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Delphian - Unravel
(7/10) - Netherlands - 2007 |
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Genre: Progressive Metal
Label:
Lion Music
Playing time: 45:04
Band homepage:
Delphian
Tracklist:
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Starting To Unravel
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Creation
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Sleepless Lullaby
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Focus On Acid
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Black & Blue
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Hidden
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Undone
-
Air
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Female-fronted Progressive Metal? This could be
interesting.
DELPHIAN hail from the Netherlands, and “Unravel” is
their second record for Prog/Instrumental label Lion
Music. The band plays a deceptively aggressive form
of Prog Metal; while the band is very melodic, they
aren’t afraid of getting seriously heavy when the
time is right.
The album kicks off with the one-two punch of
“Starting To Unravel” and “Creation”, but then
DELPHIAN decide to mix things up a bit with
“Sleepless Lullaby”, a song that starts off as an
Alternative-sounding ballad but becomes a chunky,
aggressive Metal piece about halfway through. The
rest of the songs are very decent Prog pieces,
culminating in the spectacular ten-minute journey of
“Air”. Singer Aniek Janssen shines on every song;
she has a very pleasant mid-range voice.
Something that sets DELPHIAN apart from the majority
of most other Prog bands is their strategic use of
the flute. Played by Janssen, the flute makes up
the centerpiece of the song “Focus On Acid”, and to
a lesser extent, “Hidden”. It gives DELPHIAN a very
unique sound; I only wish the flute was brought more
to the forefront of the band and used as a full-time
lead instrument, rather than just making an
appearance in a few songs.
Overall, “Unravel” is a very decent album from the
Dutch Metallers. It’s marred by a few flaws, such
as the typically spotty Lion Music production
(Janssen’s vocals are somewhat buried) and the fact
that the brief appearances of Janssen’s flute leave
you wanting much, much more. If the idea of a Prog
band with a female singer (and a flute!) appeals to
you, give it a shot.
(Online June 12, 2007) www.metal-observer.com |
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DELPHIAN |
UNRAVEL |
LION MUSIC
(2007) |
80% |
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I really fall in love with Oracle at
first listen so I was expecting a strong record from
Delphian. Am I happy with the final result? Definitly. Could
they've done better? Probably. The songs are great, it's
quite unique and it doesn't sound like something you heard
before. Sure you got some influences but they definitly got
their own sound and that's pretty good for a female fronted
band that could have fall into the Lacuna Coil category so
easily. Aniek got an amazing voice and she shines again on
Unravel and the guitar riffs are great and there's more and
more groovy riffs and I really enjoy that! You stil have a
huge progressive ingfluences but I think that they wanted to
focus more on writting a more 'rock' record that also
contain straight ahead metal. I was quite surprise with the
evolution but I don,t think that's a bad thing but I will
probably need more listen to get into it as much as Oracle.
Having said that, Unravel is a refreshing album that got its
own identity and only for that you should take a listen if
you love the genre.
www.thedarkesthours.com |
Delphian: Unravel
 My
first impression here
was, “oh no, not another
female-fronted
prog-metal band”. Dutch
five piece, Delphian
released their debut
album in 2004 and their
sophomore effort
initially appears to
place them firmly in the
mainstream of this genre
along with Evanescence,
Epica and Edenbridge,
(and that’s just from
one letter of the
alphabet!). As the album
unfolds however it is
Edenbridge who are
perhaps the most
apposite comparator
because of the variety
they bring to the
format.
The use of flute adds a
welcome touch of
lightness and colour to
the usual range of
power-metal riffs,
soaring soprano vocals
and effervescent guitar
solos. Its only as you
listen to the later
tracks that you start to
realise that Delphian
are a little bit special
in such a cluttered
category of music.
The album opens with the
prog-metal banner flying
high on “Starting to
unravel”, a twin guitar
tour de force.
“Creation”, on the other
hand embroiders the
approach with almost a
rapping style of singing
at the start and
modifies the time
signature to a more
erratic rhythmic
pattern.
Aniek Janssen has a
beautiful voice with
both power and emotional
delicacy, a quality her
flute playing also
reflects. Court Bouen’s
guitar lines are
energetic and melodic
without being
over-dominant while they
can really lay down in a
groove with the rhythm
guitar of Marcel
Volleberg when they want
to ramp up the volume
and deliver the
archetype wall of sound.
