Delain @ Bottom Lounge, Chicago (US)

DELAIN / VISIONS OF ATLANTIS / BULLET TO THE HEART

Date: 18th September, 2023
Venue: The Bottom Lounge
Ticket Price: $25 / €23
Promoter: n/a

Both DELAIN and VISIONS OF ATLANTIS (VOA) have successfully (and rightfully so) put their foot on the door of the US Metal scene. Although DELAIN have gone through the figurative door as they have been touring the States longer than VOA, and therefore it was a pleasant surprise seeing Bottom Lounge nicely filled even before the start of the show on a Monday. I believe for various reasons, the excitement of “shows happening after the pandemic” has faded away, the prices have gone up, and there are so many concerts happening that put the fans in the unfortunate situation to cherry-pick the concerts to attend. And more often, fans are choosing the famous / arena / big venue shows that ironically cost more, and therefore require a bigger “sacrifice” (aka less shows to attend).

Despite these kind-of grim thoughts, the atmosphere was great and it was up to Chicago’s own BULLET TO THE HEART to warm up the audience. I understand the concept of the first band not having all the lights and all the PAs on their disposal, but I did not like seeing the four-piece lineup entering the stage under basically candlelight... Anyways, the taped intro meant it was showtime, and singer Audrey Queen made sure everybody was ready: “Chicago, let's f**king do this”. The groovy “Falling Away” was the first one and with BULLET TO THE HEART being from the area, the audience's response was more than just welcoming. With the two drum-kits already set on the Bottom Lounge stage, Audrey was confined at the center with bassist Tom Monroe and guitarist Brian Benischek on her left and right, respectively (Draven DC behind her keeping the groove going with his drumming). The Metalcore-esque “Inclement Weather”, and the faster “Heathen” (with the “I am a f**king monster” break) were the most fitting warm-up songs.

Before the moody “Decay”, Audrey introduced the band to those who had no prior knowledge of their musical doings. I believe that this billing with female-fronted bands was a great opportunity for  BULLET TO THE HEART because I still think the Metal scene has not fully embraced no-male fronted bands, even though this has been happening since the '80s. I know; progress is slow, but come on... Groovy was in the spotlight with “Black Widow” and especially with more modern than the rest “Revenant”. This was definitely a great start for the night, and it was nice seeing a stream of people heading towards the merch table to meet the band.

BULLET TO THE HEART setlist:

01. “Falling Away”
02. “Inclement Weather”
03. “Heathen”
04. “Decay”
05. “Death By The Sea”
06. “Black Widow”
07. “Revenant”

BULLET TO THE HEART

There were a lot VOA t-shirts among the audience and some fans were in pirate attire, proving my point about the impact this band has had during its past US touring cycles. And rightfully so, because the energy this band brings with the music and the onstage performance are solid guarantees for having a blast. This time was no different; the short intro with the light-show was more than enough to get a loud response from the attendees. The Symphonic intro accompanied the five-piece crew onstage, and the pompous “Master The Hurricane” with the Clémentine Delauney - Michele Guaitoli singing duet being the icing on this pirate-cake. “Good evening, beautiful people of Chicago, and welcome aboard,” said Clémentine and it felt so good hearing the excitement coming from the audience's response. Yup, the band was among friends, and both “A Life Of Our Own” and “Clocks” went down extremely well. The groove of the latter is impossible to resist, but it’s the VOA lineup that deserves all the credit. I mean, the way each of them interact with the crowd and teasing each other are some of the minor things that have a great impact on the overall mood. After all, it was still a Monday, something that increases the difficulty level for engaging the audience.

The band's latest album introduced the new VOA pirate looks / aesthetics that are directly connected with the concept of enjoying your freedom and carving a path of your own. In fact, before “Heroes Of The Dawn”, Michele explained this concept that - I think - nowadays has become more relevant than ever. There are a lot of people trying to live their life through “social media” and end up feeling bad for themselves for not having the life all these “influencers” pretend to have. No, become a pirate and coming onboard the VOA ship is 666 times better.

It was time for the audience to add some “elbow grease” to their participation; “Do you have the energy to jump? We must bring Bottom Lounge down,” said Clémentine and she did not to repeat this again because that’s exactly what happened (ok, Bottom Lounge was still standing after) to the mood-lifting, groovy as hell “Melancholy Angel” with the singing-along as a powerful bonus. The next opportunity for participation had a bit of AMON AMARTH... Clémentine asked for everyone to sit down, put their hands on the person in front of them, and row. Yeah, this was the way to prove that everyone was a real pirate, and honestly, that was so fun to watch. “Legion Of The Seas” was the last song for VOA and it came with some exciting news: “We are writing a brand new album but we promise you we will be back,” said Clémentine and got a loud cheer as a response. “Born to be free, we're the legion of the seas” has a great ring to it in concert volume, doesn't it?

