Delain lose band members, Martijn Westerholt to push forward

Dutch melodic/symphonic metal band Delain have announced the departure of lead vocalist Charlotte Wessels, bassist/backing vocalist Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije, guitarist/backing vocalist Timo Somers, and drummer Joey de Boer.

The only band member left in the fold is founder and keyboardist Martijn Westerholt, who will continue with the Delain name as a solo project featuring yet to be revealed special guests.

An official message from Delain reads:

Message Martijn:

Delain Goes Back to its Roots

For the last year or so, the collaboration within the band ceased to work as well as it once had. Some of us were no longer happy with the current roles in the band. We all tried very hard to find a solution for over a year, but sadly we were unable to find one.

As a result, we will all be going our own ways and pursuing our own endeavors. I am very sad our cooperation has come to end, but at the same time I am very grateful for all the years we were able to work together. Together we toured the world, shared highs and lows, and met with many successes as well as times that pushed us to learn and grow. We all enjoyed meeting our fans and making new friends all over the globe. I would like to thank my fellow bandmates and wish Timo, Otto, Joey, and especially Charlotte the very best for the future. And I hope that will mean onwards and upwards to new musical adventures for each of them!

That being said, Delain will live on. The others have chosen to pursue different paths. I have decided to keep Delain alive by continuing on with writing and producing the music for Delain as I always have. I started Delain as a project in 2002 and for the next album I will take it back to a project form, releasing music with special guests. As it looks now many familiar faces will be returning to join me on this journey.

I can’t express my gratitude enough to all of you Delainers that have supported us over so many years. Your dedication to the music and the community you created for us has been overwhelming. Even though this situation is not ideal, change never usually is at first, I hope you will continue to join Delain on its new journey. This is not the end of Delain. It’s the end of a chapter, but also the beginning of a new one.

Delain have released a total of six full-length albums since their inception in 2002, with their most recent album, ‘Apocalypse & Chill,’ seeing the light of day last February through Napalm Records.

Concert shot by Lina Glasir

Also Check Out: Charlotte Wessels releases statement regarding Delain departure