Drummer Roel van Helden
is also known for his
work with Sun Caged
whilst Sjoerd
Hoeijmakers’ powerful
bass pulses the driving
rhythms along.
The band’s ability to
write in a number of
different styles, and
the reason I give it a
close comparison to
Edenbridge, is
epitomised by the next
song, a dreamy ballad
called “Sleepless
Lullaby”. “Focus on
Acid” which follows
blends the two styles in
one song utilising power
metal riffs and flute
led melodies.
“Black and Blue” again
deviates slightly from
the traditional
prog-metal approach with
its rhythmic variations
and thematic
progressions. For me
this is the best song on
the album, featuring
ever-changing riffs,
soaring guitar, powerful
and emotive vocals and
interesting development.
“Hidden” again
juxtaposes subtlety and
power, opening with a
heavy metal vamp and
changing suddenly down
to an almost pastoral
instrumental duet
between guitar and flute
with spoken words by
Aniek. The song is a
mini rock opera in
microcosm.
“Undone” reminds me of
the heavier side of
Heart (Animals era)
whilst the closing track
“Air” is a ten minute
epic drawing in
additional male vocals
and adding piano and
keyboards. Here the band
take their most dramatic
departure from the
mainstream of the genre.
Opening with a mournful
lyric accompanied by a
lone piano, the tempo
gradually rises as the
male singer is enjoined
both as a duet and in
opposing lyric. Lyrics
are intelligent and
phrased well by both
singers. The metal riff
kicks in periodically to
emphasise parts of the
song. Another mini
rock-opera, reminding me
of bands like Ten or
Savatage.
Fans of Ayreon as well
as goth, prog-metal and
AOR should enjoy this
album greatly.
Track Listing
1. Starting to unravel
2. Creation
3. Sleepless Lullaby
4. Focus on Acid
5. Black and Blue
6. Hidden
7. Undone
8. Air
Added:
May 8th 2007
Reviewer:
Richard Barnes
Score:
Related Link:
Delphian
Website |
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Delphian
Oracle Lion Music
by Matthew
Hoffman
Staff Writer
Comments: Billed as a
straightforward in your face kick ass singer devoid of any
operatic techniques, Aniek Jansses does just that on Delphian’s
debut CD Oracle, out last month on Lion Music. Her
voice is pseudo-opera, meaning high enough pitched to resemble
the genre but delivered with enough aggression to be real metal
vocals. Put simply, her voice is the sexiest voice singing
today, hands down, in any genre; it is just so damn enticing!
The grinding
charging riffs of Bouten and Volleberg on guitars combined with
Jansses’ high-pitched belts makes an almost Epic or Goth metal
feel on most the songs. However, several different musical
things are achieved here, including a passage in “Never Willing
/Still Fulfilling” where for a moment the bassist Hoeijmakers
taps out beautiful music behind the ever-angelic vocals on this
rock song, reminiscent of the band Yes. Finally, heavy riffing
eventually brings the song back to a progressive metal feel
again.
“Sylvester’s Dusk”
has just as many twists and changes. It starts out with clean
lead guitar work then gets into a solid metal rhythm followed by
a nice guitar solo then Jansses plays the most beautiful flute
one could imagine, before culminating in a solid metal ending
again. “Moments” has a mellow instrumental beginning that ends
with awesome yet basic guitar riffs, then Jansses blows your
mind with her clear goose bump raising vocals and yet another
return from the hard heavy riffs. The song includes a beautiful,
heavy guitar solo with just enough balls to bring you from
Kansas to OZ and back to Kansas again (without having to click
the heels of your ruby red slippers). In fact, that’s what the
whole God Damn CD does. It is “mystically delicious.”
Co-Founder Roel
Van Helden more than sets the pace and pulls his weight on drums
throughout, providing many moments of percussive excellence.
Ever diverse, the album includes beautifully picked acoustic
guitar work on “The Unknown.” The best song and one that
encompasses everything they are, is the last song the seven and
a half minute journey “Door to Reality.” It has a long guitar
solo, soft flute passages, metal riffing and Jansses’s ultra
hypnotic voice!
This Dutch quintet
is outstanding and their careers should only rise and rise.
