Just received this for review. So far, sounds amazing and surely their best since Lucidity. Only two songs with durations about 3:50, others are much longer. Tougher, stronger sound, and vocal lines and melodies much more original and complex.

And for those who misses Wish I Had An Angel-like songs "Sing to me" is a tune to look for!

Not as good as Lucidity but definitely better than April Rain and We Are The Others. It's nice to hear gothic influenced tunes from Delain again.

Better than their previous album , but that doesn't say much , eh ? I'm into all kinds of mainstream symphonic metal but this is just not good enough.

Huge fan of Delain, even more so since seeing them live finally
April Rain
The Human Contradiction
Lucidity
We Are the Others

I enjoy them all though, this may be my fav by the end of the year. Songs like "Sing to Me" are strong and mature and should have been the single.

For me it's definitely their best since Lucidity. They really redefined symphonic metal. When Lucidity was the last from the old sympho gothic masterpieces (World of Glass, Decipher, Mother Earth, Mana...), The Human Contradiction could become the first at this new more complex symphonic metal type.

01. Here Come The Vultures - Probably one of the best they ever done. Charlotte's vocals shines here, and the structure and melodies are more complex than usual. [10/10]
02. Your Body Is A Battleground [feat. Marco Hietala] - If this is not a definition of dystopian metal, then I don't know what is. Those revolutionary choirs at the back and the whole song is just killer.[9/10]
03. Stardust - I found it quite weak at first, but then it grew a bit on me. A pleasant song, but still I count it the weakest on the album. [8/10]
04. My Masquerade - The most fun song of the album, somehow reminds me of 'The gathering" a bit. Love the 69eyes-like choruses. [9/10]
05. Tell Me, Mechanist [feat. George Oosthoek] - One of the heaviest songs in their carrier. Charlotte's voice in chorus sound lovely[9/10]
06. Sing To Me [feat. Marco Hietala] - Absolutely killer. Agressive, melodic, dark and memorable. Marco did another marvelous job here. [10/10]
07. Army Of Dolls - The biggest surprise. It seems that Delain a capable of writing more varied compositions when they want. The middle part of Army of Dolls is just mesmerizing. Another dystopian example. [9/10]
08. Lullaby - Maybe the only song that throws back to We Are The others, but heavier and with more interesting chorus. A straight forward melodic metal song. [8/10]
09. The Tragedy Of The Commons [feat. Alissa White-Gluz] - And then comes something that literally changed my view at todays female fronted metal. I thought no one is capable of creating such a masterpiece anymore. A mixture of Pristine and Ghost Love Score with additional original darker approach. It's just a killer, a definitely the best song this year which closes this album at highest possible note. I am laying my head for these guys for this songs. Tragedy of the Commons made my life more full. [12/10]

10. Scarlet [bonus] - Strange that one of the best songs and ballads of late is just in bonus track. Nevertheless it's amazing song with some great piano clues. [9/10]
11. Don't Let Go [bonus] - Fun song. At first nothing special, but it stuck in my head for few days. [8/10]

So what I like in general is that there are no cliche melodies and poppy sounds. Its more mature and dark album, with all songs being polished to perfection with a clear vision.

I'm really, really impressed with this, especially after WATO and how bland it was. This album kicks absolute ass! Though Lucidity will always be my favorite, this tops the other two by a long shot.

Really impressive and they didn't just go and stuff a record after another with mediocre effort and lackluster performance, this is one of the best releases of 2014 so far

With quality of their albums going downhill release after release, We Are The Others being a mediocre album, I didn't have much expectation for this one. Yet I'm very surprised, excellent composition and sound, all songs are good while Charlotte sounds better than ever. Maybe their 2nd best album after Lucidity

Great comeback after the disappointment of We Are The Others! Very impressed by Charlotte's vocals on this album

AMAZING album!!!!

This band, from this moment ceased to exist as the shadow of Within Temptation. No, they've already surpassed them. Absolutely brilliant album, a perfect candidate for 2014 melodic/gothic symphonic metal album of the year.

Great album! This was a really nice surprise, and was recommended to me by a very good friend (thx man!). Every song is a winner. I'm gonna have to listen some more to this band.

Written by TheMAGAmvm on 09.04.2014 at 00:33

a perfect candidate for 2014 melodic/gothic symphonic metal album of the year.

It will be between this and Epica's new one for sure.

Written by hellsmiles on 11.04.2014 at 07:37

Written by TheMAGAmvm on 09.04.2014 at 00:33

a perfect candidate for 2014 melodic/gothic symphonic metal album of the year.

It will be between this and Epica's new one for sure.

Or Nightwish's next one if it gets released this year

Written by mikeprado30 on 11.04.2014 at 09:02

Written by hellsmiles on 11.04.2014 at 07:37

Written by TheMAGAmvm on 09.04.2014 at 00:33

a perfect candidate for 2014 melodic/gothic symphonic metal album of the year.

It will be between this and Epica's new one for sure.

Or Nightwish's next one if it gets released this year

Tuomas said that it will be out next year.

Never been much into Delain before, but this album is killer. Definitely a lot better than Within Temptation's effort from earlier this year.

My speakers better be ready to play a lot from My Masquarade, Sing To Me and The Tragedy of The Commons this year.

Written by Irritable Ted on 14.04.2014 at 23:46

Or Xandria or Diabulus In Musica or Amberian Dawn. Ok, probably not Amberian Dawn, but probably the other two. Actually, what about Ancient Bards?

Xandria new album is a strong contender to Delain, but DIM are too weak. It's better than the last one, but not in the same quality as Delain or Xandria. And yes, I'm also thinking of Ancient Bards. Samples and first song sounds amazing so far.

The best Delain album without a doubt. It leaves previous three far behind. I love to see how the certain bands grow and get mature in time, this one is a perfect example.

I wonder, why the "1" rating?

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Or Xandria or Diabulus In Musica or Amberian Dawn. Ok, probably not Amberian Dawn, but probably the other two. Actually, what about Ancient Bards?

I thought of Xandria and DiM as well, but they're not nearly as well-known as Epica or Delain, so though Argia is fantastic and I bet Sacrificium will be amazing too, they might not get their well-deserved recognition on this site as easily.

Seems like I judged this album too quickly, the more I listen the more I like it.

This year is for symphonic metal bands with female singers (Delain, within temptation, Epica, Xandria, Diabulus in Musica ...). This album is good, an interesting surprise after We are the others, We must expect Epica and xandria albums , competition is hard.

Best Delain album without any doubt. A really good surprise!

Very happy with this

Normally i don't like such kind of music but this album is so catchy. All the tunes are stuck in my head.