DELAIN Enter New Era With ‘We Are Fire’ and Rotating Vocal Cast

DELAIN have opened a new chapter with “We Are Fire,” a new single built around an expanded cast rather than a single new frontperson. The track features Fabienne Erni of Eluveitie, Noa Gruman and Paolo Ribaldini, giving the Dutch symphonic metal band an immediate showcase for its collaboration-driven direction.

The move follows the departure of vocalist Diana Leah. Founder and keyboardist Martijn Westerholt is not treating the next phase as a conventional one-for-one replacement. Instead, DELAIN plans to work with a rotating group of singers and musicians while maintaining a core lineup of Westerholt, Ludovico Cioffi, Ronald Landa and Sander Zoer.

The broader pool announced for this era includes Marko Hietala, Sharon den Adel, Anneke van Giersbergen, Fabienne Erni, Patty Gurdy, Noa Gruman, Paolo Ribaldini, Johanna Kurkela and Ruud Jolie. Not every collaborator appears on “We Are Fire,” but the list points to a flexible future that can bring different voices and instrumental colors into DELAIN’s established blend of metallic weight and cinematic melody.

“We Are Fire” is the first public glimpse of that approach. Westerholt described the song’s central idea as the inner drive that pushes people beyond boundaries, a theme that suits a band deliberately rebuilding its creative framework in public.

DELAIN will take the new format on the road in February 2027 for dates in Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands with Infected Rain and Persefone. Hietala, Erni, Gruman and Ribaldini are scheduled to join DELAIN during the run, with additional concerts expected to be announced.

Watch the official “We Are Fire” video on YouTube and follow tour and release updates at DELAIN’s official website.

Featured photo: DELAIN, courtesy of Atom Splitter PR. Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe.