Charlotte Wessels has been making quite a splash in the way she funds her work and relates to her fans. The ex-Delain vocalist is releasing her third solo album The Obsession on September 20th through Napalm Records, and it proves to be the album she needed to release right now.
Enough of the past: Charlotte Wessels has made herself a name in the metal community, and this new album represents a major step forward in production for her brand. To achieve this, she’s recruited old and new friends alike: Timo Somers on guitars, Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije on bass, Joey Marin de Boer on drums, Sophia Vernikov on piano and Hammond, Vikram Shankar on arrangements, and Elianne Anemaat on cello. Guest vocalists include Simone Simons of Epica and Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy.
Yes, I think this album demonstrates Charlotte going all out, so to speak. It is also a vehicle for her return to the heavier symphonic metal sound, which constitutes most of the album. The album sounds better than her first two, and the heavy riffs next to her voice have an undeniably nostalgic quality. The album is gloriously bombastic at times, though quiet and thoughtful in others.
But here’s where I have to be honest with myself. This is a great album, but I find that I like her second solo album, Tales from Six Feet Under, Vol. II, slightly more. I liked her sheen-less singer-songwriter persona, and I appreciated how many genres collided on both of her previous albums. So, as good as The Obsession is, it doesn’t have as much variation or experimentation, though it does have a little.
Okay, enough of that. The album really does shine, especially for Delain fans that miss her presence. I will admit, though, that I find the second half to be far stronger than the first half. That is also ironic because one of my favorite songs is in the first half. Anyways, the singles all appear in the first half. I like them all pretty well, but especially love “Dopamine” with Simone Simons. This song is incredibly catchy, and I like how Simone doesn’t really sing lyrics. It feels haunting, and I find myself singing it constantly. Also in the first half is “Soulstice”, which is a softer song with a very pleasant swaying rhythm. I like it.
The second half has greater variety and more memorable melodies, in my opinion. It opens with “Serpentine”, a piece with a stunning, orchestral melody that sweeps through the chorus with nostalgic and effective timing. I love the pining lyrics, too. Next is “Praise”, the first song that really caught my ear; this piece has a bit of Gospel sound to it, which I did not expect. I absolutely love the vocal harmonies—it is such a fun song. “All You Are” feels somewhat theatrical, yet the chorus is sort of downtempo and melancholy, and I like that combo.
The final three songs are wonderful, too. “Vigor and Valor” is another favorite. It sounds like it could have been a Delain song, the ones with more electronic and industrial edge, that is. It is heavy and pretty damn cool. I also love “Breathe”, which is technically the closer. It is only about a minute long, but it is like an orchestral, piano-soaked outro that is deeply beautiful, and it leads into the new version of “Soft Revolution”. This version is head and shoulders above the original simply because it has contrasts the subtlety of the lyrics and vocals with fierce guitars and a towering solo near the end. It is the definitive version, no doubt.
The Obsession is definitely the album Charlotte needed to release right now. It is nostalgic and it rocks, and there are hints of the genre-bending from the first two records. It has a meatier, more in-your-face sound, and the complete package is impressive. Fans will love it and new listeners will be attracted to it.
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