Review and Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Promoter: 13th Floor Entertainment (https://www.13thfloorentertainment.com/ )
Venue: The Nile Theater (https://www.theniletheater.com/ )
Date: September 23rd, 2023
My kids told me that I really needed to start listen to music from this century instead of music from the 60s, 70s and early 80s. At the time I really didn’t like the “Boy” bands and other pop music that was being done. But in 2005 a friend of mine introduced me to metal bands from Europe. So finally, I started to evolve and listen to newer music. This friend and I would go to metal concerts (our spouses were happy not to have to go) and I got introduced to a lot of amazing new bands. Both Delain and Visions of Atlantis were bands that we saw during this time. I instantly became a fan of both. If you are looking for some outstanding symphonic/power metal music, then Delain and Visions of Atlantis are 2 bands you need to check out.
This is the first time I have seen Delain since everyone except Martijn Westerholt left the group. He formed a new group and I was interested to see how they interact with each other and I want to check out their new singer, Diana Leah. I have seen Visions of Atlantis a number of time and love seeing them. So, for me this was a concert pairing of my dreams.
A large part of the crowd were fans of either Delain or Visions of Atlantis (VOA). They knew most of the songs and sang along with the band. In front of me at the stage was a lady that had a fantastic voice and sang almost all of the songs with the band. Most of the time I get annoyed by this, but this lady had such a sweet voice it did not bother me. She also sang low enough as to not over power the vocals of the bands.
It was really nice that the members of VOA came out into the crowd after the show and talked with the fans, signed items and took photos with the fans. Delain did not do this since they had a meet and greet prior to the show. I have talked to a number of bands and they say they would like to meet fans after the show, but a lot of times it turns into a giant mess as people push and shove just to get to one of the band members. I have been to a few events here in the Phoenix area and the fans seem to be respectful and wait their turn. However, I would never expect to see someone of the popularity of Taylor Swift doing this because it would be pure mayhem.
Delain
Delain is a Dutch symphonic metal band formed in 2002 by keyboardist Martijn Westerholt. The name of the band comes from the Kingdom of Delain in Stephen King’s novel, The Eyes of the Dragon. In February 2021, the members decided to part ways. In June 2021, Westerholt announced that there would be a new lineup involving former and new members. Delain now consists of keyboardist Martijn Westerholt, drummer Sander Zoer, guitarist Ronald Landa, Ludovico Cioffi on bass and lead singer Diana Leah.
With the new band, they have generated a new album, Dark Waters that they are promoting this tour. A number of songs in tonight’s set was from this new album, including the opening song, “The Cold”. Of course, they performed some of the other great Delain songs, including “Suckerpunch”, “April Rain”, “Get The Devil Out Of Me” and “The Gathering”. During “Queen of Shadow” Diana was joined by Michele Guaitoli (VOA). They sang to each other in the same manner that he and Clémentine do.
At multiple times during the night, they had the crowd jumping along with the song. They also wanted the crowd to sing along with some of the most popular songs. They ended the night with the crowd favorite “We Are the Others”. During this last song, they waved their arms over their head and from side to side and we, the audience did the same. It was the perfect end to an assume night of music.
If you get the chance to see Delain, I would highly recommend it. This new line-up is extremely talented and work well together. Daina’s voice is not the same as Charolotte’s, but Diana’s voice is very strong and harmonious. She has a great range and can punch out the lyrics when required. This show was the end of their USA tour (actually the next night in LA was the last show). But they will be performing in Europe next year. You can see if and when they will be coming to a city near you on their website.
Delain Social Media Sites:
Website: https://www.delain.nl/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delainmusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delainofficial/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@delainofficial
Delain
Photos by Fred Kuhlman 2023, All Rights Reserved
Vision Of Atlantis
I first saw Visions of Atlantis (VOA) back in March of 2020 when they were touring with Dragonforce and Unleash The Archers. That show was amazing and I was extremely impressed by VOA. That show was very memorable since it was the last concert I saw before the world-wide shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, I have seen VOA a couple more times including when they headlined a tour earlier this year. At that time, they were in a very small bar and they were hard to see due to the low stage and the band was very limited as far as stage space. Michele couldn’t even wave the flag.
Well, this time they were back at The Nile Theater in Mesa, AZ. This venue has a large stage and the band had plenty of room to move around. Both bands shared the same drum kit (except for cymbals) that gave them full access to the stage.
Visions of Atlantis (VOA) consists of lead singer Clémentine Delauney and Michele Guaitoli, drummer Thomas Caser, guitarist Christian Douscha and Herbert Glos on bass.
They started the show with “Master The Hurricane”. First Thomas, Christian and Herbert came out and started the song. Then Clémentine walked on stage and started singing. After a short time, Michele join her. From this point on Clémentine and Michele shared the lead singing responsibilities and at time played off each other. The majority of the songs tonight were from their newest album, Pirates.
Due to technical difficulties with the drum kit, they did not have time to play “Pirates Will Return”. However, they did get the issue resolved and finished the show with “Legion Of The Seas”. The crowd was a little bummed, but it seemed that they totally enjoyed the set.
Vision of Atlantis is currently touring in South American. Check out their website to see if they are coming to a city near you.
Vision Of Atlantis Social Media Sites:
Website: https://www.visionsofatlantis.at/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/visionsofatlantisofficial/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/visionsofatlantis/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/VisionsOfAtlantisOfficial
Vision Of Atlantis
Photos by Fred Kuhlman 2023, All Rights Reserved
Delain Setlist (Album)
The Cold (Dark Waters)
Suckerpunch (Moonbathers)
Burning Bridges (Apocalypse & Chill)
The Quest and The Curse (Dark Waters)
April Rain (April Rain)
Underland (Dark Waters)
Get The Devil Out Of Me (We Are the Others)
Invidia (April Rain)
Queen of Shadow (Dark Waters)
The Gathering (Lucidity)
Don’t Let Go (The Human Contradiction)
Encore:
Moth to a Flame (Dark Waters)
Not Enough (We Are the Others)
Mother Machine (We Are the Others)
We Are The Others (We Are the Others)
Vision Of Atlantis (Album)
Master The Hurricane (Pirates)
A Life Of Our Own (Wanderers)
Clocks (Pirates)
In My World (Pirates)
Heroes Of The Dawn (Wanderers)
Melancholy Angel (Pirates)
Legion Of The Sea (Pirates)
