I had used the expression 'Delain 2.0' for the release of the new 'Delain' album ('Dark Water') which saw the original line up limited to 'Martijn Westerholt', the keyboard player having left with the keys of the band. So, with this new release under the name of 'Charlotte Wessels', we are pretty much back to 'Delain 1.0' which had been for more than ten years one of the most prominent bands in symphonic metal. Indeed, after the two very beautiful albums of 'Charlotte Wessels', 'Tales From Six Under Feet' and 'Tales from Six Feet Under Vol. II', released in 2021 and 2022 respectively, which saw the Dutch singer enchant us by showing that she had managed to break out of the straitjacket of 'Delain', she recalled the old guard of 'Delain' because we find the guitarist 'Timo Somers', the bassist 'Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije' and the drummer 'Joey Marin de Boer', the four artists having remained very close, and only 'Sophia Vernikov' joined the quartet to play keyboards. But, despite the fact that the album 'The Obsession' is under the singer's name, we have the feeling that this reunion is not something ephemeral and that, why not, it is a new group that is being born.
I might as well tell you right away, 'The Obsession' sounds like a metal album with all the power that we expect from the electric instruments and the rhythm section and we feel in each composition the complicity that these artists had at the time of 'Delain'. The best example is the cover of 'Soft Revolution' at the end of the album which offers an impressive dynamic and which allows 'Timo Somers' to trigger some shivers in his guitar solo, this title having a strong melodic connotation of 'Delain'. Same impression with the first title 'Chasing Sunsets' which was the subject of a single and which alternates in the verses a pop atmosphere with much more muscular parts in which we find the firepower of 'Delain' (see the video above). The two compositions that follow are in the same style with, first of all, 'Dopamine' which sees 'Simone Simons' (who has just released her first solo album 'Vermillon' with the help of Arjen Lucassen') share the microphone with 'Charlotte Wessels' (see the video here), then, 'The Exorcism' which is certainly one of the most contrasting titles with heavy parts of exceptional power which rubs shoulders with very soft sung sections (see the video here).
After this explosive start to the album, the atmosphere becomes more moderate while keeping very muscular accompaniments: this is what the two mid-tempos 'Soulstice' and 'The Crying Room' attest (see the video here) that highlight the melodious singing of 'Charlotte Wessels' and that offer more moderate rhythms on very catchy melodic lines. In 'Ode To The West Wind' which follows, we find these alternations between calm parts and much heavier sections in which the guest 'Alissa White-Gluz' accompanies Charlotte with a few growls, which brings a very pleasant variety within this title (see the video here). 'Serpentine' is again a beautiful composition offering a huge contrast between verses and chorus and, in the second part, 'Timo Somers' offers us a new remarkable guitar solo. We continue with 'Praise' which on a well-marked rhythm, highlights magnificent choirs which bring a breath of fresh gospel, then, 'All You Are' develops a very beautiful melody on a slow tempo and shows a calmer face while keeping a sort of quiet strength in the powerful parts and 'Vigor and Valor' shows a resolutely modern face with additions of electronically manipulated vocals and moves away from metal for a more pop song but keeps a beautiful dynamic in the more muscular sections.
In summary, after having regained her creative freedom by releasing two solo albums in an alternative pop/rock style, 'Charlotte Wessels' is back with a new album which is ultimately a kind of fusion between her solo experience and the metal years within the group 'Delain' which makes it a project apart in the current musical landscape. We also feel in this album this complicity found with her former colleagues of 'Delain' and, despite the fact that the album is released under her name, 'The Obsession' is above all a team effort and will certainly allow the group to open up to a new audience while certainly retaining the historic fans of 'Delain'... | |
