Charlotte Wessels – The Obsession

Release date:   20-09-2024
Label: Napalm Records

Ex-Delain frontwoman and vocalist Charlotte Wessels has recently released her 3rd studio album, “The Obsession. Where has the time gone? Am I right? Since leaving the Dutch symphonic metal band, Ms. Wessels hasn’t stopped making music even for a second. It´s hard to believe it´s only 4 years ago that Delain released their last album, “Apocalypse & Chill,” with C.W. on the vocals, let alone Wessels just made her 3rd solo full-length effort before 2024 ends.

I must be honest, I haven’t really paid attention to her first 2 solo albums, but I´m so happy that I got to come across this gem of an album by Charlotte Wessels—this album is sounding fairly eclectic in style and soundwise. The visuals for the album art and the music videos are so creative and artsy, which in my opinion are projecting the contradiction of today´s world—can music and art stay shiny, colorful, and aesthetic while reflecting the unpleasant and doomy aspects of the world´s reality? “The Obsession” perfectly handles this paradox and displays it for all to see.

On tracks like Ode To The West Wind ft. Alissa White-Gluz, The Exorcism, and The Crying Room, dark themes such as existential fear, OCD thoughts, and wanting to leave it all behind and escape are prevalent. Dopamine ft. Simone Simons addresses the inevitable antidepressant path that somehow leads to apathy and numbing of emotions. Praise is in the style of a gospel, which preaches and criticizes outside affirmation and validation in order to feel accomplished. Fans will not be disappointed by the remake of Soft Revolution, which plays your heart strings. Soulstice and Serpentine are standouts as they provide a previously unheard dark sensuality. I notice that her vocal style throughout the album is both folky and progressive, surely, as well as being ethereal and siren-like as usual.

In “The Obsession,” C.W. brings novelty to the scene with her genre-defying tracks, mixing fascinating sadness and dark melodies with quite a progressive sound and intense atmosphere. The storytelling in the songs adds richness to this eclectic album, making “The Obsession” such a sophisticated experience.

She has European live dates this fall and winter, so if you like her stuff from Delain, make sure to check out her new solo shows as well!

Line up:

• Charlotte Wessels- vocals
• Timo Somers – guitars
• Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije – Bass
• Joey Marin de Boer- Drums
• Sophia Vernikov- Piano, Hammond

Tracklist

1. Chasing Sunsets
2. Dopamine (Feat. Simone Simons)
3. The Exorcism
4. Soulstice
5. The Crying Room
6. Ode To The West Wind (Feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
7. Serpentine
8. Praise
9. All You Are
10. Vigor And Valor
11. Breathe;
12. Soft Revolution (2024)

Links:

Official: https://napalmrecords.com/charlotte-wessels
Bandcamp: https://charlottewessels.bandcamp.com/album/the-obsession