It’s been three years or so since Delain released "Lucidity", and their second album "April Rain" has just hit the European shelves. After this album, I expect the band’s popularity to continue to rise, it being much better than the last. Gone are the guest appearances on almost every track, guest vocals being limited to only two tracks, and both by the ever famous Marco Hietala. Overall, this record shows a maturing in Delain’s sound.

The highlight of this CD is definitely the opening song, which just happens to be the title track. "April Rain" is by far Delain’s best work, both musically and lyrically. Front woman Charlotte Wessels’s voice is as charming as ever, and she gives a much better performance on this album than she has on the previously released debut.

Other highlights on this album are "Invidia", "Control the Storm", "Virtue and Vice", "I’ll Reach You", and "Nothing Left". All show how much the band has advanced in the few years that it’s been around. The rest of the songs are a bit weaker, but not bad in their own right. This album is, for the most part, heavier than the last one, which is most evident in songs like "April Rain", "Invidia", and "Virtue and Vice".

"April Rain" is more or less a better "Lucidity", dropping the guest appearances and more mature in sound. With great instrumentals and lyrics making up the songs, this album is on its way to success, both in the Netherlands (where it’s already reached 14 on the top 100), and internationally. If Delain continues in this trend, we can expect a lot from this band.

7.5 / 10