Charlotte Wessels - "The Obsession"
Obsession-worthy
If Nightwish wasn’t enough Symphonic Metal for you (it certainly wasn’t for me), Charlotte Wessels is here to ensure you get your fill. I was stoked to see that both would be releasing the same day.
Wessels is the former vocalist for Delain, one of the largest Symphonic Metal acts of the last fifteen years. That project, which is primarily led by Martijn Westerholt (who, himself, is a former member of Within Temptation), shattered in early 2021.1
Wessels took the opportunity to launch a solo career, and had her first album, Tales From Six Feet Under, out by that September. It was…meh.
But that was somewhat understandable from an album which had had less than a year to cook. Her sophomore effort, 2022’s Tales From Six Feet Under, Vol II, was a vast improvement in every regard. That album rated a Blue and ranked 30th overall in 2022’s year-end list. It was a shock, given that the album still only had a year.
And now we arrive at The Obsession, which has had two full years. And, frankly, it shows.
The album opens with “Chasing Sunsets”, which utilizes a strong vocal hook early in its verses, climbing a scale2 and then lingering at the top with an alternating “OOooOOoo” before gradually dismounting. This is after about thirty seconds of gradually-intensifying instrumental build-in. All told, it’s a strong intro to the album — within forty seconds, the album has already demonstrated depth of instrumentation, a willingness to bring in heavy bass and guitar lines, and Wessels’ range and technical ability paired with an interesting hook.
Even if you’ve never heard anything by Wessels before spinning this album, I don’t see anybody not being intrigued by that first minute.
The majority of songs here have solid hooks, too. It isn’t just the opener. Many are a bit more subtle this time around than in 2022’s Vol II, which had a ton of unique and forward hooks. As a result, I think that album hasn’t aged particularly well; as much as I enjoyed it a few years ago, some of those hooks are so aggressive that they get tiresome. And I think Wessels has learned from that. The Obsession strikes more of a balance.
The general sound of the album is along the lines of Symphonic Rock and Metal — your typical Rock/Metal instruments (with plenty of guitar solos (courtesy of Timo Somers, who seems to have also masterminded the arrangements) and refreshingly forward bass (played by Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije)) plus the occasional orchestral/symphonic touches, such as the cello and choir.
However, I would be remiss not to note that there are some significantly poppy elements at play, especially with regard to the vocals-forward mix and composition. It’s still true that the bass line is more noticeable than in most albums I review, but there’s also a sort of pop diva approach at-play, as well. And that, I think, is fair — this is a vocalist’s solo album, after all. It also allows The Obsession to present itself as a more accessible gateway album for symphonic rock and metal.3
By that, I mean that if you’re not certain about whether those genres are for you, this is an album you can more comforably dip your toes into.
There are also two features on the album — both are fellow female metal vocalists: Simone Simons (Delain) and Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy, ex-The Agonist). Simons released her own debut solo album just a few months ago, and it was pretty fucking spectacular. Her feature here doesn’t quite measure up, though it is nice to hear both Simons and Wessels on the same track. White-Gluz has worked with Wessels in the past, initially when Wessels was still with Delain, but also on Wessels’ debut album. White-Gluz is known for her stylistic range, particularly for being able to switch between clean and harsh vocals readily, and she provides harsh vox support here on “Ode to the West Wind”.
There are no bad songs here; I really enjoy every track on the album, but there are a couple of standouts. Specifically, intro track “Chasing Sunsets” and “The Crying Room” are clearly at the top of the heap; then there’s “Soulstice”, “Praise”, and “Vigor and Valor” just a step below, along with closing track “Soft Revolution”.
This version of “Soft Revolution” is a re-recording; the original was the first solo song Wessels released via Patreon back in January of 2021. Notably, this plays as the final song on the album — after “Breathe;”, which is a clear outro track. This re-recorded version has been deepened significantly, and has made an already good song great.
At large, the album’s thematic elements are all about exactly what’s on the tin — obsession. The album takes the “prism” approach to the subject, where the songs aren’t directly related, but each presents a different idea or iteration of the subject. Many, of course, deal with romantic obsession, but even these have significant differences in the scenarios presented.
I feel that this album shows Wessels still very much on the rise. It’s a strong improvement over her first two outings, but I think she’s yet to hit her peak. She’s found a real balance here — the songs are complex and interesting enough to hold my attention on active listens, but also catchy enough to potentially prove themselves as serious ear worms and keep me coming back for more.
The only thing holding it back at this point is that several songs feel a bit lacking in comparison to others, especially the two features.
Rating: Blue
Delain would gradually reform over the next year, with only Westerholt remaining from the previous lineup. The exact reasons are still not clear, though Westerholt has said, in an interview with Blabbermouth, basically that the band had begun to have such severe creative differences that they were no longer functioning.
Again, I have to caveat that my ear isn’t good enough to say whether its a standard or chromatic scale — I can only count that it’s ten notes, and I believe it’s a full octave at the least (so probably standard plus a couple).
I have to acknowledge, as well, that Symphonic Metal is widely considered to be one of the more accessible Metal genres, period.