started Delain in 2002. The band released a demo entitled "Amenity" in 2002 and started recording their debut album "Lucidity" in July 2005, after they had signed a contract with Roadrunner Records.

For their first album "Lucidity" they invited several guest musicians:
Jan Yrlund - guitars (Imperia)
Ariën van Weesenbeek - drums (ex-Pandaemonium, ex-Imperia, ex-God Dethroned, Epica)
Ad Sluijter - guitars (ex-Epica)
George Oosthoek - grunts (ex-Orphanage, After Forever touring member)
Guus Eikens - keyboards (ex-Orphanage)
Sharon Den Adel - vocals (Within Temptation)
Marco Hietala - bass, vocals (Tarot, Nightwish)
Liv Kristine - vocals (ex-Theatre of Tragedy, Leaves' Eyes)

At the end of 2007 Delain stated that they intended to release a second album in 2008, but in November 2008, it was announced that the new album "April Rain" would be released on February 9th, 2009. In 2009, "April Rain" was delayed further until March 2009; the title track single, however, was released in February.

In February 2010, Delain announced they had started working on their third album, and that bassist Rob van der Loo would leave the band the same year due to time constraints. In March, Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije was announced as Rob's successor. On October 4, 2010, Delain announced they were to part company with guitarist Ewout Pieters. Timo Somers was announced as his replacement on April 17, 2011.

Originally intended for release in early 2012, the third album's release date was unknown due to Warner Music's purchase of Roadrunner Records. However, it was announced via a Facebook message on the band official page that the album would be released on June 1, 2012 with the album's first single, 'Get the Devil Out of Me'. It was released on 13 April 2012 via CNR Music, who took over Delain from Warner Music. The second single from the album was the title track, 'We Are the Others'. It was announced on 3 November that Delain would headline Dames of Darkness Festival (Wolverhampton, UK) which they had previously headlined in 2009 (under the Femme Metal Festival)."

On 26 February 2013, Delain announced that they will release a special album entitled Interlude that would include new songs, covers, live tracks, special versions of previous songs and a bonus DVD. It was released on various dates throughout the first week of May worldwide.

On 23 January 2014, Delain announced that they will release a new album entitled "The Human Contradiction". It was released on April 5, 2014 in Europe, and on April 8, 2014 in North America.

On June 4, 2014, it was announced that drummer Sander Zoer would step down from the band due to personal reasons; he would continue working behind the scenes of Delain. The replacement drummer was announced to be Ruben Israel, who had stepped in for Zoer during Delain's tour with Kamelot. Zoer will continue to perform until September.

The band brought with them Merel Bechtold (MaYaN, Purest of Pain) as a second guitarist for their UK tour in November 2014. Bassist Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije suffered an injury on November 26, 2014, when he was accidentally hit by a streamer cannon, causing his left testicle to rupture. This incident was said to be caused by uncertain stage positioning, as there were six people onstage instead of the usual five. While he was recovering, the band used pre-recorded bass parts. No permanent damage was done, and as of January 12, 2015, Schimmelpenninck van der Oije has resumed touring.

Delain is currently touring with Sabaton and Battle Beast, and will tour North America with Sabaton as support for Nightwish. Merel Bechtold will fill in for guitarist Timo Somers until February due to Somers' full schedule.

In early October of 2017, Ruben announced leaving the band. His last show played at 1st of November 2017. The temporary(?) drummer of the band Joey de Boer.

In February 2021, Charlotte, Otto, Timo and Joey left Delain.

On August 9th of 2022, the new single "The Quest and the Curse" was unleashed, revealing both Charlotte and Otto's replacements - Romanian born Singer/Songwriter 'Diana Leah' who is based in Torino, Italy, as well as musician 'Ludovico Cioffi' of Italy from the Italian bands - Carnality, Nightland, The Modern Age Slavery, Sun of the Suns.

Members

- Current members:
* Martijn Westerholt – Keyboards
* Diana Leah - Vocals
* Ronald Landa - Guitars and Backing Vocals
* Ludovico Cioffi – Bass and Backing Vocals
* Sander Zoer - Drums

Discography:

-Albums:

Lucidity - 2006
April Rain - 2009
We Are The Others - 2012
The Human Contradiction - 2014
Moonbathers - 2016
Apocalypse & Chill - 2020
Dark Waters - 2023

Live:

A Decade of Delain: Live at Paradiso - 2017

-Singles:
* Frozen - 2007
* See Me In Shadow - 2007
* The Gathering - 2008
* April Rain - 2009
* Stay Forever - 2009
* Smalltown Boy - 2009
* Get the Devil Out of Me - 2012
* Stardust - 2014

-Demos:
* Amenity - 2002

Official Website: www.delain.nl
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delainmusic
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/delainmusic

My Masquerade
Delain Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Your face, my face
You breathe, I breathe
You fail, I fake
I pray, I pray...

You lose, I lose,
You bruise, I bruise
I hunt, you stay

My prey, My prey

My Masquerade
If you’re not afraid
To take a step into my world

A ball, tonight
Cover your eyes
By touch and taste
We’ll find our way

Your secrets deep
Yes I will keep
I hunt, you stay
My prey, my prey

My Masquerade
If you’re not afraid
To take a step into my world

Take of your mask
And you will see
The freak in you
The freak in me
Tonight we hide

From judging eyes
We’ll dance until the sunrise

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Delain's song "My Masquerade" appear to be about two individuals engaging in a secret, erotic encounter. The first verse highlights the idea that the two individuals are seemingly one and the same. "Your face, my face. You breathe, I breathe. You fail, I fake. I pray, I pray..." This implies that the two individuals are so closely intertwined that their actions and emotions mirror one another.

The second verse suggests that one of the individuals is in a position of power, hunting the other like prey. "You lose, I lose. You bruise, I bruise. I hunt, you stay. My prey, my prey." The repetition of "my prey" intensifies the feeling of control and domination.

The chorus, "My Masquerade, if you’re not afraid to take a step into my world," speaks to the secrecy and vulnerability of the encounter. The idea of a masquerade reinforces the idea of hiding one's true self, which is further emphasized in the third verse: "Take off your mask, and you will see the freak in you, the freak in me."

Overall, the song evokes a sense of danger, secrecy, and temptation.

Line by Line Meaning

Your face, my face
We are identical and inseparable

You breathe, I breathe
Our lives are intertwined and connected

You fail, I fake
You reveal your weaknesses, while I pretend to be strong

I pray, I pray...
I hope and pray for this deception to continue

You lose, I lose
Our fates are intertwined – if you suffer, so do I

You bruise, I bruise
Your pain is my pain, your scars are my scars

I hunt, you stay
I am the predator, you are the prey

My prey, My prey
You are completely under my control

My Masquerade
This is a game of deception and disguise

If you’re not afraid
You must be willing to take a risk