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS setlist:

01. “Master The Hurricane”
02. “A Life Of Our Own”
03. “Clocks”
04. “In My World”
05. “Heroes Of The Dawn”
06. “Melancholy Angel”
07. “Pirates Will Return”
08. “Legion Of The Seas”

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS

Lineup changes happen all the time, and usually a band goes on without any hiccups. With one exception though; changing the singer. If you look at the Metal history, you will see many cases when a singer-change triggered a huge backlash, and most of the times this was uncalled for. This is because the fans perceive the singer as the face of the band and therefore any change behind the mic is considered as... the end of the world. Well, newsflash, people: it never is, or it can partially be only if the person leaving the band was an original member and the main songwriter. Even then, there are ways for a band to move forward, if the fanbase is willing to face this reality; bands change as much as everyone of us changes.

The intro, of course, is related to DELAIN who went through a singer-change with Charlotte Wessels parting ways after having released six LPs with the band. Diana Leah is the new singer of DELAIN and only judging by how good “Dark Waters” turned out to be, I think it is safe to say that the band is definitely moving forward. With this change in mind and with the new album already nine months old, it made only sense to start the show with “The Cold”. The welcome was loud and full of excitement reaffirming my thoughts about DELAIN having established a solid footprint in the States. DELAIN and VISIONS OF ATLANTIS share the same onstage attitude, meaning that their energy is addictive sending only positive vibes all around. Diana wearing a wide smile was the tip of this mood-lifting spear, and it took zero time to establish a connection with the US fans. “Suckerpunch” came without pausing and the first sing-along of the night became reality.

Diane tried to speak after that, but the loud cheering did not let her, and for a couple of minutes, the only thing she could do was smile. How amazing of a feeling can this be for a band and particularly for a new member? Well, a look at her smiling face was the only answer one would need. Because of that reaction, the question “do you wanna have the best time with DELAIN tonight?” was really a rhetorical one, and the riff-driven “Burning Bridges” sealed the deal; yes, we were going to have fun that night.

The heavy “April Rain” matched extremely well with “Underland” bridging the older with the new material, while keeping the audience engaged despite the fact that it was getting late for a Monday. By the way, with the lights on his keyboard stand, Martijn Westerholt has a '80s Synth quality, right? There was more jumping up and down, and this time around it was during “Get The Devil Out Of Me” who challenged the older part of the audience (myself included). Although, the combination of live music and the audience's participation does make you feel a bit younger - at least as long as your knees can handle your weight.

“Who is working tomorrow?” asked guitarist Ronald Landa and after seeing lots of hands raised, he add “f*ck jobs” getting a loud cheer as a response, with “Invidia” being the next one. The male counterpart for “Queen Of Shadow” was handled by VISIONS OF ATLANTIS's Michele and I have to admit it took me some time to recognize him out of his pirate outfit. The truth of the matter is that he did an excellent job and his energy matched the DELAIN lineup. Ronald checked with the audience to make sure everyone had gas in their tank, but even if we didn't, “The Gathering” and the soaked in '80s Synth “Don't Let Go” were perfect energy boosters.

After a short break, the band returned with the heavy “Moth To A Flame” and Diana's favorite DELAIN song, “Not Enough”. After the end of the latter, she got applaud by her bandmates, something that felt really special. The last two songs of the night dropped the curtain on a high note; “Mother Machine” and the must-have hit “We Are The Others” were loud promises that DELAIN will return to the US soon, and for sure to Chicago. Their fanbase is strong in the Windy City, and I am sure that after this show it grew in numbers. Great way to spend a Monday night, if you’d ask me.

DELAIN setlist:

01. “The Cold”
02. “Suckerpunch”
03. “Burning Bridges”
04. “The Quest And The Curse”
05. “April Rain”
06. “Underland”
07. “Get The Devil Out Of Me”
08. “Invidia”
09. “Queen Of Shadow”
10. “The Gathering”
11. “Don't Let Go”
12. “Moth To A Flame”
13. “Not Enough”
14. “Mother Machine”
15. “We Are The Others”

DELAIN