Delain announced on October 20 a transformation that changes how the Dutch symphonic metal band will operate from here on. Instead of searching for a direct replacement for Diana Leah, who confirmed her departure a day earlier, 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 served as featured lead singer and conductor of The Legendary Orchestra, the ensemble that joined Sabaton on the European arena leg of The Legendary Tour, and whose founding lineup also included Gurdy.
The core of Delain consists of Westerholt, the band’s founder, main songwriter and keyboardist, along 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.
Discussing the new single, Westerholt said the song is about the inner fire that keeps people moving forward even when the road ahead is uncertain, about daring to cross boundaries and refusing to give up on what they believe in. He added that the track captures what Delain is becoming: “a place where different voices and personalities can come together,” each bringing something of its own. According to the announcement, the band spent recent months reflecting on its future before choosing large-scale collaboration, allowing every song and every performance to take on its own character.
Diana Leah‘s departure was made public on Monday, October 19. The singer, born in Alba Iulia, Romania, was introduced 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 along with the rest of the lineup at the time. With Leah, Delain recorded a single studio album, ‘Dark Waters’, released on February 10, 2023, through Napalm Records. In its statement, the band acknowledged the sadness her exit brings and expressed gratitude for everything they shared. Leah is already busy with DYYA, her solo project, which issued the music video for ‘Holy Water’ this past March, followed by the singles ‘Eternal Trophies’, ‘Black Honey’ and ‘Too Tired To Be Dead’.
The guest-driven model is not foreign 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 by Roadrunner Records, already featured Sharon den Adel, Liv Kristine and Hietala himself, who traded vocals with den Adel on ‘No Compliance’ and with Kristine on ‘Day for Ghosts’. After the 2021 lineup split, Westerholt said the name would carry on as a project with collaborators, an idea that now takes shape with this setup.
The new era hits 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 guest and Andorra’s Persefone will open each night. The band says more dates and countries will be announced soon. Confirmed dates:
- Feb. 2 · Cologne, Germany · Live Music Hall
- Feb. 3 · Bremen, Germany · Modernes
- Feb. 4 · Berlin, Germany · Columbia Theater
- Feb. 5 · Leipzig, Germany · Hellraiser
- Feb. 6 · Karlsruhe, Germany · Substage
- Feb. 7 · Pratteln, Switzerland · Z7
- Feb. 8 · Munich, Germany · Backstage
- Feb. 9 · Frankfurt, Germany · Batschkapp
- Feb. 10 · Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg · Rockhal
- Feb. 11 · Tilburg, Netherlands · 013