“Penny for your thoughts …”
Track Listing:
1. My Confession
2. Fall
3. Never Willing, Still Fulfilling
4. Sylvester’s Dusk
5. Moments
6. Salvation
7. The Unknown
8. On Sale
9. Wrong Turn
10. Door To Reality
Band Members:
Aniek Jansses –
Vocals/Flute
Coert Bouten – Guitar
Marcel Volleberg – Guitar
Roel Van Helden – Drums
Sjoerd Hoeijmakers - Bass
HRH Rating: 8.4/10
www.hardrockhaven.net
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Delphian - Oracle
(Lion Music) Review by Steve Green |
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Hearing a band like Delphian is the
perfect reason to run a music website. I love discovering
new music and especially if it's this good. Delphian are a
female fronted Progressive Metal band from Holland that will
undoubtedly get compared to The Gathering. But that's more
to do with journalists taking the easy way out, because to
dissect Delphian's music fully, is a huge task.
And it's not just the dissection of their sound that's
difficult. The more I listen to this album, I get the
feeling that the 1st seven songs are showcases for the multi
layers of their vast influences. I say this because the
final three numbers are out of this world and each one |
connects to what's been previously
heard in a round-a-bout way.
As always, it's ladies first: Aniek Janssen stays away from
your typical female vocalist traits. She has a strong voice,
but she drifts more towards a folky lilt (for some reason
she reminds me of Sonja Kristina from 70s progsters Curved
Air, despite not actually sounding like her!!!) than an
operatic diva. And her voices is equally at home with the
more uptempo numbers such as the driving opener My
Confession, where she switches from powerful to captivating
with ease, or the metallic off-kilter crunch of Fall, which
is were the folk tinged lilt is at it's most prominent.
The tone drops for Never Willing, Still Fulfilling to an
almost 80s jangly pop beat, which is awful, despite the
strong vocals. The previously metallic edge to Coert
Bouten's and Marcel Volleberg's guitars seems to have been
stolen and have been replaced by Prefab Sprout's or Haircut
100's - or someone equally as bad. Thankfully the effects
pedals are returned for a monstrous headbanging riff-fest to
end the song. And for now I'll keep the dogs at bay.
Sylvester's Dusk reeks of 80s metal, but with Roel van
Helden firing off a fine display of complex drumming (I hate
to use the term Jazzy), which then drops to a foundation of
a bass guitar courtesy of Sjoerd Hoeijmakers, overlayed by
Aniek's delightful flute solo. Moments, is slow and menacing,
which is juxtaposed by the bursts of energy fired out by
Salvation. The foundations are finished by the acoustic
breathlessness of The Unknown.
So now we reach the final 3 numbers, which are a notch above
everything else. On Sale, is a passionate full-on number
that borders on thrash in places and reminds me of a more
vibrant version of The Gathering. And the guitars.... simply
amazing. Wrong Turn, is anything but, as it's my favourite
track. It builds to a breathtakingly beautiful chorus, aided
and abetted again by great guitar work with my favourite 80s
Teutonic flavour thrown in for good measure. Door To Reality
again utilises Aniek's flute playing skills, before
thunderous rhythms and molten riffs come to the fore. Again
the pace drops and the guitars strum away, with, if I'm not
mistaken, Marillion's Kayleigh. But as always, the dulcet
tones of Aniek's win through with yet another melodious
chorus. It's all topped off by dual lead guitars that Wolf
Hoffmann and Jorg Fischer would be proud of. Superb.
www.delphian-metal.nl
www.live4metal.com |
DELPHIAN - ORACLE
Based in the Netherlands, Delphian is a female fronted band that
plays melodic progressive metal with some power metal influences on
a couple of parts and also because of Aniek beautiful's vocals they
sound a bit gothic on some parts. Influences comes from The
Gathering, Dream Theater and even Opeth
on some parts. The production is great and playing is tight as hell.
The musicianship is very high, the guitar work has been more than
well done! Complex songs structures but very easy to listen too
because of the catchy melodic vocals lines. From their heavy parts
to the acoustical or piano & flutes passages, the band will make you
feel a lot of emotions. You got some amazing landscape and all you
have to do is turn down the light, close your eyes and enter this
unique journey in the world of Delphian...
www.thedarkesthours.com
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