Former DELAIN singer Charlotte Wessels has joined forces with EPICA's Simone Simons for Charlotte's mesmerizing new single titled "Dopamine". Watch the video here. This track is part of Wessels's first traditional full-length, full-band solo album, "The Obsession", set to be released on September 20, 2024 via Napalm Records. Promising a deeply immersive and evocative experience, the two Dutch symphonic metal legends guide listeners through the emotional landscape of SSRI-induced numbness. "The Obsession" showcases Wessels's most mature work to date, blending progressive and heavier soundscapes with catchy elements.
Supported by her former DELAIN bandmates, who contribute to the album's heavier sound, Wessels is set to bring "The Obsession" to the stage this year. The journey begins with a release show on October 4, 2024 at Utrecht's TivoliVredenburg, followed by a special guest appearance with labelmates KAMELOT and AD INFINITUM in Drachten on October 11, 2024. After these shows, Wessels will join VOLA on their "Friend Of Phantom" European tour 2024, kicking off on November 1.
Wessels comments: "Lyrically, 'Dopamine' deals with SSRI-induced numbness that I experienced a few years ago when I was on Sertraline, a type of antidepressant. While the medication was really helpful, there were so many side effects that I'd never heard of. This song deals with some of them, and while it feels vulnerable to expose the experience, I hope it helps in breaking down the shame and taboo around the topic.
"Simone reached out to me as I was first opening up about this in an interview, and when the first version of 'Dopamine' dropped on Patreon (because, of course, we're each other's Patreons) she texted how much she liked the song. So when we were working on the album version, it only made sense to ask if she'd sing along on the track. I am so happy she agreed and after all of the shared introspection, it was great fun to let loose wearing pink wigs in ball pits and marshmallow pools for the video recordings. Musically, out of the entire new album, 'Dopamine' went through the biggest transformation. What started out as an EDM demo for a collaboration with a dance duo that never happened, became an acoustic 'Song Of The Month' on Patreon, which then had a massive overhaul when rearranging it with Timo. The new band version is an absolute banger, and the beautiful guest vocals by Simone complete the song."
"The Obsession" marks Wessels's Napalm Records debut, and while her earlier solo endeavors — full-length song compilations "Tales From Six Feet Under" (2021) and "Tales From Six Feet Under Vol. II" (2022) — already gained her a remarkable number of devotees, "The Obsession" truly takes her career to the next level.
The new album promises a cohesive exploration of fear and liberation, as well as spellbinding melancholia and dark, catchy elements meeting progressive and heavier soundscapes. The storytelling within the songs gives the multifaceted album even more depth, making "The Obsession" an exciting listening experience and Wessels's most mature solo offering so far.
While still writing and producing the songs in her Six Feet Under basement home studio and sharing their first incarnations with her patrons, Wessels now takes the songs from her new album, "The Obsession", to the next level with a band of her fellow ex-DELAIN cohorts Timo Somers (guitars, additional arrangements),Otto Schimmelpenninck Van Der Oije (bass) and Joey Marin De Boer (drums) as well as Sophia Vernikov (piano/Hammond),contributing to the new heavier sound. The album also features arrangements by Vikram Shankar (SILENT SKIES, PAIN OF SALVATION),cello by Elianne Anemaat, was mixed by Guido Aalbers (MUSE, COLDPLAY, THE GATHERING) and was mastered by Andy VanDette (PORCUPINE TREE, VOLA, DREAM THEATER).
(Source: www.blabbermouth.net)