Concert Reveiw: Delain at Concord Hall in Chicago April 28, 2017 Photos and words by Danny Nichols

Delain is a Dutch Symphonic Metal in the style of Nightwish.  Even thought Delain had already become a force in Europe and garnered significant attention in the United States, I was unfamiliar with them a year ago, when my wife recommended I give them a listen.  Soon after their fifth album Moonbathers appeared in my inbox and they announced a North American tour with my favorite band HammerFall.   Clearly the universe was pointing me in the direction of Delain.  I wish the universe had not waited so long to introduce me to this amazing band.

Charlotte Wessels

I was surprised by the number and the dedication of the Delain fans.  This first thing I noticed as I approached the venue, after an epic battle with Chicago traffic, was the many Delain t-shirts donned by queuing metalheads.  A few brief conversations revealed many were not casual fans either, but enthusiastic and knowledgeable followers as excited to see their the Delain set as I was for HammerFall.  Their status as co-headliners was well deserved.

Why HammerFall Is The Greatest Band In The World: Photos and review of their show at Concord Music Hall in Chicago, April 28, 2017 by Danny Nichols

On November 27, 2002, I had tickets to see Dio perform at Pop's in Sauget, Illinois.  The opening band was a leather clad power metal outfit from Sweden called HammerFall, which was heretofore unknown to me, or most of America at the time.