Delain announced on 20 October a transformation that changes how the Dutch symphonic metal band will operate from now on. Rather than looking for a direct replacement for Diana Leah, who confirmed her departure the previous day, the project led by Martijn Westerholt will work with a cast of guest singers and instrumentalists who will bring their own identity to each song and each live show. The first glimpse of the new format is ‘We Are Fire’, a single released with an official music video and featuring Eluveitie vocalist Fabienne Erni, Scardust founder Noa Gruman and Paolo Ribaldini.
The list of collaborators unveiled by the band carries real weight in European symphonic metal. Alongside the three singers on the single, the roster includes former Nightwish bassist and vocalist Marko Hietala; Within Temptation frontwoman Sharon den Adel; Anneke van Giersbergen, best known for her years fronting The Gathering; hurdy-gurdy player Patty Gurdy; Johanna Kurkela of Auri and Eye of Melian; and Within Temptation guitarist Ruud Jolie. Gruman arrives with a high-profile recent credit: in late 2025 she was featured lead singer and conductor of The Legendary Orchestra, the ensemble that accompanied Sabaton on the European arena leg of The Legendary Tour, and whose founding line-up also included Gurdy.
The core of Delain comprises Westerholt, the band’s founder, principal songwriter and keyboard player, together with bassist Ludovico Cioffi, guitarist Ronald Landa and drummer Sander Zoer. Landa and Zoer, both original members, returned in 2022, the same year Cioffi joined.
Speaking about the new single, Westerholt explained that the song deals with the inner fire that keeps people moving forward even when the path ahead is uncertain, with daring to cross boundaries and refusing to give up on what they believe in. He added that the track captures what Delain are becoming: “a place where different voices and personalities can come together”, each offering something of their own. According to the announcement, the band spent recent months reflecting on their future before opting for collaboration on a broad scale, allowing every song and every performance to take on its own character.
Diana Leah‘s departure was made public on Monday 19 October. The singer, born in Alba Iulia, Romania, was unveiled in August 2022 with the single ‘The Quest and the Curse’ as the successor to Charlotte Wessels, who had left the band in February 2021 together with the rest of the line-up at the time. With Leah, Delain recorded one studio album, ‘Dark Waters’, released on 10 February 2023 via Napalm Records. In their statement, the band acknowledged the sadness her departure brings and expressed their gratitude for everything they shared. Leah is already focused on DYYA, her solo project, which released the video for ‘Holy Water’ in March and has since followed it with the singles ‘Eternal Trophies’, ‘Black Honey’ and ‘Too Tired To Be Dead’.
The guest-led model is not alien to the group’s history. Westerholt founded Delain in 2002 after leaving Within Temptation, the band he played in alongside his brother Robert Westerholt. The 2006 debut album ‘Lucidity’, released through Roadrunner Records, already featured Sharon den Adel, Liv Kristine and Hietala himself, who shared vocals with den Adel on ‘No Compliance’ and with Kristine on ‘Day for Ghosts’. Following the 2021 line-up split, Westerholt said the name would continue as a project with collaborators, an idea that now takes shape with this set-up.
The new era reaches the stage in February 2027 on the Delain feat. Marko Hietala 2027 tour, with Hietala, Erni, Gruman and Ribaldini joining the band live. Moldova’s Infected Rain will appear as special guests and Andorra’s Persefone will open each night. The band say further dates and countries will be announced soon. Confirmed dates:
- 2 February · Cologne, Germany · Live Music Hall
- 3 February · Bremen, Germany · Modernes
- 4 February · Berlin, Germany · Columbia Theater
- 5 February · Leipzig, Germany · Hellraiser
- 6 February · Karlsruhe, Germany · Substage
- 7 February · Pratteln, Switzerland · Z7
- 8 February · Munich, Germany · Backstage
- 9 February · Frankfurt, Germany · Batschkapp
- 10 February · Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg · Rockhal
- 11 February · Tilburg, Netherlands · 013