After years and years of tireless touring and recording, it looked like 2020's “Apocalypse & Chill” was going to be the record that finally propelled Delain into the big league. It had the songs, it had the exposure and it had the momentum. And then the pandemic happened and not a month into its promotional cycle we all went to hell in a handcart. Then just as the world was starting to righten itself again word came that Delain had fallen apart. Details were sketchy and to be honest, remain sketchy. Depending on who you believe either keyboardist and founder Martijn Westerholt asked the other instrument-playing members of the band to leave or they themselves upped and left him. What is clear is amongst all this tomfoolery, vocalist and focal point Charlotte Wessels decided "bugger this for a game of soldiers” and headed for the door-marked solo career.

And here we are two years later with Delain Mk2. Consisting of Martijin, a couple of alumni members from previous incarnations of the band,  a new bassist and a new vocalist in the shape of Diana Leah. Their first record together, “Dark Waters” has turned out to be a much better effort than pretty much any of us expected. So, the question on everybody's lips this evening is whether this all-new Delain can pick up where the previous variant left off.

But before we get an answer to that question, we have another resurrection to bear witness to. You see Xandria have an even longer back story and pedigree than Delain. They have been kicking around the lower leagues of the symphonic metal world for nearly 30 years. The only constant has been rhythm guitarist Marco Heubaum and in a similar fashion to Delain this is a whole new version of the band with the other members only recruited last year.

However, in direct contrast to Delain (more about this later) they make the decision to lean almost exclusively on material recorded by the new line-up. Incoming vocalist Ambre Vourvahis handles herself well and seems to be enamoured with good dollops of confidence and stagecraft. She quite effectively exercises the ghosts of her predecessors by being affable, chatty and also in possession of a mighty set of pipes. She dedicates ‘Reborn’ from their comeback record (their first in six years) to this new variation of the band and whilst the line-up is less than 12 months old there does seem to be a good degree of chemistry developing.

The only nod to the past is in the shape of ‘Nightfall’ from 2014's “Sacrificium” and once it is dispensed it is back to the safety of stuff that was conceived by this version. Xandria have always been an also-ran in the annals of symphonic metal. But based on the performance and the level of conviction that they show tonight perhaps this is finally their moment to shine.

And so to Delain and I profess to a level of nerves before they appear on stage about whether this is still the band that I have loved for over a decade. Sadly, the answer is no. As Jarvis Cocker once sang “Like an own-brand box of cornflakes, He's going to let you down my friend” and that's how I feel this evening. This feels like a perfectly serviceable Delain cover band, but it misses that sparkle that made Delain, Delain. It's a saccharine-rich diet version of the band as opposed to being the full-flavored, full-fat original. Diana Leaah tries really hard to forge her own identity, but the shadow of Charlotte is just too strong. 

The biggest mistake about this evening is the length of the set. This new version of the band feels strong and secure when they are belting out the songs that they themselves have written and recorded. Diana really comes into her own when she is not trying to be Charlotte. However, the six songs from “Dark Waters” (which is a darn good album) makes up less than a third of their entire set. When they try and be the previous variant of the band, the wheels sadly come off.

You really feel for them, but Diane's voice and personality doesn’t hold a candle to what Charlotte was capable of and therefore ‘April Rain’, ‘The Gathering’ and ‘The Hurricane’ come across as dull and insipid versions of something that should be anthemic and euphoric. With so much old stuff to churn through, the show becomes more and more underwhelming as the band desperately tries to emulate what has gone before. Even the sporadic enigmatic presence of Paolo Ribaldini can't save it.

Whilst Martijn Westerholt is very clear that Delain was and is his band, the simple truth is that Charlotte had become the beating heart of Delain and without her, it just doesn't feel the same. Their versions of the old stuff are not bad at all, they just feel synthetic as opposed to being natural and flowing. The audience’s reaction is generous but also reserved. As with any good cover band we sing along with vim and vigour because we know the songs like the back of our hands, but we were also aware that it is a tribute as opposed to the real thing.

In an ideal world, they would have given us the entire new record (it really really really is good) and then teased us with a couple of old songs just to wet our appetites. But this many attempts to be something that they are not, becomes dull really quickly. I came to the show with an open mind and desire to love this new version of the Delain (as I keep saying I'm a massive fan of the new album) but it just doesn't feel the same. Floor Jansen ingratiated herself as a new vocalist of Nightwish by being herself and categorically not trying to be either Tarja or Anette. I really wanted Diana not to be a pound shop Charlotte and instead to force her own distinct character, but sadly this doesn't happen.

I will be honest I don't make it to the encore, by the time we get to the main set closer ‘Not Enough’ I frankly have had enough of substandard versions of songs that I adore. If they decide to play “Dark Waters” in its entirety I will be there like a shot, but until then consider my relationship with Delain as "it's complicated”.