Writer / musician Joel Gausten recently caught up with Delain keyboardist / founder Martijn Westerholt to discuss the band's success and their new album, Moonbathers. Following is an excerpt from the story:

The success of the song “Suckerpunch” is one of many achievements in the band’s incredible 2016. In addition to celebrating their first decade as an active band, Delain - who are fronted by captivating singer Charlotte Wessels - issued the Lunar Prelude EP in February. The released marked the first appearance of “Suckerpunch,” which also appears on the band’s recently released fifth full-length studio album, Moonbathers.

“I think it’s a pretty dark album and atmosphere,” said Westerholt of the new record. “It’s a little bit darker than our albums in general. There are a couple of songs on there that are heavier than average Delain songs, and there are a couple of songs on there that are softer than average Delain songs. In short, there’s more contrast on this album, I think. You can hear that we’re a team who have been working together for a long time already. We do our thing and hope that people like it.”

High-quality album art has been a staple of the Delain experience since the beginning, and the packaging for Moonbathers is no exception. The album’s unforgettable visuals are courtesy of artist and longtime band collaborator, Glenn Arthur.

“I think his work is a good translation for our music,” Westerholt shared. “[His work] looks like it’s really sweet, but it’s very dark, like having cupcakes with hand grenades in them, for example. That’s something that really appeals to us. We chose visual art that had the moon in there because of the title Moonbathers. It also has to do with the lyrics. Because of the way Charlotte writes the lyrics, it’s always pretty dark but there’s always some positivity in there as well. It’s like a light in the dark, and what’s a better symbol [of that] than the moon?”

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Delain released their fifth studio album, Moonbathers, on August 26th via Napalm Records. The album track “Fire With Fire” is now available for streaming below.

Moonbathers, mastered by Grammy award winning Ted Jensen, will satiate your hunger for the symphonic greatness, catchy hooks and a solid dose of metal that the band is known for. It showcases Delain from both their most extravagant and sensitive sides as they explore all things nocturnal through an especially varied set of tracks including a surprising cover of classic rock legends Queen as well as a reappearance of Alissa White-Gluz as a special guest on opening track, “Hands Of Gold".

The visual counterpart comes courtesy of longtime collaborator and neo-Victorian romantic Glenn Arthur:

Tracklisting:

“Hands Of Gold” (featuring Alissa White-Gluz)
“The Glory And The Scum”
“Suckerpunch”
“The Hurricane”
“Chrysalis - The Last Breath”
“Fire With Fire”
“Pendulum”
“Danse Macabre”
“Scandal”
“Turn The Lights Out”
“The Monarch”

Bonus CD
“Suckerpunch” - Live In The Netherlands
“Turn The Lights Out” - Live In The Netherland
“The Glory And The Scum” - Live In The Netherlands
“Don't Let Go” - Live In The Netherlands
“The Glory And The Scum” - Orchestra
“Hands Of Gold” - Orchestra

“Fire With Fire”:

“The Glory And The Scum" lyric video: